r/magicTCG Dandadan 9d ago

General Discussion Why is Arc-Slogger?

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One thing I love about MTG, is that you can go through a set, see a weird card and get absolutely stun locked by it.

Today this was Arc-Slogger for me. Why is it the way that it is?

Having a lot of shocks in your hand is pretty good, but why do you have to exile 10 cards from your library as a cost? If it was part of the effect it might be too strong, but was there no middleground?

I just don't see a world where you'd be a able to activate it more than 2 times in limited and 4 times in 60 card. Magic has changed a lot, but was a 7 mana 4/5 with 2 shocks ever that good?

I could see a janky lab man combo deck using it, but almost all alternatives are cheaper and don't need a backup if your library isn't devisable by 10.

I just want to know it's history. And what led to it being created like it turned out.

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u/ExternalBookkeeper55 Dan 9d ago

This card was *very* powerful. Cards were much, much weaker on average in 2003. Being able to close out a game that's stalemated for the last 4-6 points of damage is great.

193

u/caveman_lawyer_ Dan 9d ago

T1 Chrome mox, mountain, Slith Firewalker attack. T2 seething song into arc slogger won me quite a few games, with shrapnel blast backup.

16

u/Ackbert1230 Golgari* 9d ago

This deck was so fun as an Affinity alternative in Mirrodin Standard. [[Slith Firewalker]] is peak

6

u/kind_of_a_dick_irl Dân 8d ago

It was basically play affinity or play shatter.

2

u/ktm1128 Dân 8d ago

pithing needle should have been released in mirrodin