Magic Card Evaluation the Pigeon and Gorilla

Offense and Defense in Multiplayer Magic

Oct 22, 2009 Stephen A. Butler

The last article discussed the Cockroach, and this one introduces the Gorilla and the Pigeon.

In the first article on this subject, the Cockroach was discussed. The Cockroach is a card that discourages other players from actively removing it from play. In this article, we will discuss the next two archetypes to look for in multiplayer Magic: the Gathering: the Gorilla and the Pigeon.

The Gorilla

The Gorilla is the easiest of the six archetypes to identify, because a good Gorilla is also a powerful Magic card in single player as well. The Gorilla is a card that is capable of swinging a six-man game in your favor. A Gorilla card does this by dealing large amounts of damage (Pyroclasm, Wildfire), or generating a good deal of card advantage (Wrath of God, Cruel Ultimatum).

Unlike the Cockroach, which can stand idly by without drawing attention, Gorillas will catch the eye of everyone at the table, even if it doesn't affect them. To play a Gorilla card and not do anything with it is to put a target on your chest. The Gorilla can open a small chance for you in a large game, that shouldn't be wasted. No matter how strong a Gorilla card is, one player can't withstand a five-player beat-down after you've destroyed all their creatures for the third time this game.

When played at the correct time, they can win you the game on their own.

The key phrases to look for in Gorilla cards are "Each player," or "Destroy All." Some Gorilla cards are Volcanic Fallout, Molten Disaster, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Darksteel Colossus, Lightning Reaver, Rotting Rats, Innocent Blood, Wrath of God, and Akroma, Angel of Wrath.

The Pigeon

The Pigeon is the opposite of the Gorilla. The Gorilla is offensive. The Pigeon is defensive. At its best, an enemy Pigeon is a benign permanent. At its worst, its an endemic best that clogs up your opponents board with free cards, tokens, and life points. In multiplayer Magic, no card gets annoying faster than the first turn Pigeon card.

A Pigeon card gets stronger for each player in the game.

While the Cockroach discourages removal, the Pigeon attracts it. A Pigeon card can be seen as so annoying that players may counter or destroy it as soon as possible, despite there being bigger threats in play. A Pigeon card gets stronger as long as the game has many players. Unfortunately, the opposite is just as true. As players leave the game, a Pigeon's effectiveness drops sharply. By the time only two players remain, a Pigeon may be completely useless.

Congregate and Soul Warden are prime examples of Pigeons. Blood Tyrant and Ankh of Mishra are more subtle Pigeons. Verdant Force and Beast of Burden are offense-oriented Pigeons.

In closing, the Gorilla is a power card: it actively swings card and life advantage in your favor in one swoop, but may require timing for maximum reward. The Pigeon is a card that doesn't need to do anything to generate card and life advantage, but becomes less practical in the late game. The next article, introduces the two reactionary card types: the Spiderand the Rattlesnake.

The copyright of the article Magic Card Evaluation the Pigeon and Gorilla in Card/Board/Lawn Games is owned by Stephen A. Butler. Permission to republish Magic Card Evaluation the Pigeon and Gorilla in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.