Flip it and Reverse it!

[jorael]

This thread is about the Kamigawa-block flip creatures.

When I saw them for the first time I didn’t like them. The lay-out just looked wrong and the art doesn’t improve when they try to show 2 distinct persons in one picture, if you ask me. The real issue, of course, is their playability.

When I first saw a player try to flip Initiate of Blood I was amused. He spend a lot of effort (casting Lightning Bolt, chump blocking) trying to flip the creature. Every time he succeeded another opponent bounced the creature (Goku, the Unjust} with Withdraw or Aether Burst. It’s like a mini-game in Magic: trying to flip your creature. Investing cards to flip it can be risky (wasting cards to let it flip just to see it get terrored), but it can be rewarding. Some of the flipped versions are really nasty!

I started this thread so that everyone can post their decks, deck-ideas and actual stories about the legendary flip creatures. If you have anything to share, please post!

Rare flip-creatures
Akki Lavarunner
Budoka Gardener
Jushi Apprentice
Kitsune Mystic
Nezumi Shortfang

Uncommon flip creatures
Budoka Pupil
Bushi Tenderfoot
Callow Jushi
Cunning Bandit
Faithful Squire
Hired Muscle
Initiate of Blood
Nezumi Graverobber
Orochi Eggwatcher
Student of Elements

 

[Oversoul]

The Nezumi dudes are cool...

I don't remember if any of the other flipping dudes are even mildly useful. I remember people used the Nezumi ones though. They're pretty cool. It didn't work against me, because I am invincible. But it was still cool...

 

[jorael]

Most flip creatures are pretty casual. They aren't extremely powerful, but some have quite good abilities. Nezumi Graverobber is very nasty in any multiplayer game. Emptying one graveyard is often easy and several opponents mean that there is usually something nasty to reanimate. Heck, even the graveyard removal itself is often VERY useful.


Once upon a time....
The very first deck I made with Champions of Kamigawa had a lot of mana acceleration (Sakura-Tribe Elder & Kodama's Reach) and ways to make good use out of that mana (Swallowing Plague, Strength of Cedars). It also had some trampling creatures and Nezumi Graverobber.

One opponent played a mono black zombie deck. On turn 4 or 5 he imprinted a swamp with Extraplanar Lens. All swamps gave double mana. I was able to reanimate 3 creatures (15 mana!) each round. I could even animate a Nezumi graverobber if the current flipped one was targeted by removal. That was some savage beating.

 

[YoungBeard]

I think Nezumi Graverobber/Nighteyes the Desecrator is one of the better ones. Any creature with good CIP, leave play, or sac ability works with him.

Nighteyes the Desecrator + Rootrunner = lock. Not the best of combos, but I actually pulled this off in a league game on MTGO... It was a "Wow... I didn't know my deck could do that" moment.

 

[DarthFerret]

I dont know...the Jushi Aprentice looks pretty good to me. Put 4 in a deck with Ambassador Laquatis and a Time Spiral, 4 Millstones, 4 Diminishing Returns, etc....could get really nasty really quick.

 

[jorael]

One of the lesser ones I thought, but the flipped version is rather good. It becomes a one-sided pinpoint Death Pits of Rath. The trick is, of course, how to flip it and make use of Goka.

When does the hurting stop?
20 Mountains
4 Desert

4 Caltrops
4 Crushing Pain
4 Neko-Te

4 Ember-Fist Zubera
4 Viashino Heretic
4 Vulshok Sorcerer
4 Embermage Goblin
4 Initiate of Blood
4 Triskelion

I had a lot of fun with this deck. The deck is full of 'pingers' so that the Crushing Pain and Goka are always useful. Embermage Goblin is expensive, but the search ability is great. It also gives you something expendable to chumb block with if you are attacked by fatties without having a Crushing Pain or Neko-Te equipped.

Neko-Te is great to tap down any creature and after that you can ping an opponent for twice the lifeloss (deal a damage & loss of life). I'v added some non-red damage sources so that a Silver Knight won't ruin your day. Caltrops and Desert take care of attackers and Triskelion can deal 3 damage, with a Neko-Te that means tapping 3 creatures (or 6 life loss for an opponent). Viashino Heretic is the artifact kill in the deck. It fits the damage theme and versus some artifact decks it is crushing.

If you don't have Deserts you could use Ghitu Encampments instead. After first strike damage resolves you can still use Crushing Pain or some pinging to finish an attacker off without losing the man-land.

 

[Shiro, Time Devourer]

Bushi Tenderfoot is one of those cards that tempts someone to exploit it, yet actually acting on that temptation is more trouble than it's worth. There are a lot of cards like that in Magic. I think R&D gets its jollies off of this kind of thing.

Although I guess you can Giant Growth it or give it +1/+0 and first strike.

It's basically more of a limiter card. Something that prevents an activity from taking place.

 

[jorael]

3/4 Double Strike, bushido 2 is quite respectable for only one white mana and a little bit of effort. Ok, a lot of effort.

Still, I played him in a W/G deck packed with Might of Oaks and Umezawa's Jitte and the card was nice. You can equip Bushi with a Jitte and the charge counters will pile up, whether an opponent blocks or not. You can also keep Bushi at home and opponents will be reluctant to attack you (with non-evasive creatures).

I still want to try to use Viridian Longbow together with Bushi. Whenever a creature is about to be destroyed, you just deal one damage before that happens and Kenzo has entered play!

 

[Crackdown]

3/4 Double Strike, bushido 2 is quite respectable for only one white mana and a little bit of effort. Ok, a lot of effort.

Still, I played him in a W/G deck packed with Might of Oaks and Umezawa's Jitte and the card was nice. You can equip Bushi with a Jitte and the charge counters will pile up, whether an opponent blocks or not. You can also keep Bushi at home and opponents will be reluctant to attack you (with non-evasive creatures).

I still want to try to use Viridian Longbow together with Bushi. Whenever a creature is about to be destroyed, you just deal one damage before that happens and Kenzo has entered play!

A Shuriken would almost guarantee that Bushi will flip, at the cost of giving up control of it. I'd have an IW in hand perhaps just in case.

 

[Homestar]

well you guys go have fun with those cards, but me and my Gardener are gonna go off and have our own fun...i love the gardener, not really tournament good, but a funny card, throw in Kodamas reach, the elder, and stuff, pretty much base a deck around him and you could have some fun.

Cunning Bandit seems o.k to me also........ just o.k tho

 

[jorael]

Cunning Bandit won me a champions-betrayers draft I did with some friends.
One game: I played the bandit on turn 3, after that I played 2 spirits, about turn 6-7 I take over my opponents defense and do 16 damage (blademane baku with some counters and Long forgotten gohei do that, ouch). Result: one dead player.

The same thing is possible when playing casual vs. someone. It may be less suited for multiplayer. It may be cool to combine it with Synod Sanctum. Steal a creature, remove it from the game. Repeat. When you pop the Sanctum you keep the creatures