Homebrew Pick of the Week: Breath of Malfegor

Since WoTC has been paying more attention to multiplayer interaction lately I thought it would be appropriate to highlight one of the more fun cards that made its debut as part of the Alara Reborn set. Without further ado I present: Breath of Malfegor



I know what you are thinking..OK maybe I don't but I know what I'm thinking..OK maybe I don't but you have to admit that this card is funny. Hitting each opponent for five damage in a multiplayer game is kinda ridiculous (and also slightly suicidal!). It's definitely not be the strongest card when you are looking for a good price-to-burn ratio in a one-on-one matchup. The ironic thing is that it's still more efficient than some older burn spells from back in the day when Magic made you pay dearly for your powerful spells. Yeah nobody really misses those days.. Anyway, there are plenty of ways to exploit this card in the standard multiplayer environment. My two-headed giant partner cracked one of these at the Alara Reborn pre-release and it evened up the field and helped us make up a lot of ground in more than a few matches!

Strengths:

- 5-5 Cost-Damage ratio

- Can hit more than one opponent in a multiplayer match

- Light coloration (only 2 out of the 5 mana in the cost are colored)

Weaknesses:

-Cost-Damage ratio is fair but not as efficient as others in standard

Ways to Abuse:

-Twincast it to deal ten damage to each opponent in a multiplayer match

- Cascade into it with Bituminous Blast for an explosive nine damage to one opponent and five to the rest.

Later this week I will post a decklist built around this card for my weekly "Hombrew Decklist". I'm thinking Grixis colors with "each player" hand destruction, some Twincasts, a few burn spells and a Malfegor or two. Should be an interesting deck and I am excited to try it out in my local multiplayer group.

(Picture and links provided by Wizards of the Coast inc.)