The Krosan Tusker: A Comprehensive Review

Overview

The Krosan Tusker is a five-mana boar beast with a unique cycling mechanic that allows it to search for and draw basic land cards. While its high mana cost and limited size may make it seem unwieldy, the Tusker can be a powerful addition to certain decks that focus on generating card advantage.

Detailed Card Mechanics and Interactions

The Krosan Tusker's cycling mechanic is its most distinctive feature. When the player chooses to cycle this card, they discard it and draw two green mana cards from their library. If there are any basic land cards in their library, they may search for them, reveal one, put it into their hand, and then shuffle their library.

This ability allows the Tusker to gain a significant advantage by generating card draw and allowing its player to play more lands on their turn. However, it's worth noting that the Tusker does not generate any combat value when cycled, meaning that it will only attack if the player chooses to do so normally.

Strategic Uses, Combos, and Synergies

The Krosan Tusker is often considered a combo piece in decks that focus on card draw and land generation. When paired with cards like Sylvan Library or Forest, the Tusker can generate an absurd amount of card advantage by cycling it repeatedly.

One popular strategy for playing the Tusker involves using it to generate card draw, then playing a large number of lands to set up future turns. This can be particularly effective in decks that focus on ramping into bigger spells, such as Jund or Simic Ramp.

However, the Tusker's high mana cost means that it is often difficult to include in decks that need to generate tempo quickly. In these cases, the player may choose to play more aggressive creatures and cards like Keldon Marauders instead.

Deckbuilding Roles and Archetypes

The Krosan Tusker can be a powerful addition to several deck archetypes:

• Ramp Decks: The Tusker is particularly well-suited for ramp decks that focus on generating card draw and land acceleration. By cycling the Tusker repeatedly, the player can generate an absurd amount of card advantage.
• Control Decks: While the Tusker may seem like an aggressive creature, it's often more effective in control decks where its cycling mechanic is used to generate card draw and set up future turns.
• Combo Decks: The Tusker is a staple in many combo decks that focus on generating card advantage through cycling and land acceleration.

In general, the Tusker is most effective in decks that can take full advantage of its cycling mechanic. Players who are willing to invest time and resources into building a deck around this creature will be rewarded with incredible returns.

Format Viability and Competitive Context

The Krosan Tusker has been relatively popular in competitive Magic: The Gathering for several years, particularly in formats like Modern and Commander. However, its viability can vary depending on the specific metagame and tournament format.

In recent years, the Tusker has become less viable in Modern due to the rise of more aggressive decks like Sultai Control and Jund. However, it remains a staple in some Commander formats, where its cycling mechanic is seen as a powerful tool for generating card advantage.

Rules Interactions and Technical Notes

The Krosan Tusker's cycling mechanic can have several interesting interactions with other cards:

• Liliana of the Veil: When cycled, the Tusker's ability to search for basic lands makes it particularly well-suited to decks that feature Liliana.
• Moxen: The Tusker's cycling mechanic allows players to generate card draw while also ramping into bigger spells. This can be a powerful combination with Moxen like Mox Sapphire or Mox Jet.
• Sorcery Speed Effects: When cycled, the Tusker will not gain any combat value until it is cast normally. However, this means that its cycling mechanic will still generate card draw and set up future turns.

Art, Flavor, and Historical Context

The Krosan Tusker was first released in 2009 as part of the original Krosan trilogy. Its art depicts a massive boar beast roaming through the jungle, surrounded by ancient ruins and mysterious artifacts.

According to the Magic: The Gathering flavor text, the Tusker is said to be "a creature of great ferocity and cunning", able to "track down its prey with ease". While these descriptions are certainly evocative, they also hint at a more complex and nuanced nature for this iconic card.

Summary of Key Points

• The Krosan Tusker has a powerful cycling mechanic that allows it to generate card draw and search for basic lands.
• The Tusker is often considered a combo piece in decks that focus on card draw and land generation.
• Its high mana cost makes it difficult to include in aggressive or tempo-focused decks, but it can be a staple in ramp or control decks.
• The Tusker has been relatively popular in competitive Magic: The Gathering for several years, particularly in formats like Modern and Commander.

Conclusion

The Krosan Tusker is a powerful and unique creature that offers incredible returns to players who are willing to invest time and resources into building a deck around it. While its high mana cost can make it difficult to include in some decks, the Tusker's cycling mechanic makes it an ideal fit for ramp and control decks. With careful gameplan and strategic play, the Tusker can be a game-changer in competitive Magic: The Gathering formats.

Deckbuilding Considerations

When building a deck around the Krosan Tusker, there are several considerations to keep in mind:

• Mana Base: A strong mana base is essential for ramping into bigger spells and taking advantage of the Tusker's cycling mechanic.
• Card Draw: Additional sources of card draw can help the player take full advantage of the Tusker's cycling mechanic and generate an absurd amount of card advantage.
• Land Acceleration: Land acceleration cards like Forest or Sylvan Library can be used to ramp into bigger spells and set up future turns.

By carefully selecting these components and gameplan, players who are willing to invest time and resources into building a deck around the Krosan Tusker will be rewarded with incredible returns.