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Oct 5, 2012 -- 6:57PM, silentbobus wrote:

Oct 5, 2012 -- 5:09PM, Lobster667 wrote:

There is literally dozens of other spells in the set in our colours that can replace the Scorpion. I can think of only one that can replace the Scatter. I think for that reason, the decision to pick Scorpion here isn't good. The deck might want them, but it needs the Scatter.

From what I have read of the experts they suggest shooting for 2 Scatters if you are in blue, and that the most you want to be playing is 3. Taking the Essence Scatter here already puts you at the upper limit. It's a card that is objectively in the 2.5 -3.0 range, there's no reason to go crazy with it. Giant Scorpion, is a killer card it prevents decks from being able to rush you and stops decks from attacking with their high end creatures because it isn't worth the trade. It's also a lot of fun drafting them in multiples if you can also get a glider. I would list out all of the cards that can't effectively attack if you have a Giant Scorpion out but it would be very silly because it is the majority of them.

Perhaps another way to look at  Essence Scatter  is to look at Mind Rot . It's a killer card if you get it at the right time. It has the potential to 'kill' not one, but two creatures and often does. I just lost a game due to getting hit with a Mind Rot and a Ravenous Rats, discarding my hand of Essence Drain , Servant of Nefarox and Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis in the process. Any one of those cards would have turned the tide of the game into a win for me. But you can't keep jamming multiple copies of the same card into a deck hoping it'll work out for the best, because the problematic situations for that card are going to be that much worse. Giant Scorpion is a solid creature that requires no mana commitment to be solid, I strongly suggest taking it.

I think comparing Essence Scatter, a legitimate first-pick, to Mind Rot, drench that you'll almost never play, is not doing the card justice. With Mind Rot, they have to still have two cards (or just one) when you draw it, and you're paying 3 mana and they're not paying anything. With Essence Scatter, all you need is for them to play a creature (I'd guess the average deck has 15, which is 37.5% of their deck) and you're paying two mana, they're probably paying at least as much if not more. I'm not going to buy the Mind Rot argument which means your points about how the sweet cards you had left doesn't do anything for me. Besides, I'm thinking you'd probably also have lost to a Scatter of the Nefarox there (since you'd tap out for him and be unable to cast the Drain at least right away).

Scorpion's mana commitment is almost as much as Scatter's.

Not being able to win with lots and lots of the same card is just plain wrong. I'd take a deck with 25 Mind Sculpts, or one with 25 Flunkies, or one with 10 Coursers, 10 Visionaries and 5 Rancor any day. Don't get me started on Vampire Nighthawks, or Searing Spears, or Chronomatons...