CardShark Content - Vincent Lovaglio (1/2/2004)

Whenever a new set is released, a few cards are always hyped. For example, when Mirrodin first came out all the hype was about Chrome Mox

Chrome Mox
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 152 Artist: Donato Giancola Text: Imprint - When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

and Oblivion Stone

Oblivion Stone
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 222 Artist: Sam Wood Text: 4, T: Put a fate counter on target permanent. 5, T, Sacrifice Oblivion Stone: Destroy each nonland permanent without a fate counter on it, then remove all fate counters from all permanents.

. Another example is when Onslaught

Onslaught
	Set: Exodus Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 92 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Whenever you successfully cast a creature spell, tap target creature.

was first released. Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

and the pit fighter legends all received hype. There are also cards that look solid to everyone but do not receive the popularity they deserve. In Onslaught

Onslaught
	Set: Exodus Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 92 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Whenever you successfully cast a creature spell, tap target creature.

, one example was Ravenous Baloth

Ravenous Baloth
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 278 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: Sacrifice a Beast: You gain 4 life.

. Mirrodin's underrated card is *drumroll please* Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

.


For those of you not familiar with the Troll, it has a 3/2 body that regenerates and cannot be targeted by an opponent for the cost of 3. In other words, he is a big mean green machine (not related to the Hulk or the weird guy on the canned vegetable labels) that can fit in any green deck.


Those of you who play Type II are probably very familiar with the Troll. It is found in G/W Control, several versions of B/G Cemetery, and in some R/G Land Destruction builds. Being that Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

is so powerful in Standard, shouldn't it see some play in Extended? The answer is yes.


Now, why is Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

so viable in Extended. In the new Extended, Tog and Red Deck Wins will dominate. Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

tears through both of these decks. It can not be targeted by any of the Psychatog

Psychatog
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 3 Color: Multicolor Type: Creature Sub Type: Atog Rarity: U Number: 292 Artist: Edward P. Beard, Jr. Power: 1 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Psychatog gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Remove two cards in your graveyard from the game: Psychatog gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

player's abilities and can stand up to a swing Tog because it can regenerate. The real fun comes against Red Deck Wins. The Troll single handedly tears apart the other player's board position and stays in play because it can not be burned.


Being that the Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

is so good, what can we put it in? The first choice would be a top-tier deck that is fighting to be known as the best deck in the metagame, The Rock.


There are also two rogue decks that I have been testing that utilize the Troll. The first is Two Deuce, a deck similar to R/G beats that uses red's burn with green's superior creatures. Here is a list:
4 Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

4 Wild Mongrel

Wild Mongrel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Hound Rarity: C Number: 283 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Wild Mongrel gets +1/+1 and becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.

4 Basking Rootwalla

Basking Rootwalla
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Lizard Rarity: C Number: 121 Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: 1G: Basking Rootwalla gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Play this ability only once each turn. Madness 0

4 Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Mana Birds Rarity: R Artist: Mark Poole Power: 0 Toughness: 1 Text: Flying T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. This ability is played as an interrupt.

4 Ravenous Baloth

Ravenous Baloth
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 278 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: Sacrifice a Beast: You gain 4 life.

3 Rancor

Rancor
	Set: Urza's Legacy Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Number: 110 Artist: Kev Walker Text: Enchanted creature gains +2/+0 and trample.When Rancor is put into a graveyard from play, return Rancor to owner's hand.

2 Blistering Firecat

Blistering Firecat
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 4 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Cat Rarity: R Number: 189 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 7 Toughness: 1 Text: Trample, haste. At end of turn, sacrifice Blistering Firecat.. Morph RR (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face. up any time for its morph cost.)

2 Firebolt

Firebolt
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 193 Artist: Ron Spencer Text: Firebolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. Flashback 4R (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

4 Seal of Fire

Seal of Fire
	Set: Nemesis Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 98 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Sacrifice Seal of Fire: Seal of Fire deals 2 damage to target creature or player.

4 Fire/Ice
3 Tangle

Tangle
	Set: Invasion Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 213 Artist: John Avon Text: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.Attacking creatures don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps.

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4 Wooded Foothills

Wooded Foothills
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 330 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Wooded Foothills: Search your library for a mountain or forest card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

4 Karpulsan Forest

Forest
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add G to your mana pool.

4 Wasteland

Wasteland
	Set: Tempest Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Artist: Una Fricker Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.tap, Sacrifice Wasteland: Destroy target nonbasic land.

5 Forest

Forest
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add G to your mana pool.

5 Mountain

Mountain
	Set: Arabian Nights Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Artist: Douglas Shuler Text: Tap to add R to your mana pool.

The second deck is G/W Beats. With a combination of Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

and Worship

Worship
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 57 Artist: Mark Zug Text: Damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 instead reduces it to 1 if you control a creature.

, it tears apart Red Deck Wins.
4 Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

4 Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Mana Birds Rarity: R Artist: Mark Poole Power: 0 Toughness: 1 Text: Flying T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. This ability is played as an interrupt.

3 Wall of Blossoms

Wall of Blossoms
	Set: Stronghold Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Wall Rarity: U Number: 75 Artist: Heather Hudson Power: 0 Toughness: 4 Text: (Walls cannot attack.) When Wall of Blossoms comes into play, draw a card.

4 Ravenous Baloth

Ravenous Baloth
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 4 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 278 Artist: Arnie Swekel Power: 4 Toughness: 4 Text: Sacrifice a Beast: You gain 4 life.

4 Wild Mongrel

Wild Mongrel
	Set: Odyssey Cost: 2 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Hound Rarity: C Number: 283 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Discard a card from your hand: Wild Mongrel gets +1/+1 and becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.

4 Basking Rootwalla

Basking Rootwalla
	Set: Torment Cost: 1 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Lizard Rarity: C Number: 121 Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: 1G: Basking Rootwalla gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Play this ability only once each turn. Madness 0

3 Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

3 Enlightened Tutor

Enlightened Tutor
	Set: Classic Sixth Edition Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 19 Artist: Dan Frazier Text: Search your library for an artifact or enchantment card and reveal that card. Shuffle your library, then put the card on top of it.

2 Parallax Wave

Parallax Wave
	Set: Nemesis Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 17 Artist: Greg Staples Text: Fading 5 Remove a fade counter from Parallax Wave: Remove target creature from the game. When Parallax Wave leaves play, each player returns to play all cards he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Wave.

2 Worship

Worship
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: R Number: 57 Artist: Mark Zug Text: Damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 instead reduces it to 1 if you control a creature.

3 Seal of Cleansing

Seal of Cleansing
	Set: Nemesis Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 18 Artist: Christopher Moeller Text: Sacrifice Seal of Cleansing: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

4 Brushland

Brushland
	Set: Fifth Edition Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Artist: Tom Wänerstrand Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.T: Add G or W to your mana pool. Brushland deals 1 damage to you.

4 Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 328 Artist: Anthony S. Waters Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Windswept Heath: Search your library for a forest or plains card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

8 Forest

Forest
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add G to your mana pool.

6 Plains

Plains
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add W to your mana pool.

As you can see, Troll Ascetic

Troll Ascetic
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Green Type: Creature Sub Type: Troll Shaman Rarity: R Number: 135 Artist: Puddnhead Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. 1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.

has endless possibilities in Extended. With an undefined metagame such as this one, the Troll can dominate at your next PTQ.

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