Chris' Magic: The Gathering Card of the Day!

The Card of the Day is....(celebrating Halloween this week)

Greater Werewolf

2/4 At end of combat, put a -0/-2 counter on each creature blocking or blocked by Greater Werewolf.

A brief rundown of the card:

I compare Greater Werewolf to The Wretched or Thicket Basilisk in that this is a tough creature to off early in a game---the toughness of 4 is very handy. Also, opponents tend to not block the Greater Werewolf (and similar cards)--the 2 points of damage don't seem like much at first. It doesn't take too many attacks with one of these pesky creatures to prove that wrong. Here are a few cards to help get the most out of Greater Werewolf:

• Lure
  Simple enough...force all of your opponent's creatures to block your lycanthrope--then go nuts dishing out -0/-2 tokens. In case your opponent's creatures a threat to your werewolf, add Regeneration. This is a great combo to dispose of regenerators...there's no point in regenerating a creature whose toughness is lowered below 1 (better than damage I say).
• Boiling Blood
  This is a great way to force a Royal Assassin or Spore Flower to attack--only to be blocked by your mean old werewolf.
• Siren's Call
  This can be as good as Boiling Blood (or better) for helping your werewolf spread lycanthropy thoughout your opponent's ranks.
• Melee
  In my opinion, the only defense for Melee is Fog-like effects. If your opponent isn't using one of the many fine Fog-like cards in their deck, try Melee to mix things up. Use Melee, then attack with your Greater Werewolf (and whoever else you choose). Force all of your opponent's creatures to block the Greater Werewolf while your other creatures sneak by unblocked. Nobody expects Melee! What other card lets you assign your opponent's blockers? Yeah, it costs 5 mana--but it's worth it.
• Arcum's Whistle/Nettling Imp/Norritt
  Force a creature to attack with any of these cards. All 3 of these cards fit into different styles of decks. Choose the one that suits your needs best.
• Oracle en-Vec
  This is one of my favorite Tempest cards. Mess with your opponent's head and make your game of Magic more like Concentration by forcing your opponent to effectively announce their attacks a turn in advance. Immediatly after you make them annouce their attackers, play a Greater Werewolf and watch them scramble to save their soon-to-be attackers.