Unveiling The Power Of Flametongue Kavu: A Game-Changing Creature In Magic History
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- #mtg #magicthegathering #cardgame
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Flametongue Kavu is one of the most important cards in the history of Magic: the Gathering. It represents a moment where creatures received a huge push to make them a more important card type. It was pushed so hard that it dominated multiple formats and still looks like a very good card today. In this video, I cover FTK's competitive history.
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creativecommons...
I agree. Kavu today would still be quite the limited all-star I think.
For any creature with 4 toughness or less, it's an easier to cast, red, higher power ravenous chupacabra. Ravenous chups was awesome in limited
Yeah I think it would be a top pick.
there's no question it would be.
It still sees play in vintage cube I believe.
we had a similar card in LOTR, I think it's called foray of orcs, which amassed 2 and then dealt damage equal to the power of the army token.
It was first pick material for sure.
Wow, it wasn't until they were on screen together side-by-side that I realized the art for _Fury_ pretty much just straight up is _Flametongue Kavu._
I will once again advocate for Blastoderm being on this series!
Well Blastoderm was mentioned here. It WAS a pretty good card... I wish that thing had trample tho but I guess that would have been WAY too much for that time, esp for a common. Maybe a "New" Blastoderm (not the color shifted Calciderm) could come out to fill that role.
I would like to see it be part of a Erhnam Djinn variant" top 10 list.
I'm surprised this hasn't had any standard set reprints. It's a pretty clean card design. If they started doing core sets again it'd be a nice inclusion.
They don't like cards that have to hit your own stuff when your opponent doesn't have a target, it confuses new players.
If they were to make am effective reprint with modern design it would add "...an opponent controls." At the end
@@TheRedKnightOfPainor “up to”
The bigger problem is that cards like FTK warped environment by setting a high bar for what other cards can be played while still being the best thing to do at that cost. This means you decks start looking too similar or worse the only good deck are just ignoring the axes, like Zvi’s block deck. In either case it’s not much fun games are either who drew the last FTK or did you draw dead cards. Don’t get me wrong they can exist but it’s really hard to keep them relevant and the environment healthy.
@@myztikgohan Ah. That's a shame. Being sort of difficult to control in that way is an interesting downside for an otherwise really efficient creature to have. Kinda gives the card a little personality too. If it can't find anything to take its frustration out on it explodes.
Nekrataal was the Flametongue Kavu before the Kavu hit standard
except it was a 2/1 instead of a 4/2, and it didn't hit black creatures
It did come out first, yeah. In visions with the other ETB creatures I mentioned. FTK is a more powerful descendant of Nekrataal. FTK is like their dad, and Nekrataal is their grandpa.
Nekrataal was a house cause it had first strike in a day when sligh was popular af. Ball Lightning couldn’t drop against it, requiring a burn spell to the creature instead of the dome.
It’s really amazing to me how much of the history got lost cause the Internet wasn’t what it is now.
FTK was so good that other cards just got called the "new FTK". Love that card
I had a kavu land destruction that ran through almost every tournament I entered in extended.
Sounds like my kind of deck.
Just wanted to say I love this new series. Thanks
Erhnam Djinn waiting room
This was the time I was playing magic competitively. I remember this thing! I ran this in both a Mono Red aggro Deck and a Red / Green stompy deck.
The card is pretty much a minimum 2 for 1: it takes 1 creature down... and then it would eat a removal spell, a burn spell, or another creature thanks to its 4 power.
In the event that the opponent couldnt mount a defense... either via bad draws or you killing them with your own burn spells, this thing is a 5 turn clock on its own... usually shorter since aggro decks would already have dealt damage by turn 4
This card taught me the importance of formats and why you NEED to know what card is out there and plan accordingly. Before then, I played with cards I liked... not really cards after reviewing a format. For example: I played Lhurgoyf... a great card back then, but when I summoned it as a 2/3 creature, Kavu just came and said "Nope" to it... basically, I paid 4 for nothing but pain and misery.
Its funny that a similar card from Visions called Nekrataal came nowhere close to the notoriety of the Kavu, even if they're functionally the same (ETB, get rid of a card, then its a decent creature)... but I remembered that the most prominent decks back then was black focused, so the "Terror" effect of the Nekrataal doesnt always come up.
So yea, great card! Thanks for covering it! This was one of my earliest lessons in the game, which gave me more appreciation to deck building and planning.
Nekrataal also had two black pips and was a 2/1 as well. It was much less splashable than the Kavu that only took one red mana, and it had kind of pathetic stats other than it's etb. Plus, it couldn't kill another nekrataal, whereas the Kavu can kill another Kavu. I think it is fascinating to see why FTK is better than Nekrataal, despite being so similar.
Shivan Wurm + Kavu combo is so cool and so, so Gruul
I started playing during Invasion. FTK was nuts when it came out. So good in draft too!
FTK is the creature I remember most from when I started playing Magic. I came in during the Invasion-Odyssey standard. FTK, Wild Mongrel, Psychatog, and Natuko Shade were GOATed. Spiritmonger as well.
Also I'm glad to see Sex Monkeys peek their heads (and other parts) onto the video....IYKYK😂
I'm just commenting for the algorithm today, no jokes. I like the series.
"How good was Psychatog actually?" should be next. Especially considering how the new Psychic Frog is now doing to Legacy exactly what Psychatog did to Standard and Extended during its time.
7:41 there are no such thing as psychatog before flametongue kavu. invasion block came right before odyssey
I came here to say the same.
I was exceedingly confused by that too.
This prolly has to be my favorite mtg content as of late “How good was it.” Amazing work dude! So much time has passed and as a mtg player of over 20 years it’s great to see the past of these cards all the while celebrating the new types of gameplay we enjoy today!
I have the original Gold Border Brian Kibler "Red Zone 2K2" championship deck from the 2002 Sydney World Championships. Playing it against some other championship decks I have, I can say that FTK is a MONSTER.
I was only 7 months old when that tournament happened, but having a family that's played MTG since its conception has opened my eyes to the glory of the old days. What I'd do to go back in time and play some of those old standards. They look so fun.
I got something like a 6th or 7th pick FTK in Dominiaria Remastered in pack 3 and couldn’t believe it. I would have P1P1 that guy.
Yep, I hate-drafted one in the middle of pack two when I was putting together a Dimir deck just because I didn't want to play against it. I couldn't believe it was still available either, but I was playing with a bunch of college guys who weren't alive when it was first printed.
Hell yeah. I remember running two of these in my pre-release deck and making it further than I ever had before.
I still run this card in my EDH Minsc & Boo deck and it feels just as good to play it as it did back in 2001
Technically not first, but the first was spam so I'll take what I can get. Love the show!
In these trying times of Italian panties we will take the "first" that we can get.
Squirrel opposition was my 1st competitive deck, ftk was my mvp , “play ftk , kill your call token, before your attack phase use ftk to tap your other guy “
Nice series, this card was great, I remember even playing Grixis Psychatog because of this & Fire/Ice:
25 Lands
4 Tog
4 Familiar
2 Kavu
4 Counterspell
3 Circular Logic
2 Memory Lapse
4 Edict
4 Fire/Ice
4 Fact or Fiction
2 Opt
2 Deep Analysis
2 more Kavu in the board along with Duress, Slay, Ghastly Demise & Gainsay
My first ever MtG purchase was the Whirlpool precon from Apocalypse. It had one FTK and Fire/Ice, a good pair of rares, and a great theme. I turned it into a UR control focusing on pingers, permission, and lots of removal. I love that deck so much and it will forever be my favorite.
Stellar content. As an Unlimited/Revised player that has come back a year or so ago, this kind of content format is spot on. Thanks for your work!
Glad you enjoy it!
I was gonna say I want a spiritmonger episode but then my boy was put in this video
"Everyone knew what you meant when you said FTK."
Yeah. I'd have thought about Channel-Fireball too.
There's also some creatures that imitate the Kavu in recent years but the damage they deal depends on something, such as the number of party memebers or creatures that share a creature type you control.
I have very fond memories of Kavu in my Red Go deck. He was fantastic.
As someone completed exhausted by the last 5ish of MtG, these are a nice lil trip
Another fine video. I for one really enjoyed that little comparison you had with Fury. FTK would probably see play in standard again.
I played FTK Blue in the standard it existed in, was literally mono blue control splashing FTK. Wasnt great but worked against the meta in my area.
I'd love to see a video on Decree of Justice or Standstill.
Ah i remember this card from the invasion block. It was great in fires wurm deck. Playing this on turn4 and bouncing it back on the next turn with shivan wurm to play it again the turn after...
I really liked the meta back then.. lots of fun..
i played against it in a T2 tourney, where i used the new apocalypse orzhov cards and won. Voice of all was for sure the card that won me the game and i used that black angel from apocalypse when kicked it would destroy all lands..
Lots of great memories back then :)
I still squeeze him into commander decks when i can
FTK was my favourite card when I started playing (A few weeks before Legions came out).
I remember playing FTK in my Gruul deck. I would use Fires of Yarimiah
Honestly still seems fine
FTK and orcish bowmasters both setting the tone of the how a creature’s toughness was seen viable or good
Love this series! Would be cool to see a top ten of how good was this actually cards when you have a critical mass of them!
just waiting for them to downshift this card so can use it in pauper
I'm not sure about that it is pretty good card
It would be pre-banned
@@NateBullock-ow6on a man can dream can't he? lol
@@TheEvolver311 is your name in reference to the band an álbum? they are my favorite!!
Gruul Ponza is already crazy in pauper rn and it would only be crazier with kavu added in
They did print a ""counter"" to Flametongue Kavu, "Shoreline raider" a 3 mana 2/2 merfolk with protection from kavu. Without knowing of Flametongue Kavu that line of text is very puzzling.
Kavu is sick.
The kavu would absolutely see play if it was printed in standard today.
Ummmm... didn't Nekretaal come out before FtK? So, aren't the "kill something when it comes into play" creatures really the decendants of Nek?
Yeah nekro came out in visions I think
Nekrataal indeed came in before and did the thing quite well. The difference in impact is mostly because a 4/2 is generally much better than a 2/1 first strike. It easier becomes a 2 for 1
It did come out first, yeah. In visions with the other ETB creatures I mentioned. FTK is a more powerful descendant of Nekrataal. FTK is like their dad, and Nekrataal is their grandpa.
Listening to the format warping FTK did, it's a lot like what Orcish Bowmasters now does to formats where 1 toughness creatures are a liability.
Pyrogoyf is the newest and probably best version of this card, but even after decades of power creep FTK holds up.
I love Flame Tongue! You forgot about the time spiral Flame Tongue Kavu nod (I don't remember the name), but it was also pretty powerful for awhile if I remember right.
Firemaw Kavu. It does 2 damage to a creature as an ETB, then 4 damage to a creature if it leaves the battlefield for any reason. Which is cool, but it cost SIX mana, and it had echo. I know, that gives you a way to sacrifice it so you can get the 4 damage ability, but you still have to wait a turn. I suppose if you have a way to blink it as soon as you play it, then you can get up to some real shenanigans. Overall though, I think I'd rather spend that six mana on Mizzium Mortars.
The 2001 invasion block constructed only had 2 of 3 sets available as Apocalypse had not released at that point.
Nekrataal and ftk together was a powerful pair
Oh yeah, let's go! I love Kavu!
"Guess how many of them were creatures?"
Well, at least one, since Metalworker was banned in Commander between-
"That's right, zero."
Eh?
EDIT: Goblin Lackey, Cloud of Fairies, and Rofellos too.
Awesome video nizzahon!
FTK was so good that every creature with toughness 4 were $10 cheaper than with toughness 5 in standard
It was no Balduvian Horde
Balduvian should be on the top 10 Hype didn't equal realworld list
Love these false swipe gaming-esque vids
FtK was a late addition to Fires deck that was already dominant. Blastoderm was not added to combat it.
I didn't mean to imply it was added to combat it, only that if you were going to run 4+ mana creatures they had to be like Blastoderm. In other words, that's why it remained part of the deck.
the deck that won it in 2001 worlds was piloted by Tom van de Logt
Machine head wasn't it ?
@@NateBullock-ow6on i think so
Kavus need to make a comeback.
Justice for Ernham Djinn! 😂
All of a sudden, I have this urge to Tishana's Tidebinder a Flametongue Kavu.
One thing I don't get...if the card was THAT dominant, why was it never banned? I knew it was good, I didn't realize it was THAT good.
I guess because it was a time when they started to push creatures, they didn't want to ban one of the poster boys of that change. Plus, they didn't ban Serra Angel in its first Standard format, so I guess they followed the same logic for the Kavu.
I drafted the kavu in dominaria remastered in a blink deck 😂
Psychatog was printed after Flametongue. It's not like UB Psychatog decks reacted to the printing of Flametongue by adding red.
Only today I realized the similarities between FTK and Orchish Bowmasters
My favorite creature card❤
Love Flametongue Kavu. 4 mana to kill a lot of different creatures and have a 4 power body that can either deal good damage or force a block is nice. Even despite the 2 toughness, Flametongue Kavu is still a very legit card
love this guy, still great in commander
Fires was the deck that got me to move away from my ball lightning + berserk deck. I had Horned Kavu in there and not as many mana dorks.
I do agree that for pioneer and standard FTK would still be good (not mentioning any limited format with it will be warped by him) but the yearling think shows that he wouldn’t be able to make it in modern nowadays… yearling can come down earlier to pick of something important and can also be dropped on 4 with kicker to be the same as FFK but 1 less power and damage. If Yearling has seen zero play I don’t think that FTK with the upgrade against the 4 mana mode of yearling can make up the difference
I want a history on Masticore sooo bad. It was the best creature along Morphling and now it’s laughable. I’d like to relieve the Masticore dominance
I feel like FTK is still almost standard playable. Imagine if we had gotten a 3/1 for cmc 4 that did 5 etb while Shelly was in standard
Bravo!
I would love to see it reprinted in Arena. It Would be a powerful but fair card in Brawl I feel.
Pyrogoyf only recently replaced FTK in vintage cube
Where is the glorious lobster emperor
should have at least mentioned nekrataal. the first creature printed with an etb that can kill another creature
Especially since Ape and Man o War from Nekrataal’s set are shown.
I think the new titan Phlage shows how good a PTK has to be to be played in modern.
No
How would you compare FTK's dominance back in the day to Bonecrusher Giant's dominance more recently?
Gonna need an MTG Top Ten: Kavus
Not enough with points, sadly.
@@NizzahonMagic god willing, we’ll see more Kavus that earn points in Modern Horizons 4: The Search for More Money
aaaah agreed with everything but if ravenous chupa cabra is a descendent of anything it is nekrataal
Lightning Angel would have been higher up the Jeskai top 10 list if it wasn't for FTK. Flametongue basically invalidated what was supposed to be a flagship creature from Apocalypse.
What would a 'fair' modern Flametongue Kavy look like?
What would be other ways to combine this type of ability with modern keywords and abilities?
Look no further then Modern Horizons 1 or 2. They printed an X-version of the Kavu there.
Edit: welp, turns out it has Multikicker AND Nizza mentioned it in the video. Oops.
Exactly the same
How about Nantuko Husk, thanks to the damage goes to the stack rule it got some play
It was played after the rule got eliminated too.
Sadly, not an iconic enough card to be worth the effort.
"Does this creature pass the FTK Test?"
Justice for Masticore!
You are telling me starting on invasion they started to make the game for Timmy instead of Jhonny?
I thought FTK was a misprint as a more pushed version of it accidentally got sent off for printing instead??
Still a good card even with how much power creep has happened over the years
💯
I stare at people like they have turds hanging out of their mouths when they moan about power creep.
A big reason we won't see FtK in a non-Commander type product is that it's utterly absurd in Limited. 4 mana to nuke something and get a 4-power body is waaaaaay too breaking for any limited format. The current rate at 4 mana is a 2-power body. They would have to upshift it to rare as having 2 of them at uncommon is way too much. And no one wants to get FtK at rare in their booster.
Hope you'll do Masticore as well. :)
It lost the poll to this.
It is a 2-for-1. Of course it's good!
I hate Flametongue Kavu with a passion. Back in 2000 I had a killer rogue deck that I could consistently beat all the top decks in Standard with. (Its bad matchups were all with decks that lost badly to one or more of the top decks.) Then Flametongue Kavu was printed and it was the perfect card for the Fires of Yavimaya deck to screw mine over. I went from having a good matchup to a bad one and I stopped putting up good results. :(
bring back core sets!!!
I dont think Kavu would be playable in modern or pioneer. It doesnt kill sheoldred. You have to be able to kill sheoldred
I mean that's true -- but Fury was played everywhere and couldn't kill Sheoldred. Now granted, Fury was free sometimes -- and you could double the ETB -- but still. I think it's hard to say with certainty whether it would be played in those formats. Though, obviously it's more likely that it would be played in Pioneer than Modern.
@@NizzahonMagic i would love to see If it would get played in Pioneer but i Have hard Time thinking about a deck that would actually want to play it. Would Be cool tho since its a classic card
Just imagine if they reprint FTK at common
I hope this one is reprinted in Foundations!
Just a reminder; creatures are spells as well.
FTK - First turn kill :p
Commenting during the intro to say that you don't see many creatures with ETB damage to a creature these days, more so payoffs to deal damage if you do certain things, like casting an instant or sorcery, or whenever a creature attacks/dies