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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Smogsteed Rider enables strategies that disrupt the opponent’s board while you retain a creature on the battlefield. This aspect is especially crucial when grinding out card advantage in longer matches.

Resource Acceleration: Although Smogsteed Rider itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it paves the way for efficient use of your mana. By forcing your opponent to deal with it, you’re essentially gaining the advantage of resource allocation as they have to commit mana and cards to handle it.

Instant Speed: Equipped with fear, Smogsteed Rider can be a surprise blocker for black and artifact creatures. While not an instant itself, its impact on the game can be as sudden and disruptive as an instant speed interaction, catching opponents off guard and shifting the pace of the match in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Smogsteed Rider requires you to discard a card to activate its ability. This can result in a disadvantage, especially when your hand is already diminished, or if you’re forced to let go of a key piece in your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost includes hybrid black or blue mana. While flexible within those colors, it does lock you out of easy inclusion in mono or other multicolored decks, hence potentially limiting its versatility within the vast array of existing deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three, including one hybrid mana, Smogsteed Rider’s cost can be deemed high considering its 3/3 stats. In the environment where efficiency is paramount, there may be alternative creatures that provide more bang for your buck or possess abilities that can have an immediate impact on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Smogsteed Rider offers unique utility in decks that aim to control the board. Its ability to make creatures unable to block can pave the way for successful attacks, fitting well with aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that produce a lot of creatures, Smogsteed Rider can turn a full board into an unblockable onslaught. It synergizes particularly well with token-generating cards, enhancing your ability to exploit openings in your opponent’s defenses.

Meta-Relevance: Smogsteed Rider can be a valuable asset in a meta with creature-heavy decks. Its characteristic to render opposing creatures unable to block can break stalemates and give you the upper hand against decks that rely on a strong defense.

How to beat

Smogsteed Rider offers a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to grant fear to black creatures you control. This can render your opponent’s blocks ineffective, favoring an aggressive strategy. To counter Smogsteed Rider, it’s essential to prioritize removal spells that can target it despite its evasion ability. Cards like Doom Blade or Go for the Throat are effective, as long as Smogsteed Rider is not protected by hexproof or shroud.

Another strategy is to employ creatures with reach or those that can block creatures with flying or fear, minimizing the Rider’s impact. Also, using board wipes, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, can clear the field of pesky creatures regardless of their evasion abilities. Lastly, you can optimize your sideboard with artifact or enchantment-based removals, like Oblivion Ring, which can exile Smogsteed Rider and neutralize the threat it poses. With the right strategy and responsive gameplay, you can counter Smogsteed Rider’s shadowy influence and maintain control of the game.