Nivix Cyclops

[xouman]

We had Wee dragonauts, kiln fiend, and now nivix cyclops.



Although it has defender, it stays out of bolt, defends confidants, revokers, snapcasters, thalias, factories (most things outside golems, tarmos and robots-oath guys). A bit slow, but could deliver a great blow itself

There is another guy that bumps for direct damage (but less relevant imho), and niv-izzet elemental. Blue and red are my favourite colours, and this is a fun idea, thought probably not a good one. I had some years ago some success playing dragonauts in legacy, maybe those little izzet critters can grow into some trouble.

[mikekilljoy]

I'm not sure. Wee Dragonauts has flying. There is no evasion on this guy.

[Saya]

additional  to toughness +2 lol

[xouman]

I'm just talking about more resilience, more creatures open more possibilities and maybe >8 bump creatures are better than 8. I don't see cyclops better than dragonauts or kiln fiend, but in a world with bolts and small creatures, 4 toughness can be relevant. And dragonaut gets +2/0, while cyclops and kiln get +3/0

[MaximumCDawg]

I don't like this fellow.  Sure, he blocks weenies like a champ, but he costs 1UR; how quickly will you have this down before Bob / Thalia / Welder / Lackey does its thing?  He wants to be in a deck with lots of instants / sorceries, but he's not actually very good in that deck. 

My basic problem with this guy is that his effect is not unique, and "having a big butt" isn't exactly a selling point in the kind of decks that would want this effect.  He seems worse than his competition:

(1) Wee Dragonauts.  This guy has evasion, so he actually connects when you storm out.  I suppose you could run Cyclops in a deck with alot of evasion-boosting instants.  There's three worth talking about, all of which cost U to cast: That one from mirage or whatever that gives Shadow and cantrips; the one from Zendikar that gives you +1/+0 and unblockable and rebounds; and then the one from Innistrad that flashes back for U.  In that kind of deck, Cyclops is probably better than Dragonauts.  But that seems like a terrible idea.  Far better to use useful instants like Lightning Bolt as your storm fuel so you can do something before you move in for the kill.

(2) Kiln Fiend.  Fiend is cheaper, and actually trades with Bobs and kin before you're ready to swing for the fences.  He doesn't have Defender, so he can poke if there is an opening before you win.  I can imagine strange senarios where you actually want a 0/4 with Defender, but in these situations the world is going wrong anyway.  Kiln Fiend seems just flat out better.

(3) Chandra's Spitfire.  Oft overlooked, this guy is a house in burn decks.  Kind of like the polar opposite of Cyclops, this guy really wants burn and nothing else (certainly not evasion-boosting instants).  If you've got 8-12 bolt effects in an aggressive deck, I think Spitfire is superior to Cyclops.  Also BFF with Lavamancer.

(4) Qurion Dryad.  Sure, she's green, but she also likes what this guy likes.  And she stays big.  And, like Fiend, can trade with your opponent's Bobs early on.  Doesn't have to be all-in.

I don't see this guy doing anything anywhere except limited.