CardsplainAzog, Moria's Ruin
When Azog enters, destroy up to one other target creature. Its controller X, where X is that creature's power. If you controlled that creature, draw a card. (To amass Goblins X, that player puts X on an they control. It's also a Goblin. If they don't control an Army, they create a 0/0 black Goblin Army creature first.)
Grade C- Grade from the win rate
Win rate when drawn 53.8% −2.4 vs average 4,940 games
Win rates and picks
- 54.2% 12,038 games
- Average pick ()
- 3.1
By deck
- Goblin Army 53.9% 2,839 games
- Ferocious Wolves 53.8% 1,368 games
Win rates from , 323,114 games. This card is compared with the set average (56.2%).
Reviews
You'd think I'd love a that kills any creature on entering, but here we are. Azog, Moria's Ruin is a weird card, because letting that creature's controller an army that was just as big as what they lost is often going to mean that you're barely downgrading their creature. If you're struggling with a big 5/5 , then you're still likely to struggle with a 5/5 army . It's certainly not without its uses though. Some creatures will be good enough that downgrading them is actually preferred. You can kill your own army to draw a card and make a new one of the same size. There's all sorts of ways to use this. Just don't sleep on that very significant drawback.
Blowing up your stuff usually makes Azog, Moria's Ruin a conditional 1/3 that draws a card, which is okay but not great. If you have a lot of universal , you can sometimes take advantage of this format's propensity for black mirrors. Let's say for instance your opponent had a 4/4 amassed army and a Smaug, Wicked Worm. You could kill the Smaug with this, then Stir Up Trouble the 9/9 while sacrificing Azog for a clean 2-for-2 exchange (which yields great ).
How to draft it
Roles in each deck
Goblin Army Removal
Killing a creature only to hand its controller an of the same size is a poor trade for 3 mana, and on your own creature Azog is a 1/3 that draws a card.
How to play it
Learn the Goblin Army deckPoint it at creatures whose abilities matter more than their power, such as Head of the Hunt or Dáin Ironfoot, or at your own for a card and an Army of the same size back. Never take it over Crude Bent Blade or Pinecone Strike.
Ferocious Wolves Removal
Azog's kill hands the opponent an as big as the dead creature's power, so their 5-power creature comes back as five +1/+1 counters on an Army . That is often no at all, and the body you keep is a 1/3.
How to play it
Learn the Ferocious Wolves deckAim it at a creature with a dangerous ability and low power, or at your own creature that is about to die, which draws you a card. Bilbo's Deadly Slice, Crude Bent Blade and good creatures come first.
Removal Midrange Removal
Drafters take this rare around pick 3, and it wins less often than the average card in the set. Kill their 4/4 with Azog and they get a 4/4 back, or four on the Army they already have, because the destroyed creature's controller equal to its power. If the creature was yours, you also draw a card.
How to play it
Learn the Removal Midrange deckAs a late pick it is a fine . Aim it at a creature whose ability matters more than its size, since a 1-power creature becomes only a 1/1 , or at your own Army , which draws you a card and gives you a new Army of the same size.