Why is Pozzik a good card? – June 3, 2023 at 11:49PM

When Pozzik was introduced, I tried him as he was put in a lot of decklists at the time. I was playing undead priest at the time, and the times I had him he was terrible due to no undead synergy and because I kept drawing him late where he was nearly unplayable. I took him out of my deck thinking he was bad, but I continued to see him in lists, even being proclaimed as one of the best cards in the set.

Here’s my issue with the card. When it comes into play, it’s a 5/4 for 4, or a Lost Tallstrider. At best, it may also mill an opponent’s card, and if they kill it, then you get two 3/3s for free, which is an excellent deal. However, you give the opponent a choice – they either kill Pozzik and let you have the two 3/3s, or they don’t kill pozzik in hopes of dropping the 3/3s for themselves.

The argument I was given for why this is good is because the opponent is wasting tempo summoning 3/3s for 3 mana. But you’re playing a Lost Tallstrider yourself to do so, which is barely a tempo advantage (5/4 for 4 vs. 3/3 for 3). What’s more, and this is the part that gets me, is you’re giving your opponent a choice. Most people familiar with Magic: The Gathering are familiar with the Punisher mechanic, which essentially gave the opponent the choice between two slightly undercosted abilities. Despite their popularity among new players, they all turned out to be horrible, because giving a choice meant the opponent usually ends up with the advantage. In fact, the only card playable with the Punisher mechanic had the choice flip flopped so it only gave the illusion of choice to the opponent (Fact or Fiction) and it ended up being way overpowered compared to the rest.

In conclusion, when I tested Pozzik, it was too inconsistent. When I played against Pozzik, it was ineffective. In theorycrafting, I do not find it viable due to my experience with Punisher mechanics. I bring this up because the last time I said I didn’t like Pozzik for these reasons I was downvoted to oblivion without much explanation, so I’m hoping a more thorough writeup would generate some better responses.