I really like the Bloodrage Brawler! This low casting cost and the discard outlet makes me get all kinds of good Madness feelings in my deck-building glands.

I see a lost more discard outlets coming out with this set and Aether Revolt. Can we see more badass vampire madness decks?

He was really good at the Prerelease, in sealed. In Madness though, don't you want this guy on T3 so you can cast an Alms or Temper? Not sure how aggressive to play this guy, T2 or T3

Sure, maybe not in the earliest turns, but with Hazoret's Fervour, put him out with a discard card, give him haste and +2/+0 and send him off to die, he's a decent mini-bomb.

I play him with recursive zombies/scroungers/aftermath cards that I don't mind chucking to the gy so I feel good about dropping him turn 2.

I really enjoy a good hellbent madness deck that is trying to use the gy to hold additional playable cards. So many options.

Yeah, that's a stronk play. I **** love rakdos

I'm currently looking at it this way - it's 4 power for 2 mana and a discard. What are your percentages for this card getting in for 4 damage? Now what are your odds that it gets a second attack (so 8 damage overall). In the R/G beatdown thread, I'm pairing this card up with several other 4 damage turn 2 or turn 3 plays with the idea that you could be threatening lethal by turn 5 (assuming you curve and everything isn't removed ). At this point I don't really care what I'm discarding. It's nice to have synergy if possible but the potential clock this card creates is worth the discard value imo (especially if it's land or duplicate/dead draw). Yes it can be 2 for 1 value for your opponent if they can remove it but they did use removal on a 2CMC card potentially making your later cards stronger. If they don't remove it, it's causing bad blocks and/or trading up and/or putting them on a clock. I'm sure there will be games where it's the play and every discard sucks or you have multiples of the Brawler which will cripple your hand but in the end, what is the frequency of those occurrences vs. the cards overall performance (it's just that we're more likely to remember the crappy situations of having to toss away gas and it sucking). So far it's been super aggressive and IMO performing quite well even with it's potential downsides.

TL:DR - I think the card is great


elk

I have gotten so many 2 for 1s off of him with Fatal Push lately.

So he's aggro/beatdown AND control's favorite new creature

That's why I'd consider him better as a 3 drop. Chuck Brawler down, throw a Fiery Temper at face or a blocker/walker if you're on the draw. 4/3 that discards 1 and pings for 3 is still great mana value, arguably better.

So it's official, everyone loves seeing him on the battle field.

I'm thinking he's going to replace the Asylum Visitors in my madness burn deck. I don't ever get much value out of them anyways with only 1 toughness. I think this does more work and takes an extra turn off the clock that AV doesn't.

Brawler is just amazing. A 4/3 attacking on Turn 3 is great (most of the time you have a card in hand you don't mind discarding), and the discard gives him plenty of upside later in the game given the right deck.

On paper isn't heir of falkenrath a lot better?

Well it is a 3/2 flying T3 with the benefit of madness-casting anything up to 3 mana (Youths for example). That's a specific scenario though.

Depends. Heir is a tad easier to remove and brings one point less power to the table, but it has flying and a more flexible timing when to discard.

In a pure aggro shell I'd prefer Brawler, in a shell relying on Madness I'd prefer Heir.

You're trading +1/+1 for Flying and a slightly more versatile Discard.

Heir is the better T2 play imo. I've also, rarely, had the opponent point 1 damage at the Heir only to have it be pointless after Transform, but I chalk that up to n00bs and don't give it too much weight in my consideration.

I say run them both if hellbent/madness is your goal.


edit: sniped by modulo

Exactly, he's more or less on par with Heir...which means that when the novelty wears off, he's gonna be almost forgotten. Certainly worse than Voltaics.

Exemplar of Strengh is another better 2 drop, just to name a new one.

Don't think so TBH. IMO he's one of the best 2-drops Red has access to ATM.

So you are saying a 2cmc 4 power creature that doesn't care about energy or have any attack clause isn't worth remembering?

I think heavy red or mono red likes the bloodrage over Heir. You have to pick your tribe, vamps or minotaurs and go with it. I have always been a fan of Heir as well but that extra 1/1 sans flying has been pretty good in my limited testing.

Yes, for madness or hellbent builds is good, same as if minotaurs get tribal etc...still, not for what I'd call normal RDW nor Radkos, not without those themes. Same as Heir, yep.

In itself, I think it's being overated. And worse than Voltaics. And probably Exemplars.