PROS
- Can have an impact immediately due to cost reduction
- Good aggression Turn 3 from giving a reduced dino Haste (ex. Shifting Ceratops)
- Pairs amazingly with Marauding Raptor to dump a surprising amount of dinos
CONS
- Does not pair nicely with Marauding Raptor if you draw Otepec in later turns
A seemingly unassuming little Human that if left unchecked, facilitates explosive lines of play! It is always a good Game when the opponent does kill this guy on sight because it can mean we are a Turn or even two turns ahead when coupled with Marauding the following turn! Now the opponent may learn their lesson quickly but when this guy is such a threat along with many of the other creatures I think that means some nice pressure to have answers.
As you can see not many cons and I think its a perfectly fine risk to take for the reward of potentially going Otepec into Marauding. Some people see the fact that it dies when Marauding is out and choose to not use it because of this. I think this is the wrong course of action.
Chances are your 2 drop will be getting killed by the great removal that is plentiful in Historic. Having that slot padded by this pairing will add resilience. Drover of the Mighty is also a fan favorite of mine, making “the three amigos”. I’d highly recommend him especially if dipping into a third color but even if its just Gruul the 3/3 will be nice. He does pair nicely with Otepec in a way.
Comparisons and Lines
Otepec Huntmaster VS Drover of the Mighty is a no brainer for me. The fact Otepec has immediate effect with cost reduction and keeps Dinos moving fast edges it out in this comparison. Drover needs to wait a turn and will only ever help cast one thing.
- Turn 2 Otepec
- Turn 3 Marauding, Drover
You don’t even need that third land and the board is reasonably established! Now I would be wary of overextending like this against a number of decks but if it is safe to do so, this can be a lovely efficient way to get things moving!