As soon as it was spoiled for The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Poison Dart Frog instantly became a beloved MTG card. Despite this, the card has never seen much in the way of competitive play, until recently, at least. Miraculously, a deck running Poison Dart Frog just won the latest Standard Spotlight event.
Poison Dart Frog Hits The Big Leagues
Admittedly, saying that Poison Dart Frog won Magic Spotlight: Spider-Man at SCG CON Baltimore is a bit generous. Technically, yes, this card is part of the winning 75, but it’s not in the main deck. Only one copy of this card is played by Alexandre MacIsaac, and it’s only in the sideboard.
Throughout the entire Magic Spotlight weekend, that was where the copy of Poison Dart Frog stayed, as it’s simply unplayable. Within MacIsaac’s Rakdos Aggro deck, there’s not a single source that can produce green mana. Considering spots in the 75 are so precious in competitive events, this certainly seems like an odd choice.
Even if it were playable, Poison Dart Frog simply isn’t a good MTG card. While it does have one of the most adorable faces known to Magic, it’s just a slightly expensive mana dork that sometimes has Deathtouch. Currently, this little guy is just too slow for Standard and definitely isn’t worth building around.
Rather than being actually useful, MacIsaac kept Poison Dart Frog in the sideboard as a mascot. As MacIsaac explained in a post-event interview, this started last month at MagicCon: Atlanta. Due to a shortage of Razorkin Needleheads, MacIsaac was left with space to fill in his sideboard, and Poison Dart Frog was there to fill the void.
Since this fateful appearance at MagicCon: Atlanta, Poison Dart Frog has returned as an MTG meme icon once again. On Magic Online, many players have similarly used a single copy in the sideboard, as a nod to MacIsaac. Now that this deck has hit the big leagues, however, many players are unsurprisingly baffled.
He’s Just A Little Guy
Thankfully, despite technically now being a tournament-winning card, Poison Dart Frog isn’t something that you have to worry about. Unless you want to lean into the meme yourself, there’s little reason this card should ever make a Standard deck’s 75. Even in Commander, this card isn’t that exceptional, although it does have its uses.
Frog Typal, obviously, absolutely loves Poison Dart Frog. Both Grolnok, the Omnivore and Clement, the Worrywort use this card surprisingly frequently in Commander. Fynn, the Fangbearer, however, is actually the most popular home for this funky fella, thanks to Fynn essentially supporting Deathtouch Typal.
If you do want to spread the Poison Dart Frog love, building around it in Commander is definitely the best bet. At the same time, however, there’s certainly something special about seeing it in Standard. While we can’t expect everyone to sacrifice a spot in the 75, it would be one hell of a fun trend.
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