First Annual Colossal Dready Awards! - 2024 Edition
Alpha Deathclaw | llustrated by Daarken
Galewind Moose | Illustrated by Valera Lutfullina
Sludge Titan | Illustrated by Warren Mahy
Colossal Dreadmaw | Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing
Hey, nerds! As my final article of 2024, I wanted to honor the best creature in Magic and the reason why I'm creating content today, Colossal Dreadmaw. You might think this is a joke, but my first YouTube video was a Colossal Dreadmaw deck where all the creatures were six-mana 6/6s. Shortly after starting the channel, I began writing for Commander's Herald. I also have an article on the deck and will release an updated version as my first article of 2025, so stay tuned for that!
For a card to be considered for the Colossal Dreadies, it needs to:
- Be a creature
- Cost six mana
- Have six power and toughness
In 2024, we have a total of 13 eligible cards. I'll review each one and give my thoughts, then we shall crown the first winner of the Colossal Dreadies!
The Nominees
Alpha Deathclaw
A Golgari Mutant after my own heart. It has trample, which isn't a requirement, but is nice to see on a nominee. It's removal on a stick, a great reanimation target, and overall a solid inclusion in any GB deck. You're likely to see it in something that cares about keywords, such as Indominus Rex, Alpha and Kathril, Aspect Warper. Or The Wise Mothman precon, where it can be found. No doubt that Alpha Deathclaw is a strong contender this year.
Behemoth of Vault 0
This giant trampling Robot is another Dreadmaw. Unlike Deathclaw, the removal it provides is a bit more conditional as you need energy and it can't be a land. Despite all of that, I think the fact that it's colorless and an artifact helps a lot. If you're looking to build The Jolly Balloon Man, Satya, Aetherflux Genius, or Breya, Etherium Shaper, I'd find some room for this Behemoth.
Curator Beastie
This Beast shares a casting cost with the original but lacks trample. Instead, it has reach, which Dreadmaw should probably have, buffs colorless creatures, and manifests dread, helping you fill the graveyard. This effect seems incredibly powerful with artifact creatures, like Arcbound Ravager or Walking Ballista.
Doomsday Excruciator
The hardest creature to cast on this list by far requiring , which is twice the amount of mana required to cast its namesake, Doomsday. You can reanimate it, but you get the most benefit from casting it. Notably, you don't have to cast it from the hand, so you can use hideaway or cascade to cheat it into play. I've thought about adding this to K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth or Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. Notably, in Mikaeus, you can combo this with Altar of Dementia to mill out two players.
Eldrazi Ravager
Another colorless creature, but instead of caring about artifacts, we want to load up on Eldrazi. Annihilator 1 is powerful, but I'm more interested in cycling this puppy, then returning it back to my hand and doing it all over again. This is great with Emrakul's Messenger and a way to double tokens or make additional Spawns/Scions. This is probably the most narrow nominee, but still a house in the right deck.
Fear of Sleep Paralysis
As someone who suffers from sleep paralysis, I can tell you it is scary. Thankfully this card isn't quite as scary as the real thing. It does require an enchantment theme to get full value, or you can blink it. I'd want to add this to Marina Vendrell, Niko, Light of Hope, and Aminatou, Veil Piercer. As far as a standalone card, I think it might be a bit too narrow to just include in any deck.
Galewind Moose
This Moose feels like the true evolution of Colossal Dreadmaw. It's the same exact cost but has three more keywords at uncommon. If you drafted Bloomburrow as much as I did, you'd learn to fear this card being flashed in as a blocker or to end the game out of nowhere. This Moose would be great in Indominus Rex, Alpha, Omnath, Locus of the Roil, and Helga, Skittish Seer. Or any big creature green deck.
Havi, the All-Father
Havi is the only three-color Dreadmaw on this list and one of only two commanders. It is a unique legendary creature matters commander. Well, legendary creatures matter is unique for Naya specifically. Sadly, that is the only thing that makes Havi standout. They do get a keyword if you have enough historic cards in your graveyard, but otherwise it is pretty basic.
Incinerator of the Guilty
A big flying trampling Dragon that can absolutely crush one player, assuming you can collect enough evidence. In Limited, this card was a house, and in a Dragon deck, it's probably great. It works great with Basilisk Collar and Shadowspear as a way to either gain life or using deathtouch to wipe the board. I'd want to see it in Henzie "Toolbox" Torre, The Ur-Dragon, and Rith, Liberated Primeval.
Rakdos, Patron of Chaos
The second commander on the list and just as underwhelming as Havi in my opinion. Rakdos does have trample and flying, so it's more of a contender than Havi, but otherwise it feels like another Rakdos instead of a Dreadmaw. Maybe I'm being picky or pedantic, but this is my list, so too bad.
Rottenmouth Viper
I know I've been harping on keywords, and Rottenmouth Viper doesn't have any, but its effect is actually so powerful I think it is okay. I can't imagine if Wizards gave this thing deathtouch or trample. I'm glad it hits all opponents instead of just one like Incinerator of the Guilty, and you can proliferate the counters to make its ability even better. I'd suggest trying it out in Isshin, Two Heavens as One, Henzie "Toolbox" Torre, or Araumi of the Dead Tide. If you're feeling extra spicy, maybe slam it into Horde of Notions.
Sludge Titan
Yes, Clue did come out this year, which is wild to think about. This is the closest creature on the list to Dreadmaw and is great in graveyard decks. As I'm writing this, I realize it's a play on the original Titan cycle. It seems like a solid reanimation target, too. I think this is almost an auto-include in a lot of graveyard-focused commanders, such as The Mycotyrant, Disa the Restless, and Winter, Cynical Opportunist.
Watcher of Hours
And finally we have Watcher of Hours. If you don't end up suspending it, this card seems not worth it. It has no other abilities other then flying and ward if it isn't suspended, and even when suspended, you only surveil on the upkeep. I know there are ways to manipulate time counters, but I think there are better things to do then surveilling. It is fine in Mirko, Obsessive Theorist or the The Tenth Doctor, but I'm still not convinced that this card is good.
The Winner!
Picking a winner this year was tough. I was between Alpha Deathclaw, Galewind Moose, and Sludge Titan. All have trample and are green, which lines up well with Dreadmaw, but I think the winner has to be Alpha Deathclaw. It removes any permanent and can get massive thanks to monstrosity.
Do you agree with my pick? I'll leave a poll down below you can vote on which creature you think is the best Dreadmaw of the year! Okay nerds, see you in 2025.
