Otyugh
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Contents
Story
This creature card is based on the Dungeons & Dragons creature of the same name: Otyugh. It is pronounced either /ˈɒtjəɡ/ or /ˈɒtjuː/.
Artist's Comment
"I'll admit, the Otyugh is definitely among my favorite cards in the game - its place in the old rainbow decks did it for me. I really wanted to show him as this big hulky fellow who'd stop at nothing around dinnertime - and I think it worked. The element of the second, internal mouth adds a sense of weirdness to the art, and I do believe that suits the Otyugh just fine." -vrt
Overview
When it comes to accumulation, Gravity is the ideal candidate, especially with creatures such as Otyugh. The Otyugh can Devour any creature as long as the target creature has less HP than Otyugh, and with each kill, it gains +1/+1 and becomes more powerful.
General Use
Quick Facts:
- Otyugh can instantly kill any creature, as long as the target creature's HP is less than Otyugh's.
- After each kill, Otyugh gains +1/+1, allowing it to deal more damage and consume higher-HP creatures.
- Will become poisoned if it attempts to eat a poisonous creature.
Otyugh's ability, Devour, is one of the best creature control abilities in the game. Normally, a creature can only be killed when it is damaged and its HP reduced to zero. However, Otyugh can instantly kill any creature, as long as Otyugh's HP is greater than the target creature's. Initially, Otyugh can only devour smaller creatures, but with each victim Otyugh becomes stronger by gaining +1/+1. Over time, an Otyugh can grow strong enough to be able to devour any targetable creature the enemy puts forth (assuming of course, that they aren't Immaterial). The best part about the Devour ability is that it only costs 1 
, which is cheaper than the majority of other CC cards. However, players should be careful when they try to devour a Chrysaora, a Toadfish, or any creature capable of inflicting poison to the player; those creatures have the Poisonous passive skill, and they will poison the Otyugh when they're devoured.
When unupgraded, Otyugh has 3 HP, meaning that it can only devour creatures with 2 HP or less. However, Otyugh becomes almost twice as effective when upgraded, because an Elite Otyugh has 5 HP and can thus devour most creatures as soon as it enters the game. And because its power depends on its HP, stat buff cards such as Blessing and Plate Armor can be used on Otyugh to increase its HP and devouring power.
Synergies
Because of its extremely potent creature control ability, Otyugh is considered to be a very dangerous threat; the opponent will usually attempt to get rid of an Otyugh as soon as it was summoned. Since many decks have various forms of creature control (whether it'd be involving lobotomy or removal), Quintessence | Quintessence becomes a key card to protect the Otyugh against a variety of spells and effects, especially if they are played together at the same time. An Immortal Otyugh is nigh unstoppable, because it is creature control that the opponent cannot get rid of unless they use defensive mitigation (Fire Shield or Thorn Carapace) or poisonous creatures. Ironically, while Quintessence makes such a good combo with Otyugh, the Aether alchemy card is also Otyugh's perfect counter: by rendering a creature immaterial, it can no longer be devoured.
When it comes to accumulation, Death's layered shield comes into mind. Since Otyugh is a reusable CC tool, being able to create a death trigger at will combines nicely with a variety of Death cards, especially Bone Wall | Bone Wall. As the Otyugh grows in size and power with each meal, so the Bone Wall correspondingly gains an additional 2 counters and has (hopefully) less creatures to shave off its defenses. This combination creates a powerful defensive tactic that can stall and block many decks focused on key creatures, and works even better as a stalling tactic for creature-rush decks.
Sometimes the enemy will have creatures that may seem impossible to eat due to their higher HP totals; most creatures however will not have double-digit health stats (unless they come from Gravity or Earth), which means that Plate Armor | Heavy Armor can be used as a quick boost to increase the range of creatures the Otyugh can Devour. While Basilisk Blood might appear to be a better alternative, the stun effect greatly decreases its effectiveness against faster decks; in either case, the additional armor is cheap and further intertwines the synergy between the Earth and Gravity elements.
Other Cards With Synergy
Cards that boost the Otyugh's HP, such as Blessing, Momentum, or Chaos Power are useful to have in case the opponent is suspected of having damaging CC cards on the field or in their hand. Because of its constant CC usage, it's important that the Otyugh is kept well above its normal HP total so that in case it gets damaged, it can still survive and recover. Cloak is an alternative creature-protection form that can protect the Otyugh against single-target spells and effects, should Quintessence not be used. Also, Purify can be used to cleanse poison off the Otyugh if it does swallow something poisonous, recovering lost HP and may allow it to consume two additional poisonous creatures before the regeneration wears off.
Conclusion
Out of the various reusable CC cards in the game, the Otyugh is renown for its ability to swiftly clear a field of attackers if left unstopped, as its unsatisfied hunger and ability to swallow most creatures upon being played is fearsome in itself.
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