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A Complete Review of Legions (white)1. Akroma, Angel of Wrath 5WWW RareCreature - Angel Legend 6/6 Flying, first strike, trample, haste, protection from black, protection from red Attacking doesn't cause Akroma, Angel of Wrath to tap. "No rest. No mercy. No matter what." ==> FUN: 4 Eight mana is pretty expensive, but if you do manage to get Akroma into play, there isn't much that will stop her from killing your opponent and defending you against attacks at the same time. Seven abilities on one creature has to be some kind of record! -- 2. Akroma's Devoted 3W Uncommon Creature - Cleric 2/4 Attacking doesn't cause Clerics to tap. ==> FUN: 4 Since clerics are traditionally small creatures with damage prevention abilities, Akroma's Devoted should be a welcome addition to a cleric deck. It allows you to attack with your clerics and still use them to prevent the damage to the ones that get blocked. It still doesn't sound like an incredibly strong deck, but adding some of the more interesting clerics from Onslaught will help. -- 3. Aven Redeemer 3W Common Creature - Bird Cleric 2/2 Flying T: Prevent the next 2 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. Redeemers rise with the sun, and the spirits of the people rise with them ==> FUN: 2 A typical cleric with flying added. The two abilities don't really work well together, unless there's an Akroma's Devoted in play so you can attack with a 2/2 flier and still keep it untapped to prevent the damage from your opponent's Shock. -- 4. Aven Warhawk 4W Uncommon Creature - Bird Soldier 2/2 Amplify 1 (As this card comes into play, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Bird card and/or Soldier card you reveal in your hand.) Flying ==> FUN: 3 Because Aven Warhawk has two creature types, we get a little more leeway in what kind of deck it fits in. Still, five mana makes Aven Warhawk hard to play with. By the time you can cast Aven Warhawk, you should have had plenty of time to empty your hand of most of your other birds and soldiers. And if you just keep them in your hand, your opponent has free reign of the playing field. Still, it could potentially become an 8/8 flying monstrosity. -- 5. Beacon of Destiny 1W Rare Creature - Cleric 1/3 T: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, that damage is dealt to Beacon of Destiny instead. ==> FUN: 2 Certainly not a bad card. Two mana for a 1/3 that can absorb Shocks for you is pretty good. But this kind of ability on creatures has been done before in several variations. Beacon of Destiny is unworthy of being a rare. -- 6. Celestial Gatekeeper 3WW Rare Creature - Bird Cleric 2/2 Flying When Celestial Gatekeeper is put into a graveyard from play, remove it from the game, then return up to two target Bird and/or Cleric cards from your graveyard to play. ==> FUN: 4 In a creature stand-off, a 2/2 flier can give you the win, so your opponent will have to find a way to get rid of it. And when he does, you get two creatures back, giving you a 3-for-1 card advantage. -- 7. Cloudreach Cavalry 1W Uncommon Creature - Soldier 1/1 Cloudreach Cavalry gets +2/+2 and has flying as long as you control a bird. "It's easy to lose sight of hope until you gaze out from my vantage point." ==> FUN: 4 Cloudreach Cavalry seems tailor-made for an Aven theme deck. A 3/3 flying creature at two mana is very good and can put an opponent on the clock. Ever since Odyssey introduced the Avens, there have been enough solid weenie birds around to make a bird deck playable. -- 8. Daru Mender W Uncommon Creature - Cleric 1/1 Morph W (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Daru Mender is turned face up, regenerate target creature. ==> FUN: 3 Daru Mender isn't that different from Death Ward. Both can be played as surprises and the effect is similar. Of course Daru Mender is also a creature, either 1/1 or 2/2 and that makes it a bit more useful. -- 9. Daru Sanctifier 3W Common Creature - Cleric 1/4 Morph 1W (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Daru Sanctifier is turned face up, destroy target enchantment. ==> FUN: 3 Daru Sanctifier is a more defensive version of Cloudchaser Eagle. Both destroy enchantments, but the Eagle is also a 2/2 flier. Both have their place, but I prefer Cloudchaser Eagle. -- 10. Daru Stinger 3W Common Creature - Soldier 1/1 Amplify 1 (As this card comes into play, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Soldier card you reveal in your hand.) T: Daru Stinger deals damage equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on it to target attacking or blocking creature. ==> FUN: 3 Daru Stinger looks pretty interesting, but is nearly useless outside soldier decks. You should have at least two other soldiers in your hand when you play Daru Stinger and even then you'll have to choose between attacking with your 3/3 or keeping it back to discourage your opponent from attacking or blocking. -- 11. Defender of the Order 3W Rare Creature - Cleric 2/4 Morph WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Defender of the Order is turned face up, creatures you control get +0/+2 until end of turn. ==> FUN: 2 Defender of the Order's ability looks nice, but it's not special enough to make it a rare in my book. It just mimics a card like Piety, which is only a common. -- 12. Deftblade Elite W Common Creature - Soldier 1/1 Provoke 1W: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by Deftblade Elite this turn. ==> FUN: 4 A 1/1 for one mana with two useful abilities is pretty rare. Provoke means your opponent will have to be very careful playing creatures with one toughness. Any that get played will have summoning sickness, making them unable to use a tap ability to save themselves. If your opponent has any creatures with first strike or double strike in play, though, he can get around the provoke. Deftblade Elite is also a good wall. Any creature without some kind of evasion can be blocked indefinitely by Deftblade Elite. All that for one mana. -- 13. Essence Sliver 3W Rare Creature - Sliver 3/3 Whenever a Sliver deals damage, its controller gains that much life. The slivers would survive, even at the expense of every other creature on Otaria. ==> FUN: 5 Slivers are back, with a vengeance! By itself, Essence Sliver is quite playable, a Hill Giant with built-in Spirit Link is pretty good for white. But with a few Muscle and Winged Slivers, not to mention some of the slivers in Legions, Essence Sliver could net you a lot of life, especially in multiplayer. And all that extra life can be used with Hibernation Sliver to save your slivers from destruction. -- 14. Gempalm Avenger 5W Common Creature - Soldier 3/5 Cycling 2W When you cycle Gempalm Avenger, all Soldiers get +1/+1 and gain first strike until end of turn. ==> FUN: 4 Six mana is a bit much for a 3/5 even if it's white. On the other hand, the cycling ability is a lot more playable, assuming you're playing with a lot of soldiers. +1/+1 and first strike means you can turn a bad combat position into a very good one or you can just use it for some extra damage to your opponent, speeding up the kill. All that and doesn't cost you a card, nor can it be countered. And if you don't have enough soldiers in play to make it useful, you can just play it as a creature. -- 15. Glowrider 2W Rare Creature - Cleric 2/1 Noncreature spells cost 1 more to play. ==> FUN: 4 Onslaught block is so slow and creature-rich that Glowrider probably won't be very useful, but Glowrider could be a good way to slow down older combo decks. It should also work well in combination with Armageddon, as long as you keep in mind that your Armageddon will cost 5 mana instead of four. -- 16. Liege of the Axe 3W Uncommon Creature - Soldier 2/3 Attacking doesn't cause Liege of the Axe to tap. Morph 1W (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Liege of the Axe is turned face up, untap it. ==> FUN: 3 Nothing special. The morph ability could come as nasty surprise if your opponent thinks he'll be able to attack with no danger to his creatures, but most morph creatures are a lot more dangerous. Your opponent may just be relieved he only has to deal with a Liege of the Axe instead of something bigger and badder. -- 17. Lowland Tracker 4W Common Creature - Soldier 2/2 First strike Provoke (When this attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.) ==> FUN: 1 I was afraid of this. Provoke is a nice enough ability, but it certainly doesn't warrant a huge mana cost like this. At 3 mana, Lowland Tracker would be a lot more reasonably costed. For five mana, I expect a creature comparable in power to Serra Angel. -- 18. Planar Guide W Rare Creature - Cleric 1/1 3W, Remove Planar Guide from the game: Remove all creatures from the game. At end of turn, return all creatures to play under their owner's control. ==> FUN: 4 Planar Guide can obviously be used as a foil for mass removal, like Wrath of God or Earthquake, but its use doesn't stop there. You can also reuse your creatures' comes-into-play abilities or even use it as a Fog to stop your opponent from attacking for one turn. Additional uses are getting rid of your opponent's creature enchantments and making him pay for his creatures' extra costs again, like Balduvian Horde's discard or Phyrexian Scuta's kicker cost. -- 19. Plated Sliver W Common Creature - Sliver 1/1 All Slivers get +0/+1 Overcoming extinction has only made the slivers more determined to live. ==> FUN: 5 A 1/2 for one mana isn't spectacular, but it's ok. In a sliver deck, though, Plated Sliver is a 1/1 with a built-in Parapet. Not as good as a Muscle Sliver and it doesn't really work in an aggressive deck, but it's a solid 1-drop in a defensive sliver deck. -- 20. Starlight Invoker 1W Common Creature - Cleric Mutant 1/3 7W: You gain 5 life. The Mirari glows in her eyes. ==> FUN: 5 Starlight Invoker makes a lifegain fan like me drool. Not only is it a solid defensive creature that can safely block most weenies and even kill a few, once you get to 8 mana (not that hard in casual and multiplayer games), you can get five life out of it every turn. -- 21. Stoic Champion WW Uncommon Creature - Soldier 2/2 Whenever a player cycles a card, Stoic Champion gets +2/+2 until end of turn. ==> FUN: 4 Stoic Champion does works only marginally to discourage your opponent from cycling his cards, but the sheer threat of cycling one or two cards yourself will give your opponent nightmares. If he blocks your Stoic Champion, he could lose his creature, but if he doesn't, he could take more damage than he's comfortable with. It shouldn't be too hard to squeeze a few cycling cards in a white weenie deck without diluting it. Adding a few of the white cycling lands is a good start and as Stoic Champion is a soldier, Gempalm Avenger is a good candidate as well. -- 22. Sunstrike Legionnaire 1W Rare Creature - Soldier 1/2 Sunstrike Legionnaire doesn't untap during your untap step. Whenever another creature comes into play, untap Sunstrike Legionnaire. T: Tap target creature with converted mana cost 3 or less. ==> FUN: 2 For a second I thought creatures tapped with Sunstrike Legionnaire would remain tapped. Now that would make it a useful creature! As it is, though, I'd rather have Master Decoy. Sunstrike Legionnaire can only tap weenies and only if another creature comes into play first. A good use for Shrieking Drake perhaps. -- 23. Swooping Talon 4WW Uncommon Creature - Bird Soldier 2/6 Flying 1: Swooping Talon loses flying until end of turn. Provoke (When this attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.) ==> FUN: 4 Neat. Swooping Talon is too expensive to make it in serious decks, but its high toughness and the optional loss of flying means that few weenies are safe once Swooping Talon hits play. -- 24. Wall of Hope W Common Creature - Wall 0/3 Whenever Wall of Hope is dealt damage, gain that much life. ==> FUN: 4 Wall of Hope is Wall of Essence's little brother. For one less mana, it has one less toughness. But there's another difference. Wall of Hope also triggers on non-combat damage. So, if you're playing with cards like Pyroclasm or AEther Flash, you can get some bonus life out of a Wall of Hope. -- 25. Ward Sliver 4W Uncommon Creature - Sliver 2/2 As Ward Sliver comes into play, choose a color All Slivers have protection from the chosen color. The first wave of slivers perished from the Riptide wizards' magic. The second wave shrugged off their spells like water. ==> FUN: 4 Sure, Ward Sliver is still a sliver and against mono-colored decks it can give your opponent serious problems, but I'm still unhappy with it. So far, slivers have been reasonably-costed weenies with some extra ability that makes them shine, but at five mana for a 2/2, Ward Sliver is *only* useful for its ability. -- 26. Whipgrass Entangler 2W Common Creature - Cleric 1/3 1W: Until end of turn, target creature gains "This creature can't attack or block unless its controller pays 1 for each Cleric in play." (This cost is paid as attackers or blockers are declared.) ==> FUN: 4 With two or more other clerics in play, you can stall your opponent until he either finds a way to get rid of Whipgrass Entangler or gets enough threats and lands in play to overwhelm you. And if he stays low on creatures, you'll eventually be able to stop him from blocking too. -- 27. White Knight WW Uncommon Creature - Knight 2/2 First Strike, protection from black In the wretched depths of the Grand Coliseum, his soul shines like a single torch blazing in the night. ==> FUN: 3 For a long time, White Knight was the creature all white weenies were compared to. A 2/2 for two mana with two good abilities. One always useful and the other only useful against white's arch-nemesis black. A lot of people will be very happy to see White Knight legal for type 2 tournaments again, but it's still a reprint. Nice if you don't have four yet, but a waste of cardboard if you do. -- 28. Windborn Muse 3W Rare Creature - Spirit 2/3 Flying Creatures can't attack you unless their controller pays 2 for each creature attacking you. (This cost is paid as attackers are declared) "Her voice is justice, clear and relentless." - Akroma, angelic avenger ==> FUN: 4 Holy Propaganda-on-a-stick, Batman! And a 2/3 flier for four mana ain't too shabby either. In a slow, creature-heavy environment like Onslaught block, Windborn Muse can be a serious headache to your opponents. -- 29. Wingbeat Warrior 2W Common Creature - Bird Soldier 2/1 Flying Morph 2W When Wingbeat Warrior is turned face up, target creature gains first strike until end of turn. ==> FUN: 4 Wingbeat Warrior isn't a creature I'd usually play face-down, because it just means having to pay another 3 mana before it gets flying. When you have plenty of mana, though, it can be a good combat surprise. Suddenly, your opponent's blocker is dead before it gets a chance to kill your creature. |
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