So we finally have the first spoiler of the New Phyrexia season, and it's a doozy. I'm not going to pull an Evan Erwin and just swear up and down that every card we see is awesome and should be worshiped like a deity, but this one has applications in most every format, even if they aren't readily apparent. For those of you who haven't already seen it, here's the card:



Now that's a lot of information to take in at once. First, most of you are looking at the seven-mana price tag, which is fair. After all, what has cost seven mana and has been good in Standard this season? (We'll leave Myr Battlesphere out of this discussion.) I think this guy might be the real deal, but only in specific decks. After all, everyone loves some Squadron Hawks and Stoneforge Mystics, and this guy just kills them the turn he comes down. He also pumps your team, and simultaneously shrinks the opponent's, but more than Crovax, Ascendant Hero did, and for one more mana.

In Standard, I can see this becoming a late-game mirror breaker for Caw-Blade, where you can just cast this and trump their big guys while killing their smaller ones. The subtle interactions with this guy also makes your topdecked Hawks, Mystics, manlands, and Gideons even more powerful, which is another nice bonus.

Another deck it can seamlessly fit into is a shell of "Reanimator" or "Solar Flare," where it can play alongside cards like Sphinx of Lost Truths and Rise from the Grave to show up a turn early, along with some resilience in the form of more reanimation spells. These are just a couple of simple Standard applications that come to mind, and I can see more coming from someone who's more creative than myself.

In Extended, it offers a much-needed boost to the Esper or Bant Control shells, as giving them another way to win the "I go Big" war is never a bad thing. Also, playing it in Mythic isn't awful, as they already play Sovereigns, and this card might just be strictly better against the aggro mirror.

In Legacy, this card basically fits into Reanimator or the Hideaway decks, granting an additional big body that has the bonus of killing Grim Lavamancer, Dark Confidant, or a random swarm of Merfolk. Obviously the fact that it's still vulnerable to Go for the Throat or Swords to Plowshares is relevant, as is the vulnerability to Gilded Drake or Sower of Temptation.

And finally, we get to the format that most people will play this bad boy in: Commander. An obvious fit as either a general for decks built around the anthem effect, or as a nice tutor target in decks that can just go find it. I can see it having a nice impact, and being incredibly fun to play. And it's a seven drop with a relevant ability, so it's obviously strong in Limited, so long as you can make it happen.

That does it for this little Interlude, and I look forward to sharing some experiences playing Architect and 8-Post on Friday.

Until next time,

Adam Spain
Roeher on MTGO and The Vortex
Roeher724 everywhere else

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