Once upon a time, there was a small expansion
named Visions, which introduced a cute little
snake to the Magic world. And even though there
were cards around like Wrath of God, Incinerate,
and Dark Banishing, that snake was the best
creature of its era. It even made it into the
Sixth Edition of the core set. But in 2001, the
core set rotated, and people began to forget
that there were many decks around that simply
couldn't stop a River Boa. By the time the snake
came back for Zendikar, the game had changed,
and this time around even most spells can't stop
it. I will not say "the end," because that's up
to you players; but I wouldn't be surprised if
it involves River Boa becoming the best creature
in Standard a second time.
Today's card of the day is River Boa previously
in sixth edition and Visions and is a very
useful two drop in any format. You get a 2/1
with Islandwalk on the offensive and a one mana
regeneration on the defensive. Compare that to
the two mana 1/1 non-landwalking Drudge Skeleton
as a comparison of relative power.
In Constructed, Casual, and Multiplayer this
is a creature that can fit into many different
roles even sidedeck tech. Whether in a Green
deck that needs a reusable blocker, or a
Blue/Green deck that gives the opponent an
Island this is the type of creature that is good
in any stage of the game. This even works well
with fellow snakes Winged Coatl, Lotus Cobra,
and Mold Adder for a bit of a snake theme in
standard.
For Limited this is one of the best cheap
creatures available and should always be a high
draft choice in Booster when running Green mana.
In Sealed even a Green splash with mana fixing
can make this a worthwhile inclusion. The one
defense is an issue, but that is mitigated by
the ability to regenerate. The odds of any
opponent having Islands in their deck is higher
in the Limited formats than constructed and when
combined with any kind of power increasing
enchantment or artifact this snake can end games
very quickly. As long as you keep a Green mana
available the options for an opponent are
greatly reduced.
