Clearly the powers that be do not want Magic:
the Gathering to ever stop being all about
creatures, since they keep giving Green, the
creature color, more and more ways to push its
point across through combat damage and deny
opponents ways to stop them. The only card I can
think of that can stop Thrun here is Contagion
Engine, and even that requires 14 mana over at
least two turns unaided. Blockers with infect
could help bring Thrun down to size, and cards
like Gatekeeper of Malakir are still around, but
that's just about all your going to get for
options. Your only hope when Thrun hits the
other side of the table is to have a 5-toughness
blocker, and even that hope may be short lived
if Thrun's caster is also running enough
Equipment to give Thrun some evasion, deathtouch,
or even just power enough to kill that blocker
you were banking on.
I've seen plenty of decks that could never, ever
beat a Troll Ascetic. In fact, I've found myself
playing some of them down the years. And yet,
that infamous card looks downright merciful
compared to Thrun. It may be a long time until
there's another creature that has as many
different "unsolvability" characteristics as he
does, so make the most of it - beat up on the
counterspell decks, shrug at Day of Judgment,
and tell Doom Blade where to go. You know you've
always wanted to.
Today's card of the day is Thrun, the Last
Troll from the upcoming Mirrodin Besieged set.
For four mana you get a 4/4 that can't be
countered and can't be the target of spells or
abilities your opponents control which makes
this quite difficult for most decks to deal with
especially if supported with any additional
effects. The added ability of regeneration
helps for handling most of those situations
which makes this an easy choice to add a copy or
two of in Green acceleration builds. If
this had some kind of evasion or Trample it
would be over the top, but even without that it
is an efficient creature for the price.
For Limited this should be a very good card as a
first pick even if countermagic is not a major
threat. Not being targeted by opponents,
regeneration, and costing four mana as a 4/4 are
all excellent attributes in the format.
Legendary is unlikely to be a factor which
leaves the bigger drawback as the reliance on
Green in the casting cost and for regeneration.
Normally a creature with regeneration should not
be played until both the casting and activation
cost can be paid, but with the targeting clause
this probably can be played earlier in relative
safety. In Sealed or Booster the deck
should be primarily Green to facilitate a fourth
or fifth turn Thrun at the latest and equipments
or instants given a slightly higher draft
priority with this as a stable target.
The time has come for the
next expansion. And that can only mean one
thing, PREVIEWS! Today’s Card of the Day is a
preview for the Mirrodin Besieged set. Today’s
card is Thrun, The Last Troll. Two green mana
and two generic mana gets this troll on the
board. He is a 4/4 that can’t be countered. Oh,
and he cannot be targeted by spells or abilities
your opponents control. And lastly, for one
generic and one green you can regenerate Thrun.
All in all, a decent card for the costs, but not
anything I am truly ready to salivate over. Once
more of the set comes into light, perhaps there
will be more potential. But still, getting what
you pay for is just as good just the same. And
anything that can’t be countered or targeted
these days, and that can regenerate in case
something does mass wipes, is good for me.
I think honestly this guy is going to cause a lot of people
to go ahead and start building fast paced green
decks for professional play. This guy in with
cards such as Emrakul, Terra Stomper, and Gaea’s
Herald could start seeing a lot more action,
especially with Autumn’s Veil able to help
protect the other spells. But really, the extra
protection is just to stave off the champion
right now, black/blue control. However, the
regenerate is useful in most other areas, too.
Almost every deck has some way of removal, and
none of them are guaranteed to work against
Thrun.
Again, as I have said before, Magic is becoming about getting
what you pay for. And this guy delivers.
