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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!


Image from Wizards.com

Archetype of Courage
- Born of the Gods

Reviewed January 30, 2014

Constructed: 2.83
Casual: 3.50
Limited: 3.67
Multiplayer: 3.67

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 being the worst.  3 - average.  5 is the highest rating

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Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Archetype of Courage

First strike is a very handy ability, and with this in play, your creatures will ALWAYS go first. Suddenly, trading creatures isn't an option-- your opponent either has something definitively bigger or can't even afford to engage in combat. Gang blocking also becomes a much more viable option or all your 1/1 weenies can kill a larger creature without you losing any of them. Some pessimistic folks may point out that your opponents' creatures can still have double strike. To that I respond: when was the last time you saw a creature with double strike and lost to it? If double strike were a more common ability, there might be merit to that counter-argument, but as vanishingly rare as it is, guaranteed first strike that can never be matched for your entire team pretty much means you rule the battlefield.

Constructed- 3
Casual- 4
Limited- 4.5
Multiplayer- 4.5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Archetype of Courage
 
Much as I complain that these flavor (trope) based blocks run out of tropes too quickly, I actually feel like these Archetype creatures fit pretty well in a Greek world. Remember those passages from the Iliad where Achilles or Hector set enemies to flight just by showing up in their distinctive armor? In gameplay terms, I'm not sure how often you'll be desperate to take first strike away from your opponent's creatures (although Black Knight is a threat to creatures from any world or mythology), but giving your own creatures first strike can be really, really annoying for anyone trying to punch through your lines. It means that if you have enough creatures, they won't always be able to rely on something larger like Polukranos or Polis Crusher to just stomp through.
 
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Archetype of Courage which is a three mana White 2/2 enchantment creature that gives all creatures you control First Strike and prevents all opposing creatures from having or gaining it.  A three mana 2/2 with First Strike is not very useful, but giving that to all of your creatures and having supported types like human and soldier adds a great deal of value. The opponent having much in the way of First Strike is unlikely, though higher in Multiplayer, and the benefits in combat are mainly in avoiding otherwise even trades.  For that purpose the single extra mana to play this alongside a soldier or human deck is well worth it and it will be popular in creature based White decks for the overall advantage it provides.
 
In Limited the double White is a drawback, but having First Strike in the format is a big edge and even one other creature to make use of it far outweighs any concerns with casting.  A strong second or third pick in Booster after a White rare and in Sealed this should be played whenever at least half of the deck is White.  Support should lean towards higher power creatures, such as Elite Skirmisher or Loyal Pegasus to take full advantage of the effects.
 
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 3.5


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