David Fanany
Player since
1995 |
Harmless Offering
This card surprises me on a lot of levels. Not
just how similar it is to Donate, but how many
years separate it from Donate - we've gotten by
for almost two decades on powerful but more
specific things like Spawnbroker and Shifting
Borders, and having a more general effect should
be a boon to any deck that wants to take
advantage of it. It's a little odd now that they
do so many fewer creatures with significant
drawbacks, but there will always be a niche for
it in the big casual formats - and it works
pretty well with Demonic Pact!
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 2/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5
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James H. |
Harmless Offering has gotten a lot of attention
for two reasons: its art, which is easily a
10/10, and the fact that it’s effectively a
color-shifted version of the infamous Donate,
the Urza's Destiny card that enabled such combos
as Illusions of Grandeur-centered kills. The
premise is simple enough: use it to give your
opponent something potentially deleterious, and
then laugh as they scramble to try and undo the
damage.
The flagship card for this right now in Standard
is Demonic Pact (in Origins). Once the pact is
winding down, you give it to them in time for
them to be forced to activate its final mode
(the “You lose the game” mode). Across other
formats, there are plenty of fun combo tricks,
such as with Steel Golem, the infamous Illusions
of Grandeur, Thought Lash, Aggressive
Mining, and a lot of other adorable tricks.
Basically, play this card like you would Donate;
in 99% of cases, that's how it ultimately pans
out. It’s as powerful as you build it to be.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 1
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander: 3.5
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