Emeria’s Call / Emeria, Shattered Skyclave – Zendikar Rising MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

I’ve seen some people question why this cycle’s land sides all cost three life to put into play; I really think it’s just as simple as the fact that the spell sides are quite powerful! Emeria’s Call, for example, looks like a rather poor Overrun variant as it doesn’t even give your creatures a power boost. But if your position is even comparable to your opponent’s, it all but guarantees most of your creatures will hit, as your opponent can’t even trade. They still have to deal with the two angels coming at them next turn. And – as an additional bonus – the angels also help out if you have the party composition subgame going on!

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 3/5

As with the other mythic rare modal DFCs in Zendikar Rising, the strength of Emeria’s Call is mostly in that it’s a decent land with potential upside in a late-game topdeck. And seven mana gets you 8 evasive power and toughness and mass indestructibility for the turn cycle, which is a pretty big payoff when you get that high. That sort of maneuver can be enough to get time to tend the game in short order, but the high mana cost of this spell is a bit wonky, and it also does not protect your Angels from destruction. It’s a cute spell with some interesting legs, and there’s not a ton of downside to running it in a deck if you can support its casting cost outside of itself, but Emeria’s Call seems more like a cute novelty than a powerful, ubiquitous weapon.

Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander: 3.5