Drana and Linvala – March of the Machine
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.13
Casual: 5.00
Limited: 5.00
Multiplayer: 4.50
Commander [EDH]: 4.50
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Girls just wanna have fun, even if that means the opponent has to stop having fun. Or opponents, plural, for that matter – don’t think I didn’t notice that very open phrasing. It may be standard in the age of Commander we live in, but that’s what pushes Drana and Linvala from a run-of-the-mill disruptive creature into serious contender territory. In turn, stealing activated abilities pushes them into outright breakable territory. While you’re still limited by the other costs those abilities may have, your opponent may not be prepared to face their own deck’s best shots. Sometimes it’ll be Griselbrand and it’ll be obvious why, but I actually like how they disable mana creatures – a lot of decks are used to having their Llanowar Elves to fall back on when people hit them with Field of Ruin and the like.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
Linvala, Keeper of Silence has long been considered a miserable card to stare down by most decks, and adding Drana to the mix doesn’t make it any more fun to stare down. The mana cost is more restrictive, but you do get the ability to borrow abilities from your opponents’ creatures. A one-sided lock can be very powerful in ways that aren’t even subtle, and while I’d say the second bit is more fun than functional, there are times where this will really make an opponent complain. And they’re good at ending games, thanks to evasion and vigilance to keep your defenses up.
I think they’re powerful, but the triple-color casting cost will be a bit of a hindrance to their play. They’re quite powerful besides, though, and I’d expect them to see play in multiple formats.
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5 (won’t wholly usurp Linvala’s first card, but will certainly make for fun times all the same)
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