Mithril Coat – LOTR: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.13
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 4.50
Multiplayer: 4.25
Commander [EDH]: 5.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Just as Bilbo’s mithril chainmail changed his and Frodo’s situations, this card generates some interesting options for decks and strategies. We don’t often see indestructible-related cards in tournaments, because they tend to be more efficient in limited and are often tangential to tournament decks’ main strategies. Except . . . this one can be tutored by the likes of Stoneforge Mystic, and the auto-equip factor can lead to some insane blowouts against people who are used to their removal spells just working, even on famous characters. So everybody, basically. Getting one on Thalia, Guardian of Thraben in Modern might mean that opponents are locked out for good, and I don’t think I need to tell you how strong it can be in Commander. For example, I don’t know how many people still play Uril, the Miststalker – even if they should because Alara and yetis are both awesome – but reducing his weak spot to only untargeted exile effects seems like a good plan.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 5
The Mithril Coat mentioned here is a fairly famous artifact, a treasure recovered by Bilbo Baggins from the treasures of Smaug during The Hobbit and later given to Frodo Baggins for his adventures. Mithril in general is a rare substance in Middle-Earth, with the mines of Moria being the last known source before a Balrog moved in to do Balrog things. So this being legendary both fits the themes of the set and the general lore behind it.
Mithril Coat most immediately calls a comparison to Darksteel Plate. This isn’t a strict upgrade, as Darksteel Plate has a cheaper mana cost to equip and isn’t legendary…but in most cases, Mithril Coat is an upgrade. Flash and auto-equipping to a legendary creature on entry are both massive upsides, letting you thwart a removal spell or lethal damage aimed at something in a pinch.
The upsides matter if you have legendary creatures for this to snap on to, admittedly, and I feel like its strength in Modern is contingent on if there is such a creature in the various artifact shells. It’s phenomenal in a lot of Commander decks as a low-cost way to protect the centerpiece creature of the deck (if your deck uses a creature Commander), so this will always have a home…but if it has a home in Modern is more of a tenuous “maybe”.
Constructed: 3.25 (I’m not sure this has a home, but it’s definitely a promising piece)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.5 (lots of eligible targets, and indestructible is quite a tough thing to remove)
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 5
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