CardName – Commander Masters
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.00
Casual: 5.00
Limited: 5.00
Multiplayer: 4.50
Commander [EDH]: 4.63
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
I always thought Avacyn was an interesting character, and perhaps even more interesting concept – starting off as an artificial being and becoming the focus of Innistrad’s mainstream religion, essentially a folk belief-driven goddess. I initially didn’t like Shadows over Innistrad‘s storyline, disposing of one of Magic’s more interesting worldbuilding elements in favor of an apocalypse of the month; but on the other hand, it kind of served that block’s Lovecraftian elements, and would they have done the stuff about the Dawnhart witches if they hadn’t? It’s hard to say.
I also always thought Avacyn was perhaps underrated as a reanimation target or Show and Tell payoff too, although I again kind of understand what people might think. Namely, the kinds of formats where you most do that also have cards like Swords to Plowshares which get around her ability. Still, I think she’s definitely still good enough to play that kind of role in casual formats, particularly if you use her alongside targets that have an ability you want but are slightly more fragile. In fact, she’s also a good card to use alongside many combos or synergies based on requiring permanents to stay in play – they absolutely have to deal with her first, and she doesn’t make it easy to do that.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
there is no hope
Back before things went completely sideways on Innistrad, the face card of Avacyn Restored turned a lot of heads. Avacyn, Angel of Hope is not particularly intricate or subtle, but she is very powerful, demanding a certain subset of answers to even answer her and demanding the same for the rest of your board. While Moden and deeper formats each have their one-mana exile spells that can deal with her, you still need to draw into a copy of one of those spells to deal with her, and that’s not accounting for Avacyn being an 8/8 with evasion and vigilance. She’s both a shield and a sword at the same time, a fast clock that demands an answer in short order.
Avacyn’s never quite held up in Modern and Legacy; eight mana in one of the weakest ramping colors more or less demands that you find a way to cheat her out, and while she’s certainly not weak, she is hard to make work in those formats, thanks to the preponderance of answers that can deal with her. That said, there will always be decks that she completely stuffs, and she’s long been a Commander staple for being an obnoxious presence that demands particular answers.
Constructed: 3 (hasn’t ever quite been good enough since leaving Standard, but an enterprising player might be able to make something out of her)
Casual: 5
Limited: 5 (a massive, hard-to-answer bomb that is more than worth building around)
Multiplayer: 4.5 (someone will probably have an answer, and you will become the enemy…but they need to find those answers)
Commander [EDH]: 4.75 (same deal as more casual multiplayer, but with the added joy of having the option to put her in a lead role)
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