Assassin’s Trophy – Guilds of Ravnica
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.87
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Answers can define formats just as much as threats can, and Assassin’s Trophy is at that power level or close to it. Barring some kind of really crazy design innovation, it probably always will be: two mana is fine to hold up in any format you care to name, up to and including Vintage. This card is also one of the most universal removal spells we’ve ever seen, leading to the possibility of calamitous swings in value when your opponent is forced to lose something like Jace, the Mind Sculptor and get a basic land in return. There’s almost no situation where you’re unhappy to have it in your hand, and even fewer where you’re unhappy to cast it, “drawback” and all.
Constructed: 5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Hyper efficient removal at a cost of some kind is an interesting way to push power without making the card completely risk-free, and if it’s efficient enough, you’ll still get cards powerful enough to see plenty of play. Path to Exile is maybe the most emblematic of these spells, but Assassin’s Trophy ups the stakes a bit…two mana to blow anything you don’t control up, at the cost of replacing it with an untapped basic land. It’s not without its downside, of course, but when you consider that it hits anything at instant speed, that’s big and a massive boon overall. It’s even able to dispose of troublesome lands, and it comes out “neutral” when popping one of those.
The fact that this hits all permanent types means Assassin’s Trophy is a flexible weapon with utility at all points in the game, and it’s shown its stripes in deeper formats. Its return to Standard in Murders at Karlov Manor should help the color pair it’s a part of to do plenty of damage.
Constructed: 5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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