Bala Ged Recovery – Zendikar Rising MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

I am curious whether this card is considered an upgrade over Recollect. You have the option of its land mode, but this means you might need to take it out of its sleeve and reverse it, to say nothing of the additional steps needed to use sleeves with clear backs. The former is about convenience, which is underrated, and the latter is about the fun of seeing the intricate design of Magic cards’ backs, which is also underrated!

In the abstract, of course, options are always a good thing, and we’re still kind of figuring out how best to use Zendikar Rising‘s double-faced cards. For example, Bala Ged Recovery is merely solid by cost; it’s not quite at the cost to make it one of the most flexible spells of this type. But the ability to be an extra land when you don’t have anything you need to regrow is valuable, and makes it much easier to include in your deck – in other circumstances, it’s dependent on having something relevant to get back and can be kind of narrow.

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 3/5

Bala Ged Recovery is a slightly overcosted Regrowth that can be played as a land if you don’t need to get back a Thing. In a sense, that’s the kind of role-player a lot of decks like to have on hand, and it’s rarely ever completely dead in one’s hand. Sometimes being able to fish back a powerful card is worth taking up a slot in the deck, and it means graveyard hate isn’t guaranteed to make you sad if this card is hanging around. It might be the piece for you if you’re reliant on getting things back, and it’s useful besides.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.75
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.75