It’s been a while since we’ve taken a look at a shield trigger creature.  Poltalester, the Spyroid is not only that but also a blocker.  This should be pretty interesting.  Let’s take a look at this rare but useful combination of effects.

 

Poltalester, the Spyroid

 

Cost: 5

Race: Soltrooper

Civilization: Light

Type: Creature

Rules Text:

·         Shield trigger (When this creature is put into your hand from your shield zone, you may summon it for no cost.)

·         Blocker (Whenever an opponent's creature attacks, you may tap this creature to stop the attack. Then the 2 creatures battle.)

·         This creature can’t attack players.

 

Power: 2000

Shield trigger creatures are typically weaker than normal because of their potentially free cost.  However, in Poltalester’s case it’s even weaker than what we’re normally accustomed to.  Having a cost of 5 mana for only 2000 power is pretty sad, but it’s still comparable to other 5 mana creatures such as Corile, Mist Rias, and Mongrel Man.  Usually when the odds are stacked this way, the creature boasts a very powerful effect, right?

Unfortunately my opinion is mixed.  Poltalester’s effects are not game-winning by far, but then again they don’t have to be.  As we’ve seen, shield trigger blockers are not cheap to begin with.  The cheapest one is Hunter Cluster, which is 4 mana and comes in at a meager 1000 power.  However by using Poltalester, we add 1 more mana  and get 1000 extra power.  The problem that we also run into is that it can’t attack the opponent.  It’s basically a matter of picking your poison.  Of course, duelists who love to stall are going to get a huge kick out of this creature.  We’re pretty fortunate that Poltalester is from the Light Civilization because when you have support cards like Pala Olesis on the field, your opponent is giving you a free 4000 power blocker.  Now we’re getting serious.

 

My overall opinion is that if you decide to throw this creature into any deck then it’s not really going to be too helpful.  When you think about it, you only need to pay 1 mana for a La Ura Giga, Sky Guardian, which pretty much is the same thing.  However, if you’re developing a strategy around this creature and would like to stall in general, then Poltalester is more than worth it.  Add in Petrova and Ikaz, the Spyroid and you’ll shred your way through everything.

 

The Good:  A free blocker that can stand up to creatures with 2000 power or less.

 

The Bad:  Even though it’s a blocker, it’s not the best creature to be top-decking.

 

The Ugly:  Almost everything that this creature can do can be accomplished with a La Ura Giga, Sky Guardian for 4 mana less.

 

Constructed Rating: 3/5 –  Poltalester gets a solid 3 out of 5.  It’s not the worst and it’s not the best, but it’s good for a few surprises.  Sure it’s cool to summon it for free but when you think about it La Ura Giga, Sky Guardian (and all other 1 mana blockers) can come out on the first turn anyway.

 

Limited Rating: 3.5/5 – Shield triggers aren’t too common in limited so this creature will be fairly desirable.  Blockers are also difficult to draft so this creature will be a very welcome bonus.  Just don’t expect it to stay on the field for too long.

 

 

Please feel free to post your comments, questions, and/or objections on the Message Board and I’ll be more than happy to respond.  Happy dueling!

- DRY 1337