Eidolon of Obstruction – Theros Beyond Death MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Eidolon of Obstruction is very interesting. We don’t often get a card that mentions planeswalkers in its rules text, much less one that singles them out. One mana may not feel like much, especially once a planeswalker has been in play for a few turns, but consider how often someone will try to turn a game around by tapping all their mana for a planeswalker and using a loyalty ability. That, of course, is right out, and even in the late game, it’ll create a tension between using planeswalker abilities and whatever else the opponent might be using to protect those planeswalkers. The Eidolon may not be quite enough to stop “Superfriends” decks altogether, but it might disrupt them enough to make a difference for some matchups.

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

Impeding planeswalkers is always a decent bit of upside on a creature, and Eidolon of Obstruction can help slow down that permanent type rather nicely. While it isn’t a hard lock, forcing mana payment to activate abilities can damage many decks that rely on planeswalker engines to go off. A 2/1 with first strike also acquits itself adequately in combat, and it synergizes well with Theros Beyond Death‘s enchantment support and payoffs (like constellation). It’s not a high-priority card, but it offers a fair bit to decks to keep the troublesome planeswalkers in check, especially if they try to curve out early into one.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.5 (play it for the body; the planeswalker text is mostly extraneous)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander: 3.75