Flowering of the White Tree
– LOTR: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.00
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 4.38
Multiplayer: 3.50
Commander [EDH]: 3.88
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Gondor’s White Tree is an echo of concepts from folklore and mythology, much more than a simple tree; so perhaps it’s fitting that the Magic version of it provides one of the more powerful Glorious Anthem variants we’ve seen recently. Indeed, even a deck with no legendary creatures gets a literal Anthem for two mana – that’s something you only get once or twice a decade. And as we’ve discussed in this space before, a mono-white deck can easily lean on legendary creatures without sacrificing its gameplan or its effectiveness. The dream scenario is Flowering of the White Tree alongside Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: it’s hard to think of anything more frustrating for removal-based decks. There’s a lot of room beyond that, too, in multicolored decks, and I think this card will go far.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
The white tree of Gondor spoken about here was a symbol of the kingdom and king of Gondor, and when Minas Tirith lost its king, the tree ultimately died. Aragorn’s coronation as Gondor’s king would bring back the tree in time, and its flowering was meant to be a sort of indicator of Gondor’s health.
The two-mana white anthem effect has long been a staple of white’s arsenal, though usually only buffing itself. Flowering of the White Tree may be among the more powerful takes on it, though: it buffs all of your creatures, and it particularly buffs the legendary cohort you may have with soft protection and stats. This is quite a solid deal for two mana, and an extra flat buff to everything can pay off nicely. The only downsides here are asking for double white mana (which makes it harder, though not impossible, to splash) and being legendary, making it less of an automatic four-of.
That said, its efficiency and potency are real, and a lot of the low-to-the-ground white decks in Modern have started considering and playing it in their lists. This can be a lot of stats or a minor investment with no risk of it backfiring, and while it’s awful as a topdeck, I’d say this is certainly among the best white anthem effects we’ve seen.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.75
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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