History of Benalia #9- Top 11 MTG Cards of 2018

This card was ranked 7th on my top 11 list.

History of Benalia is one of those mythic rares whose rarity is for its power level, because its effect is simple. A three-mana investment will get you two 2/2 Knights with vigilance…and one turn where they are all 4/3 Knights with vigilance. History of Benalia works well in Knight tribal set-ups and works well with more copies of itself, thanks to it not being a legendary permanent. It’s not a particularly intricate card, but it is brutally powerful and hilariously efficient, and being a Saga will occasionally pay dividends with Dominaria‘s “historic spells matters” theme. Definitely a star of the recent Standard format, even if it’s not one of the set’s flagship cards.

Constructed: 5
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander: 4.25

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

This card was not on my Top 11 list.

Most constructed decks probably wouldn’t want a three-mana card that generates a 2/2 knight token, or a three-mana card that gives you a one-time tribe-specific Overrun effect. History of Benalia is better than that, though, because in one card it gives you not one but two tokens, plus the Overrun. It’s remarkable how many options aggressive white decks have for card advantage nowadays, and almost as remarkable that History of Benalia is almost as good defensively as it is offensively. It’s card advantage, and multiplies with each extra casting. And it even has good art.

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5