Invasion of Arcavios / Invocation of the Founders
– March of the Machine
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 3.75
Limited: 3.00
Multiplayer: 3.50
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Looking at this card makes me realize they didn’t really say anything about whether the battles’ defense rating has anything to do with the plane in question, or the story incident that the card alludes to. I’d be surprised if it did, but you never know. In this case, I think it might have more to do with the fact that an enchantment that sits around and automatically copies your spells is very powerful, and they wanted you to have to work for it. Between that and the front face’s high mana cost, it’s mostly going to be a late-game thing, but that also means that any spells you still have that are cheaper but high in impact are going to be even better.
The front face might be a little more useful than it first reads, too – you can return spells from any one of your library, graveyard, or sideboard for cheaper than that, but there are few ways to have any of those options on just one card.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Five mana to tutor an instant or sorcery from anywhere (except exile) is actually a pretty interesting starting point. While it’s far pricier than a more limited version of the effect, being able to fish out the spell you need in a pinch can be a pretty big boon, especially if you’re able to find something you might not normally draw. With this having some slight Wish functionality, you can us this to dig out that silver bullet that’s sitting in your sideboard, but the catch there is that it’s five mana, far more than ay of the good Wish effects. Still, this is an unconditional instant/sorcery tutor that can get back used spells or ones you’re not supposed to have, and that’s already interesting.
The back half, Invocation of the Founders, is powerful if you can get there. The main issue is that the decks that would like to play this may not have the easiest time dealing seven damage to a battle, and seven defense is among the highest defense scores for a single battle. It’s also limited in being able to only copy from your hand. That said, being able to copy a couple things may make this worth it, like a big burn spell aimed at the face.
Invasion of Arcavios is going to be a card some decks love, but only a few. It’s a decent tutor in a pinch if it never flips, and while I’d rather a tutor not cost five mana, sometimes you make do with what you can get.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 3 (if you’re playing this, you need at least one card really worth digging out and/or copying)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4 (more tutors are always nice; this is not great, but it has ways to abuse it)
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
