I'm a little disappointed that this wasn't
printed as a Hellbent card, since it technically
has an ability that only works if you have no
cards in hand, right? Goodness knows Hellbent
needs all the help it can get. And so does this
card, sadly. The only viable solution here is
this, followed up by Magus of the Disk once
you've played out your hand. Which isn't really
such a bad plan, except that you have to rely on
a lot going right for you.
Hrmmm interesting card. I think this card a
cool alternative win condition. However it is
going to be very hard to pull off. The best way
to do this is making a deck around restore
balance. Along with the balance part there
needs to get rid of your permanents. This is
solved via claws of gix. Besides in a deck
built around sacing and balancing this card is
worthless.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 1
Limited: 1
David Fanany
Player since
1995
Barren Glory
I'm going to be generous with this card because
of its potential to be built around. Also I
really like The Cheese Stands Alone from the
original Unglued set. This is the reason you've
been saving your copies of Obliterate and One
with Nothing. I don't think I have to tell you
that it's all but impossible to win with this
card in limited play.
I wonder what other cards from Unglued and
Unhinged are going to start showing up in
black-bordered sets? Uktabi Kong? Double Dip?
Rare-B-Gone? I wouldn't bet against it . . .
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 1/5
Arcane
Barren Glory
Constructed: You win the game enchantments
deserve a second look as there is always someone
willing to try them, but this “Cheese Stands
Alone” variant has one difference from its
unglued predecessor that makes it worse, the “at
the beginning of your upkeep clause.” This
sentence has always stifled the auto-win decks
slightly by causing them to have to actually
survive to their next upkeep, and in this case
you’re trying to survive without any other
permanents and without a hand, making it very
very difficult. I can just picture getting all
the pieces in place (like the graveyard) and
hitting your next upkeep only to have your
opponent Stifle or Trickbind. And a disenchant
ends your dreams of Glory just as fast.
Casual/Multi: Alright, so as an admitted Johnny
I have attempted to break this card already for
the kitchen table, and have managed to do so
with the Standard card pool. Limb and Limb
turning all your forests into creatures (Temple
Gardens provide the white to play the barren
glory). You then use Ghostway to remove all your
creatures (and land creatures) from the game
with two mana floating to use the last card in
your hand, a Naturalize to smoke the Life and
Limb after the creatures are gone. My point of
revealing this is that this “combo” requires so
many cards to fall into place, and is pretty
much dependant on your opponents ignoring you.
And anyone who plays multiplayer games regularly
knows how likely this is. I’d love to like this
card, but the requirements are just too harsh to
meet to actually work with any consistency. If
you really want this to work for casual, you’ll
probably need some cards like Armageddon, Wrath,
and One with nothing to help you out.
Limited: I suppose it could work in a TPF draft
if you managed to snag a Boom//Bust in your PC
pack, if you have no cards in hand, no creatures
in play and if survive to your next upkeep. But
that’s a lot of “ifs” making this a quick pass
to the left while you grab a more playable card
like Gathan Raiders.
Constructed: 1
Casual: 2
Limited: 1
Necro
nomikron
MTG Rules Advisor
Barren Glory:
Any card that says "you win the game" is worth a
second look. This one is the long-rumored "The
cheese stands alone" remake (unglued card). This
one isn't that bad. Not too good, either,
though. I could see someone getting this down,
blowing up the world other than this, then
rubbing salt in by balancing acting the
opponents stuff away. That said, it needs a deck
built around it as the only win condition in
order for it to perform. This isn't a
powerhouse, but, it may turn out to be a decent
win condition. (Suspend Greater Gargadon... 'nuff
said.)
Constructed:
Unless some genius thinks of a way to use this
so effectively, it's
useless here. White's not really the colour of
acceleration, so it's probably
going to come down on turn 5 or 6. Then you
would need something to sacrifice
the lands you used to play this.
The only feasible way to accomplish this that I
could think of is to use the
sac lands to play this out, but emptying your
hand is a more difficult matter.
Maybe use something like Kindle the Carnage to
discard your entire hand to
wipe out all creatures so that you can survive
until your upkeep. But then
your opponent Disenchants this and it's pretty
much game.
Casual: A bigger card pool means this has more
potential to be used. Sadly,
this combo gets so easily messed up by any
enchantment removal that it really
has no future.
