This is a classic example of a big creature that
gives you some insurance against your opponent's
inevitable kill spell. If your opponent doesn't
have the Terror in hand as soon as this big bug
hits the table, then for every turn he or she
doesn't draw it, you get to put more and more
Insect tokens out. Hopefully, by the time your
opponent manages to kill the Queen, you'll have
the consolation prize of a bunch of tokens to
keep beating down with. I expect this card to be
of significant use both in Limited and in
Constructed, due to the Naya 5-power cards from
Alara block.
Constructed- 3
Casual- 4
Multiplayer- 4.5
Limited- I withhold judgment until we've seen
M2010 Limited action.
David Fanany
Player since
1995
Ant Queen
Her expansion symbol may say M10, but surely
this Queen belongs spiritually to Naya or Jund?
I'm sure she could take Pale Recluse in a SimAnt-style
duel. While she doesn't offer quite the
Timmy-impressive stats of Verdant Force or
Living Hive, she compensates by giving you
tokens on demand - Terror isn't enough,
Scavenger Drake gets stronger, and Heartbeat of
Spring just gets ridiculous.
Constructed:
A 5/5 for 5 mana is fairly good. I like the
ability. Will the ants come marching in one by
one?
Casual &
Multiplayer:
To bad there is not a 'Ant' creature type. But
insects should be fun too. Give them poison and
watch everybody run for a can of Raid.
Limited:
Having a way to generate creatures is real good
for limited. She got the stats for a solid pick
and if there is Overrun reprinted than just
build up an army a go. Hope Pyroclasm is in M10.
Overall a good creature with a nice ability.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Limited: 4
Later
Miguel
Paul
Magic The Gathering COTD: Ant Queen
Welcome back readers today we review Ant Queen,
the well she is the Queen of ants. For five mana
two of it requiring two green mana for a 5/5
body. The icing on the cake so to speak is the
fact you can generate a smaller army of 1/1
green ant tokens at instant speed! I was ready
to dismiss this card as having a mana intensive
token ability that was redundant, due to the
fact the tokens are easily removed by Maelstrom
Pulse, Volcanic Fallout, and Infest. Upon closer
examination I realized it can generate tokens at
instant speed allowing for more versatile play
applications. The ability to create blockers on
a whim for the small investment of two mana
could allow you to put the pressure on your
opponents while swinging with Ant Queen’s big
body. In current constructed formats Ant Queen
doesn’t quite reach the bar of playable
creatures that would find a home in tournament
caliber decks. The ability to make tokens would
be relevant if there were not cards in the
format that creates more useful tokens with a
smaller or even no price tag attached. In casual
and multiplayer the lack of pump to its own
tokens and the lack of trample or other relevant
abilities may hinder its playability but the
able to create a scuttling insect army shouldn’t
be overlooked. In limited a decently sized body
that can create more creatures could prove a
valuable investment that could result in your
army overrunning your opponent. A card with a
small amount of potential Ant Queen just falls
short of becoming a relevant threat in all but
kitchen table games.
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