It's the same mana and equip cost as Loxodon
Warhammer. So, imagine you've given up 1 point
of power and lifelink for haste, first strike,
and vigilance. I'd say that's a fair trade.
First strike and vigilance go hand in hand,
since vigilance allows a creature to attack and
block, and first strike is only relevant when
the creature tangles with another creature in
combat. First strike and trample also work
nicely together too. When a creature has
trample, it pretty much expects to be blocked
and is therefore willingly getting into
situations where it can be killed by combat
damage-- who'd chump block a creature with
trample when you'll take most of the damage?
Block it so you can kill it if you can. First
strike makes such blocks that much harder to
find, as enough of the blocking creatures have
to survive the onslaught to deal lethal back to
the attacker. And of course, the +2/+0 raises
that bar quite a bit. Haste might not seem
relevant, but I'm glad it's there. How often
have you found yourself with equipment on the
board but no creatures? You topdeck a small
creature you might not really want this late in
the game, but you need a creature so you play an
dequip it. Not So Fast, Bucko! Your opponent topdecked
a kill spell for it! If that creature had haste,
or if the equipment granted it, you'd at least
have gotten to swing with it once.
One of the most interesting things about M11 is
the high number of references it contains to
older sets. Sword of Vengeance, for example, is
Akroma's sword, in both abilities and
appearance. I find it hard to imagine it won't
be of appeal somewhere - powerful equipment has
a great pedigree in Magic, and the number of
abilities this sword grants compares well to
even the likes of Loxodon Warhammer and
Umezawa's Jitte. My only question is, since it
is a reference to Akroma, is . . . shouldn't it
have been called the Sword of Wrath?
Magic The Gathering Card of The Day: Sword of
Vengeance
Welcome back readers today's card of the is an
interesting equipment. Sword of Vengeance grants
the equipped creature the abilities of Akroma
minus flying and the protection, putting this on
a Vampire Nighthawk or heck even a Birds of
Paradise can result in bad situations for your
opponents. Its no Umezawa's Jitte but its solid.
In standard I can see at least one copy being
played as a tutor target for Stoneforge Mystic,
this card will see play in those types of decks
because its an insane amount of abilities for a
relatively small cost. In extended it may also
see play with Stoneforge Mystic outside of that
it will see some play just not extensively. In
eternal it may see play in decks that focus on
equipment but overall it may not be a popular
option. In casual and multiplayer this card will
see play the ability to beef up your creatures
over and over is a great option to have. In
limited it turns any creature into a legitimate
threat a good option I would pick first as it
does not commit you to a color and can be used
with any of your creatures.
Today's card of the day is Sword of Vengeance
which is an equipment that gives First Strike,
Vigilance, Trample, Haste, and +2/+0 at a cost
of three to play and three to equip. This
is a fair cost and a powerful effect that can
turn even a 0/1 token into a concern, but
equipped to a credible threat like Vampire
Nighthawk or Sacred Wolf and you have an
opponent struggling for answers. This may
not have the extra +1/+0 and Lifelink of Loxodon
Warhammer, but for the same price it does offer
better survivability and defensive options with
First Strike and Vigilance respectively.
Expect to see this making the rounds in a
variety of formats for the duration of legality.
With Limited this is an excellent equipment card
to pick up and play on almost any creature as
the variety of effects are all beneficial.
As a first pick it can be played alongside any
future colors and there is no real drawback to
running one in your deck provided there is a
solid foundation of creatures. Opening it
in Sealed is a similarly positive experience as
whatever colors you choose this is another rare
to include with them. Some cards to watch
for include Sacred Wolf, Child of Night, Clone,
Cudgel Troll, Juggernaut, Reassembling Skeleton,
and anything with Flying as they all work quite
well when combined with the Sword.
