David Fanany
Player since
1995 |
Olivia Voldaren
There's something very compelling about the
concept of a clan of decadent vampire overlords.
That's why Innistrad drew on Homelands to create
its - yes, really! Homelands looks a little
different when you consider it as the ancestor
of the first gothic horror block. In turn,
Olivia Voldaren follows admirably in the
footsteps of Baron Sengir: as if shooting down
hordes of creatures and players while running
you out of +1/+1 counters wasn't enough, Olivia
gets downright tricky. Ever dreamed of owning
your own Darksteel Colossus? Vampirify one and
steal it. Finally run out of things to do with
Baron Sengir? Turn every creature on the table
into a vampire, then regenerate some of them
just for laughs. It's no wonder that Olivia
Voldaren featured in the top eight at the World
Championship.
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
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Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno |
Today's card of the day is Olivia Voldaren which
is a four mana Red and Black 3/3 legendary
vampire with Flying that can deal one damage to
another target creature for two mana, turn it
into a vampire, and gains
+1/+1 each time the effect is used. Also,
for five mana you can gain
control of target vampire while Olivia is in
play. Thematically this is an excellent
card and a four mana 3/3 with Flying by itself
is playable, but add in the repeatable burn plus
powering up effect and you have a must play for
any Red/Black deck. The second effect is
more valuable when combined with an aura or
equipment that provides Hexproof or some other
protection against removal, though the stats and
first effect are strong enough without it.
Overall this is a very powerful card that excels
in the middle to later stages of the game and
makes use of excess mana to tip the scales in
your favor.
For Limited aside from being locked into two
specific colors when playing this there are no
real drawbacks as a 3/3 with Flying that can
remove or borrow creatures is a dominant force
in the format. With the number of vampires
in set the first effect may not even be required
to take a creature depending on the opponent's
build which is an added bonus when seven mana
isn't available. This is an easy first
pick in Booster and should be played in Sealed
whenever either color is strong enough to be
played allowing the other to be splashed.
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.0 |
John
Shultis
Phoenix
Gaming |
Welcome to a new
week of Card of the Day reviews here at
Pojo.com. To kick start the week, we take a look
at Olivia Voldaren from Innistrad. Olivia
Voldaren is a 3/3 legendary vampire creature
that costs one red, one black , and two generic
mana. Olivia Voldaren has flying, and two other
abilities. The first ability is one red, one
generic mana; deal one damage to another target
creature, that creature becomes a vampire in
addition to its other types, put a +1/+1 counter
on Olivia Voldaren. Her next ability is pay
three generic and two black mana, gain control
of target vampire for as long as you control
Olivia Voldaren.
The flavor aspect behind Olivia is one of
the cooler parts. For the first time, a vampire
“bites” another creature, turning it into a
vampire, and gets stronger for doing so. Then,
Olivia also introduces the “Dracula” affect,
gaining control of other vampires.
Olivia Voldaren is certainly a force to
contend with. Whether it be taking out smaller
creatures, or turning them to gain control of
them, or even turning your own creatures to get
the boost from cards such as Vampire Nocturnus
or Captivating Vampire, or Lord of
Lineage/Bloodline Keeper. And with how nicely
red was introduced into the vampire line, it is
a no brainer that running red and black vampires
is sure to be the way to go.
Perhaps one of Olivia Voldaren’s strongest
attributes is that she is a flying creature that
just gets really strong. Pumping herself while
taking out smaller creatures means that she
could clear the air, and land some serious
damage all at once.
Olivia Voldaren’s impact is felt in any aspect of
play. Whether in multiplayer, where there are
more small creatures to ping, and many options
at larger creatures to take. Or in casual, where
breaking Olivia is easy as pie, or even in
limited, where you draft Olivia specifically to
build around her abilities. She makes an impact
in every facet she sees.
Limited: 5/5
Casual: 5/5
Constructed: 5/5
Multiplayer: 5/5
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