Forget the whole "if it's a Human" part. This is
a four-power flyer with haste for four mana.
Anyone out there remember Skyknight Legionnaire?
How it was one of the Boros' most aggressive
creatures and it headlined in just about every
Boros deck worth playing? Imagine if it had four
power instead of two, for one more mana. This
thing is practically as tough as a Dragon, and
haste means your opponent is almost always
taking at least one hit from it as they weren't
expecting to block it.
Then we get into its activated ability. You can
sacrifice another creature to make the
Aristocrat indestructible. One toughness is
pretty much the only weakness this thing has,
and you can sack a creature to laugh it off. And
if that creature was a Human? Well, now you have
a 5/2 flyer with haste. If you've got Humans
when you cast this thing, it could easily be a
7/4 hasted flyer for four mana out of nowhere,
depending on how many of your creatures you're
willing to sack. That kind of "out of nowhere"
damage makes this thing an incredibly powerful
force.
The number seven card of the year is Falkenrath
Aristocrat which is a four mana Red and Black
4/1 with Flying, Haste, and can become
indestructible for a turn by sacrificing a
creature with a +1/+1 counter gained if that
creature was human. While this is a very
aggressive card it really needs support to
either increase the low toughness or a supply of
tokens to keep it viable. There are
thirty-six Red or Black humans in Standard
currently which may sound like a large pool to
choose from, but eleven of them cost four mana
or more which makes them a poor sacrifice
choice. A variety of designs can still be
made with a human theme, a vampire theme, a
blending of the two or adding a third color.
In any build it is likely to do some damage and be worth playing, though
getting the most out of the Aristocrat while
managing the battlefield takes some effort.
For Limited the low toughness and two color
casting cost are noticeable drawbacks, but
Red/Black works well and even one successful
attack is enough value. Haste and Flying
are a solid combination and being able to keep
it in play against most removal options can be
difficult for an opponent to deal with if they
lack Flying to block. Even with a few
flaws it is a good first pick in Booster which
can be supported through later choices and the
natural synergy with Red and Black in this set
should be viable in most Sealed pools as well.
Falkenrath Aristocrat Card of the Day
John Shultis
Welcome back to the Pojo.com card of the day section. We
have been looking at the Top 10 cards of 2012.
We look today at number six, Falkenrath
Aristocrat from Dark Ascension. Falkenrath
Aristocrat is a mythic rare creature vampire
that costs two generic mana, one red and one
black mana. Falkenrath Aristocrat is a 4/1
flying, haste that has the ability sacrifice a
creature: Falkenrath Aristocrat is
indestructible this turn. If the sacrificed
creature was human, Falkenrath Aristocrat gets a
+1/+1 counter.
Falkenrath Aristocrat summed up the state of things on
Innistrad, and made for one of the best cards to
come out of the set. While when the set first
released, people had their attention on cards
like Olivia Voldaren, and Stromkirk Noble, it
was the Aristocrat that would eventually make
it's mark.
The vast combinations that people were coming up with were
as varied as the different humans being ingested
by the Aristocrat. And the Aristocrat is still a
deck staple for some of the most competitive
decks today. It will truly be a shame when the
Falkenrath Aristocrat rotates out, but at least
she gets to enjoy the company of Rakdos for
awhile.
