I do love me a good X spell, but there are some
that you almost feel embarrassed to be pointing
at an opponent and their creatures, in the sense
of "did anybody really complain that Volcanic
Geyser wasn't game-ending enough and
instant-speed enough?" In pretty much any
setting, you're likely to be able to choose at
least two of Clan Defiance's modes, and it's
just as amazing at pulling you back into a game
as ending it outright or breaking a stalemate.
If you don't happen to own one, there are plenty
of options that you can play and should never
feel bad about; but if you do, you'd better have
a good excuse for losing games.
Today's card of the day is Clan Defiance which
is a Red and Green with X sorcery that deals X
damage to each of any combination of target
player, creature with Flying, and creature
without Flying. In many situations legal targets
for all three effects should be available and at
least two in nearly any other scenario, though
not being instant speed is a noticeable
drawback. For as low as three or usually
around four to six mana, which is very
reasonable, it is potentially a three for one
and a strong consideration for Red/Green
removal. Even if just kept in the sidedeck
it is a valuable addition to Gruul, Naya, or
Jund styled decks as an efficient source of card
advantage with some reliance on an opponent's
deck and field to be fully effective.
For Limited this is an excellent rare to open in
Sealed and strong first pick in Booster, despite
locking you into Gruul immediately. With the
frequent excess of mana in the format and the
ever present threat of Flying it will often be
one of the few direct removal options available
against bigger threats. Being able to
remove two creatures limited only by your mana
and deal bonus damage to the opponent makes this
one of the best cards in the format.
In Multiplayer this can target creatures from
two different opponents and add direct damage to
a third opponent to maximize the field benefit
to you at the obvious price of becoming a target
of those three players should more than one
survive the turn.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is a
powerful spell that unfortunately is
overshadowed by some other recently printed
cards. In standard this card is versatile and
provides a clear advantage but doesn’t reach the
sheer power level of obviously pushed spells
Aurelia’s Fury and Bonfire of the Damned the
latter just being obnoxious. I could still see
this card seeing a home as it’s not hard to
accumulate the three targets needed to get
maximum value out of the card I could see it
doing well sooner rather than later. In modern
it’s pretty mana intensive and the payoff may
not be worth it outside of certain circumstances
and I don’t foresee any top tier decks that
would need or make good use of this card. In
legacy and vintage it’s a pass. In casual and
multiplayer I love this card, the ability to hit
three different threats and spread the love
around the table is powerful and a good use of
excess mana the ability to choose the effects
means you don’t necessarily have to make enemies
to get full value but can pick and choose. In
limited it’s a bomb pure and simple casting it
will often kill two creatures and deal some
damage to a players face making it a powerful
pick but one that needs to be properly
supported. Overall a powerful card that will be
a force across multiple formats.
