All throughout the voting process, it was clear
that there would be at least one of Theros' gods
on our list; but I didn't know which one it was
going to be until the final list. Some of them
have had an impact in tournaments and others
haven't, but most of those who haven't have been
adopted in other settings. They're all very
powerful in the abstract, and they all have that
unique devotion-related design which blew our
minds back in October 2013. Athreos is on our
list not, I'd say, because he's the most
powerful in the abstract, but because he's the
most appealing and tempting to build around.
White and black are both big on creatures, and
their creatures do tend to die for good reasons:
white because they're designed for combat, and
black because they're often sacrificed for an
effect. The applications are obvious, but I'd
also like to point out a more unusual quirk: the
fact that the trigger applies to creatures you
own, and not just ones you control. That means
that if you're ever playing against a deck with
every Control Magic variant, you can kill your
stolen creatures and either punish your opponent
or get them back.
The number seven card of the year is Athreos,
God of Passage which is a three mana Black and
White god that is Indestructible, a 5/4 with
Devotion seven, and whenever another creature
you own dies it is returned to your hand unless
target opponent pays three life. This is a low
mana cost god in a popular color combination,
though the Black/White tokens theme doesn't work
well with Athreos. Other Orzhov builds can
work towards the 5/4 threat, but the effect
alone is an interesting addition to many decks
that is always advantageous. Whether the
opponent pays three life or you get the card
back is a benefit even though they can choose
whichever is less detrimental to them.
Using aggressive or sacrificial creatures,
particularly ones that can be replayed from the
graveyard, make this a very efficient play.
Overall this is a low cost card that can have a
notable impact on any game which should make it
a frequent sight across formats which may not
quite reach the top tiers competitively.
In Limited this is a nice low cost psychological
presence that may or may not have the devotion
available in your pool to become the 5/4, but
the effect is either card advantage or a three
life point hit to the opponent for every
creature they destroy. Entering the game
early can provide enough of an edge to
effectively win the game without actively doing
anything. An easy first pick that can be
splashed into a primarily Black or White deck in
Booster and if the pool allows it should be
squeezed into Sealed if only for the effect
forcing your opponent to constantly make
difficult decisions.
Athreos is one card that I've been really back
and forth about. When it first came out, I
thought it was going to be one of the best cards
out there. I mean, making people pay 3 life or
let your creatures come back to your hand? If
you can build enough of a board presence, he
turns into a 5/4 indestructible creature?
I played with him quite a bit and things rarely
worked out like I thought they would. It took me
some time to figure out why. Like all the gods,
you really have to evaluate them as though they
are not going to be creatures. Is he good enough
just as an enchantment? The best deck for him is
in a deck with lots of cheap creatures go to the
graveyard, making tough choices on whether the
opponent pays life or allows them back. In such
a deck, a three drop enchantment can be a little
bit disappointing to draw. It's not usually a
creature to attack or block with, and you need
to have creatures to make his ability
worthwhile.
I still have hopes that Athreos can be a vital
part of a good deck, but I haven't been able to
make it work yet. I'm currently working on a
black and white humans deck for Modern. We shall
see. Athreos might end up being a super-fun card
for casual that can't quite stand up to the
rigors of constructed tournaments.
