Superficially, this card looks like it makes you
jump through hoops to get that attractive and
powerful effect. When you look into it more, you
realize that attacking with a bunch of creatures
is exactly the sort of thing red/white decks
would be doing anyway; and the fact that your
opponent can effectively turn it off by killing
your creatures only matters if he is actually
able to do so, which he won't always. And when
he isn't, you have a repeatable Lightning Helix
that also attacks for three damage itself.
And as an aside, I don't care what anybody says:
I like Wayne Reynolds' art.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
Firemane Avenger an aggressive boros creature
that unfortunately has not seen a fair amount of
competitive lay. The effect of Lighting Helix is
certainly powerful but due to the condition
attached to it, having this creature lived and
attacking with at least two other creatures
often hard to fulfill. That being said using
this creature in combat can allow you to dictate
the flow of combat. In standard this card is
outclassed by cheaper and more powerful
creatures, making it somewhat of a poor choice.
In modern and other formats it is also too slow
and just doesn’t do enough to justify trying to
get its effect off. In casual and multiplayer
it’s a cheap angel which is powerful and has a
repeatable effect doubling as a way to pad your
life total. In limited its evasive and has a
game breaking effect making it clearly a
powerful card. Overall a powerful card for
casual play and a powerful limited card.
Today's card of the day is Firemane Avenger
which is a four mana Red and White 3/3 with
Flying and Battalion when it and at least two
other creatures attack it deals three damage to
target creature or player and you gain three
life. With Boros tokens or an otherwise
aggressive deck having three creatures out
shouldn't be overly difficult and even without
them a 3/3 evasive for four isn't bad. With the
trigger's condition a repeatable Lightning Helix
every turn is very powerful and can clear an
attack path or help burn down the opponent.
The life gain is of course a nice side benefit
and overall this is a great card for Boros or
Naya decks with a swarm flavor.
In Limited this is an easy first pick even as a
multicolor as it is a decent sized evasive
creature with a reasonable mana cost combined
with reusable removal. There's no major
drawback aside from it being two colors and
Boros is very strong in the format, so that is
less of an issue than it might otherwise be.
In Sealed this depends on the pool somewhat, but
splashing either White or Red to make use of it
is certainly worth considering.
Firemane Avenger is a card that is easily
overlooked and that actually helps this angel.
I’ve tried to use this creature in many
different ways and it was a challenge to make it
work. Firemane is used best when it has
haste, and when the other creatures around her
have haste. I’ve been told that angels don’t
like to share the sky with dragons but Firemane
Angel seems to like Stormbreath Dragon. PROS: A
6 point life swing can help you a lot in an
aggressive deck. Against other agro decks
Firemane Angel can kill their creatures while
granting 3 life. CONS: Her mana cost gets in the
way and without battalion she is just a 3/3
flyer. She should’ve been a 4/4 like
Duskmantle Seer.
Definitely a lot more aggressive than her
namesake from the first Ravnica block, and with
far fewer rules questions, but that doesn't mean
she can't help keep your life totals up. She
just does it as a battalion trigger, which means
you have to swing for the fences. And as a 3/3
flier for four mana, you're already motivated to
do just that. The free Lightning Helix is also a
great boon, as it could be used to remove a
potential blocker and improve the odds that the
Avenger and her two cohorts make it through to
the opponent without dying. You can also just
hit the opponent, making the Avenger do a fair
impression of a 6/3 creature and ending the game
that much quicker.
