This week's COTD has a secret theme, or so I'm
told, chosen by Skid Rambo. I've got the whole
week's list in front of me now, and I'm not sure
what the theme is, so good luck to you all!
As for today's card, this just might be what
makes Bestow/Heroic worth playing in Standard.
The Hero's cost reduction will apply to Bestowed
creatures, but not creatures with Bestow cast
normally. It will also apply to ANY Aura,
regardless of target, so you can get good
mileage out of removal Auras like Arrest or Mind
Control. The fact that he's an on-curve aggro
attacker even before you throw an Aura on him
makes this all the sweeter. Be on the lookout
for turn two Hero, turn three Unflinching
Courage AND Ordeal of Heliod, GG.
I suppose this is Theros' answer to Kor
Spiritdancer. Personally, I actually laughed
when Kratos punched Hercules' face off in God of
War III, so I'm probably not going to be rushing
to jam this guy into my Kor Spiritdancer decks
(also due to the fact that he doesn't draw
cards). However, if you do choose to use him in
that sort of deck, he does offer an additional
dimension that other similar cards don't - when
one part of your offense is weakened by
Tranquility or Primeval Light, he will remain a
major threat. And although the first part of his
game text invites you to play Auras, don't
forget that the second part of his game text
doesn't. Brute Force, anyone?
Today's card of the day is Hero of Iroas which
is a two mana White 2/2 that lowers the casting
cost of your auras by one and has Heroic that
gives it a +1/+1 counter when you cast a spell
that targets it. This is a very useful card for
aura decks, benefits from any targeted
beneficial spells, and has the highly supported
human and soldier types. This will be a popular
card across several formats and brings
acceleration support to the aura theme. Overall
it is a solid card that reinvigorates one style
of deck and can fit into a few others in a
smaller support role which may result in a few
slots in the competitive scene.
In Limited this is decent support for Bestow
and other auras, plus works well as a target
thanks to Heroic. As a first pick in Booster it
is somewhat weak, but barring a double rare pack
or really impressive uncommon it is still worth
the choice as it works very well early in the
game. A 2/2 for two with acceleration that can
also increase in threat when targeted is pretty
solid when even a 2/2 for two with no abilities
is playable. Lowering the cost of Bestow is big
advantage and it provides a ready target for the
enchantment as well. In Sealed this is an easy
choice to include with a White primary or
secondary color and there's no real drawback,
though getting it into play earlier is much
better than topdecking it later.
Hero of Iroas has turned out to be my favorite
card from Born of the Gods. At first glance most
players will shrug their shoulders at Hero of
Iroas. My mind exploded with ideas of how to
abuse this little hero. Think about cards in
Standard like Unflinching Courage, Eidolon of
Countless Battles or Mad-Cap Skills. My favorite
card to use with Hero of Iroas is Ordeal of
Heliod. On turn 3 you can cast two Ordeal of
Heliods for 2 mana and then attack for 6 damage
after gaining 20 life!! (or you could cast 3 of
them) Casual Players have a ton of options to
abuse with Hero of Iroas. Overall this card has
changed Magic the Gathering in a fun way. You
may not see it yet, but this card is a big one.
