The last time we reviewed this card was in 2003,
and when I say "we", I'm using the term loosely
because I wasn't a Pojo writer back then. In
fact, the COTD crew has completely rotated since
then, so I suppose "we" never did review
Pacifism.
As removal goes, it isn't bad. It's usually a
good bit cheaper than the creature it's
removing, it doesn't rely on a creature's
toughness, and it isn't restricted on what it's
allowed to target. Most of white's best removal
only works in combat. Trouble is, Pacifism may
not say "target attacking or blocking creature"
but it still kind of only works in combat. It
stops creatures from attacking or blocking...
but nothing else. It's therefore of limited use
on a creature with an activated ability. It also
leaves the "removed" creature on the
battlefield, making it a legitimate target for
anything that might need one. (Time to Feed
comes to mind.) Many raise the point that the
Pacifism itself can be destroyed, but in
practice this comes up less often than one might
think. Only white and green can do this
reliably, and even they don't often run
enchantment destruction except in the sideboard.
Blue can often bounce and recast the creature,
but that's still requires the Blue mage to spend
his bounce spell, plus the time and mana
recasting the creature. Black may have spells
like Altar's Reap that require the sacrifice of
a creature, allowing it to still "make use" of a
pacified creature, and it may have a way to get
that creature back from the graveyard, but not
always. Red's only real option is if all its
creatures are pingers-- otherwise it must write
off a Pacified creature as dead. All around, a
Pacified creature is a creature that's mostly
out of the game, and for two mana that's not
bad.
I don't think there are any cards that have
been reprinted as often as Pacifism, but
retained their original art and flavor text in
so many of those printings. In a time when it's
not clear that Wizards of the Coast recognizes
the strength and value of its past assets, that
fact makes me smile. As a matter of fact, I've
been a fan of Pacifism ever since the days of
Mirage - while there are times that you'd prefer
to get a creature off the table entirely, there
are other times when you actively don't. Decks
with access to cards like Unburial Rites
literally laugh at the likes of Diabolic Edict
and Terror, and that's before you get into
nonsense like Thragtusk and Kokusho. It's a
little disconcerting that Wizards of the Coast
seems to have made such an effort to undermine
Pacifism's role with things like Restoration
Angel and Cloudshift, but it remains a very
solid choice in a lot of settings.
Today's card of the day is Pacifism which is a
two mana White aura that prevents the target
creature from attacking or blocking. While
this doesn't stop effects it is a classic White
one for one that can lock down offensive or
defensive threats and is particularly useful
against creatures with a mandatory upkeep cost.
Overall this has been one of the go to choices
for putting a creature on the sideline and will
likely remain so for years to come.
In a Limited format where this is available it
is a fantastic common that always belongs in a
deck running White as for just two mana can shut
down many of the biggest threats in a set.
A strong second or third pick in Booster as it
generally functions in a removal role and is
even worth hate drafting if a top end choice
isn't available in color.
For the first time in his life, Grakk felt a
little warm and fuzzy inside. (Sorry, but I
couldn’t resist.) Pacifism is the most common
White creature removal spell in Magic the
Gathering history. It may not be the best
creature removal spell but it is cheap and
easily splashed with other colors. If you have a
Hero of Iroas on the battlefield then Pacifism
will only cost 1 white mana. That is pretty
cool. Pacifism can be a great Limited card,
especially if you snag multiple copies. The bad
things about Pacifism are pretty obvious. It
doesn’t actually remove the creature from play,
nor does it stop activated abilities. Pacifism
can help decks that rely on Enchantments or
Auras. Overall, Pacifism is a classic card that
will never be outdated!
