Every Charm has its "stinker" option, the one
you really won't bother to pick. You probably
think I'm going to say that it's the lifelink
option, but it isn't. It's the draw a card
option. Drawing cards is nice, but spending a
card to draw one card and do nothing else is a
waste of mana. You need to get ahead in the card
advantage race, and this breaks even. The
lifelink option might look weak, but in a fairly
crowded board state it can keep you alive long
enough for you to win the damage race. Likewise,
the "excommunicate" ability can set an opponent
back a fair ways, giving you time to set up what
you need. I wouldn't use the draw ability unless
I'd just resolved a Supreme Verdict-- neither
other option is going to be relevant for a
while, and you need to keep your post-boardwipe
plays as relevant as possible.
In a sense, this card's game text is much like
the Azorius guild itself. It doesn't look like
too much of a threat. It has a mode that's
conditional, a mode that compares
semi-unfavorably to dedicated card drawing, and
a mode that puts a creature someplace you know
it'll soon be back from. But then, like dealing
with the Azorius and their laws, you actually
read the full text and decipher it, and you
realize that it has a power that doesn't rely on
setting things on fire or running around waving
your arms. It has three modes that give you time
in various ways, and time is the most precious
thing in this world or any other. Consider that
there are some decks that simply cannot lose
provided that they survive a certain amount of
time. There's an argument, in fact, that
late-game strategies are the most inherently
powerful in Magic, and there are few cards
better than Azorius Charm at putting off the
fight until that stage of the game or getting
you there when you need to be there.
Today's card of the day is Azorius Charm which
is a two mana Blue and White instant with three
effects to choose from when cast. The
second is just a Cycle effect of drawing a card
and of use only when the other effects are not
applicable. The third effect sending an
attacking or blocking creature to the top of the
library has excellent stalling value by costing
an opponent the tempo of drawing and casting the
creature again if possible. It also can be
used to bounce your own creature, preferably in
response to removal or impending destruction in
combat, that can also support comes into play
abilities in a somewhat inefficient manner.
The first effect may be the most situational as
it benefits most from having multiple creatures
with greater than minimal power in play, but it
can be a drastic shift in the game state with
the amount of life it can gain. Also,
unlike pure life gain plays the card having
other options makes this a valuable addition in
the right situation and not just a stall.
Overall this is a powerful charm for the third
effect if nothing else and the flexibility of
including the other options will keep this as a
popular choice for Azorius and Esper designs
across formats.
In Limited this can stall a god, either directly
or by targeting a creature with enough devotion,
and the Lifelink can put the game out of reach
for an opponent in a major battle. An easy
second pick in Booster after an Azorius, Blue,
or White first pick and solid support when
running the guild in Sealed.
