My only personal experience with the Gods of
Theros was opening Phenax P1P1 in a draft. The
only time I was able to cast her, she was my
only permanent on the board, and her ability is
of no use without other creatures, so my
opponent forced me on defense, swarmed past any
chump blocker I could manage, and killed me
despite Phenax. Athreos seems like she might
create similar situations-- her ability
literally does nothing if you don't have other
creatures when you cast her. If you do, or even
if you manage to find one quickly, you'd have an
easier time getting back on your feet with
Athreos than Phenax. If you're behind on the
board and have to chump block, your opponent has
to either give you your dead chums back or pay 3
life for everything he killed. You can therefore
be more aggressive in trading creatures, knowing
you're getting the better end of the deal. And
if you're ahead on the board, then Athreos
herself is probably a creature too, and you can
confidently alpha strike with her and everyone
else even into a crowded board, then re-cast the
fallen and risen after combat, or take solace in
the fact that even the blocked-and-killed "got
in there for 3".
Athreos's ability is solid because it's great
when you're falling behind and need something to
bring you back into the game. A fitting ability
for the god whose portfolio seems to include
sending dead souls back to the land of the
living.
My issue with the multicolor gods is that
they're supposed to be Theros' "minor" deities,
but many Magic players consider multicolored
decks infinitely preferable to mono- and
sometimes even bi-colored ones. Their effects
are also generally pretty powerful - I actually
sometimes think Wizards' designers have to start
thinking of being multicolored not as a
disadvantage but actually as an advantage.
Athreos, for example, makes it so that nobody
will ever want anything you control to die. He's
absolutely devastating in a duel, stacking every
attrition battle in your favor; and that's
before you think about decks that are
specifically designed to take advantage of him
(remember Lorwyn's evoke mechanic?). You'd think
he wouldn't be as good in Commander, but that 40
life total might make people a little more
cavalier about paying and then find that it adds
up. He's definitely worth a try there too.
Today's card of the day 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.
To me, this is the best of the Gods - single
colored or multicolored. Creatures die in Magic
- it's a constant. Being able to get them back
for free unless your opponent pays 3 life is
bonkers. Athreos is great, even just throwing
him in a pre-existing black and white deck, but
if you build a deck around sacrificing creatures
for an effect - it gets crazy. Or, you could
build an aggro deck and make him a creature by
turn 4, and beat your opponent down. There's no
good option for your opponent. Either they pay 3
life, or they let the thing that's beating them
down back into your hand.
Oh, and he only costs three mana. It's not often
I look at a card and think it has the potential
to take over games and formats almost on its
own, but Athreos is one of those rare cards.
Watch for him to make a BIG impact.
The only think that keeps him from being a solid
5 all across the board is that you'd have to
pick him first overall in a draft. To commit
yourself to a certain 2 colors on the first card
can be a it restricting. That said, I'd have no
hesitation doing so.
Wouldn't it be fun to have the god that guards
that passage to the afterlife on your side?
Unless your opponent pays his price, he'll just
keep on returning your dead creatures right back
too you.
Thematically I like it very much, but is it
actually good? Well, yes. Yes it is. End of
review.
One of the best things Athreos, God of Passage
has going for him is his low cost. 3 mana, when
most of the other gods are 4 or even 5 mana. And
as with many of the other gods, you're really
more interested in his ability than a potential
5/4 indestructible creature that may or may not
ever actually show up. If it does, just consider
that a bonus.
Athreos basically makes all of your creature
cards say "when this dies, your opponent loses 3
life." I mean, unless they'd rather just give it
back to you of course. Which option you should
pick if you're playing against this
really depends on your board situation, it's
difficult to generalize. But basically if you
can take the life hit, you should. But be warned
that white-black is well known for making you
lose much more life than you would have thought.
Theirs is a strategy of slowly whittling you
down with multiple effects, especially things
like extort. And those abilities are usually on
creatures too.
Overall, despite the fact that he's supposed to
be one of the "minor" gods of Theros, he
actually has one of the most powerful effects.
Any white-black deck with a good amount of
creatures in it should be jumping for the chance
to use this card. In Limited, with its major
attacking-with-creatures focus, it's one of the
best cards you could possibly pick. Casual will
love it too.
It's strong, it's fast, it has a very relevant
and powerful ability. Unlike the tribute
mechanic, where the opponent also gets to make
the decision about which ability option they'll
choose (going, of course, for the one better and
easier to deal with for them) there is no good
choice between losing life and giving you back
your dead creature. Only two slightly different
very bad choices.
