Players who remember Eventide block will find
today's card awfully familiar. The main
difference between that card and this one, is
that the final ability on this one can be used
multiple times to build up more and more +1/+1
counters. With a reasonably reliable mana base,
any G/W or G/B deck could easily make this a 3/3
on Turn Two, and a 3/3 with trample and lifelink
on Turn Four. Protecting it until Turn Six, when
you can start throwing counters onto it, could
be trickier, especially since your opponent can
see the writing on the card and knows he has to
get rid of this thing before it gets out of
control.
Alternatively, you can hold it back until you
have enough mana to drop it and immediately
upgrade it. With seven mana, it's already a
Human Warrior Spirit and ready to start
receiving counters next turn. This makes it one
of my favorite kinds of cards-- the kind that
are good in your opening hand, and also good if
you topdeck them late game.
I love cards like this that hint at a larger
story behind them. I also like trees as imagery
- they represent family ties, the universe in
microcosm, and the Fibonacci sequence. (Since
this card doesn't have flavor text, it could
even go in a later Viking block as a reference
to Yggdrasil!) Philosophical ramblings aside,
it's also a card in the proud traditions of
Figure of Destiny, Tarmogoyf, and Student of
Warfare, that offers more of a threat than some
people's entire deck, draws the heat from other,
only slightly less dangerous creatures, and ends
the game frighteningly fast when it starts
attacking. There's so much to like on either
side of the analysis!
Today's card of the day is Warden of the First
Tree which is a one mana
Green 1/1 with three paid abilities to transform
it into stronger
forms. This is very much reminiscent of
Figure of Destiny, but changed
in several ways with the requirement a second
color of mana in addition
to that of the casting cost being the most
notable. Two mana to make it
a 3/3 is a bit better than one mana for Figure's
2/2 form and four mana
to add Trample and Lifelink is very strong,
particularly if supported
with other power and toughness increases.
The six mana final form
adding five +1/+1 counters is reusable and makes
this stronger in the
later stages of the game and a resource for mana
generation to be spent
on. Overall this is an excellent
aggressive card for Green/White or
Green/Black that will see play across recent
formats and in different
deck types as it is a strong draw at any stage
of the game.
In Limited this is a very easy first pick in
Booster that is playable
from the first turn to the endgame topdeck as
with mana it is never
useless. Lifelink, Trample, and
self-boosting power and toughness in
one makes this a top card in the format and
should not be passed barring
extreme circumstances. It does force at
least two colors, but Green is
generally easy to work with as a fixer and White
or Black should be
strong in a Sealed pool.
This is essentially a "level-up" card like the
ones printed in Zendikar block, except that the
leveling up can be done at instant speed. The
Warden can be a 3/3 attacker on turn 2, which is
nothing to scoff at, and can be a big asset in
an aggressive deck if this is played turn 1.
If you draw it later in the game, you can pay a
total of 7 to make it a 3/3 with trample and
lifelink. Not exactly a great investment, but
it's better than most 1-drops can say when
top-decked late in a game. If it survives a
turn, you can then pay 6 more to make it a real
monster of a 8/8 - or perhaps more.
Keep in mind that while you could activate the
first two abilities more than once, there's no
real benefit to it, but you can activate the
last one multiple times if you have the time and
the mana.
Of course, the problem with all this is that it
is a huge investment of mana and turns into one
card. A single kill spell can ruin your whole
investment. So, while this has the potential to
be a great, huge creature, most often, it's use
will be the second turn attacking 3/3.
