The Orzhov are somehow even scarier in the
recent Ravnica block than they were in the
old-school Ravnica block. Yes, the Ghost
Council's new incarnation is easier to deal
with, and the underplayed but devastating
Mortify didn't get a new printing, but this time
around they have the board sweeper that they
should have had all along. You'd think a cabal
of politically astute ghosts who have their own
church and can throw an infinite amount of money
at any problem would be able to get things done,
and that's what Merciless Eviction reflects.
This isn't a paint-by-numbers Day of Judgment
plus block mechanic to fill a role in Standard.
This is the sort of card where you get your
mana's worth in versatility, reliability,
security, and killing huge numbers of things for
profit.
A modular kill-spell. I know there's options
that just wipe the board squeaky clean, but it
can be one of those spells that's absolutely
great for you, and terrible for opponents. I'm
surprised it doesn't see more play, but I
suppose there's better options to be had, i
guess. Oh, and it exiles, so that's something.
Being able to reset the board is a valuable
commodity. Flexibility makes cards shine in a
variety of game states against a variety of
decks. Being able to have the answer you need,
when you need it, is a wonderful thing. This
card basically gives you free reign to disrupt
your opponents' plans on several different
levels. It's a sideboard card stapled onto a
maindeck stapled, and you get to choose which
one you need when you play it. And that, my
friends, wins games.
