Anyone remember Feudkiller's Verdict, from
Morningtide? Linvala's game text is extremely
similar, and should make her a good option for
slower decks; more so for the purely defensive
style than the midrange style, seeing as her
text is less effective when she's cast at times
when you're on offense. I actually think she
might end up being more popular than both the
Verdict and her Rise of the Eldrazi card in
non-tournament settings: not only is she
on-theme for a popular casual and EDH tribe, her
Keeper of Silence incarnation is most useful
against certain opposing board states and
vanilla elsewhere, while many different types of
decks play creatures and attack life totals.
The biggest trap big flashy creatures can fall
into is the trap of being "win-more", the
situation where it can only really be used in
circumstances under which you were already
winning. Much better is the card that is at its
best when you're behind, allowing you to turn
the tables back in your favor. Linvala does that
very nicely, helping you take back the board
both on life totals and in creature presence.
The fact that she's a fairly-priced 5/5 flier,
and potentially also a 3/3 flier, also means
that she demands an answer from the opponent or
else she will win the day for you in short
order.
