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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day
Daily Since November 2001!
Image from
Wizards.com |
|
Chandra,
Pyromancer
- Archenemy: Nicol Bolas
Reviewed
July 10, 2017
Constructed: 3.38
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.38
Multiplayer: 3.00
Commander [EDH]: 3.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible 3 - Average. 5 - Awesome
Click here to see
all of our
Card of the Day Reviews
|
David Fanany
Player since
1995 |
Chandra, Pyromaster
My favorite portrayal of Chandra is actually the
picture of her they put on the packaging for the
Kaladesh planeswalker decks. I'm assuming that
that precludes it from being used for an actual
planeswalker card, which is really too bad,
because she looks very nice in it. This version
is an interesting one - like the other Archenemy
planeswalkers, it's supposed to be from Nicol
Bolas' point of view, and he sees them as a
little less exciting than we usually do. Due to
his status in Magic's story, it's hard for
things not to be distorted when you see them
through his eyes.
As far as her mechanics go, I think this version
of Chandra's main action is with that zero
ability. In a properly constructed deck, it can
give you a continuous stream of extra cards to
play, or at the very least dig you closer to
something you specifically need. Her +1 is also
really strong, helping red's aggressive
creatures push past walls and baloths (although
mana-producing creatures are a little more
resilient on average now than they were in M14).
I think there's an awful lot to like about the
Pyromaster iteration of Chandra, even if you
almost never get to use her ultimate. Copying
Warp World with it will probably result in you
having to find a new playgroup, though!
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5
|
James H. |
Chandra, Pyromaster (7/10)
After a slew of
underwhelming and underpowered Chandra
planeswalkers, to where bad Chandras were
elevated to memetic status, we finally got one
that was actually
good. In effect, Chandra, Pyromaster
behaves a lot like a red Phyrexian Arena, giving
you an extra card each turn to play with off of
her 0 ability. Considering that red is known for
its poor card advantage (only slightly better
than white), this is a big deal, and it alone
makes her good.
Her other two abilities are
merely okay, but they have their uses. Her +1
lets you push through a bit of damage by
incapacitating a blocker (and going to the
face). Her ultimate is very high-risk,
high-reward; it’ll feel bad if you whiff on it,
but landing something like a Boros Charm or
Atarka's Command means a massive beating is in
order for your opponent. It's a nice feature,
but her 0 is the main attraction here, and it's
what makes her so much better than the Chandras
of the past. Even if she's not the “best Chandra
of
allllll tiiiiiiime” anymore, she’s
still quite usable.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.75
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.25
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