Mary Read and Anne Bonny – Assassin’s Creed
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 4.25
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
As James rightly points out, Mary Read and Anne Bonny were real people. And they’ve quite rightly captured imaginations in the centuries since their escapades, as their appearance in Assassin’s Creed indicates (and not just there – people have released actual factual Mary Read and Anne Bonny-themed neo-folk albums). I actually think this card is pretty fitting for such famous names: it’s very exciting and eye-catching. Despite having been hinted at for almost two decades now, we get haste along with an activated ability less than you might guess, and in this case it’s just as good whether you’re actively going for the bonus Treasure or simply digging for new cards. Being able to activate immediately is pretty strong in reanimator or other graveyard strategies, even if the conditions on the aforementioned bonus don’t always line up with common reanimator targets. And they even attack pretty well if you don’t need to do any of that right now. Much like Shay, this is a card that’s almost begging readers to find a deck in which to hoist the black flag.
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 4
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
arrrrrrr and some such
Much like how Sokrates was an Actual Historical Person, Mary Read and Anne Bonny are both Actual Historical People, both of them women pirates in a time where women were expected to be un-piratelike and other things. They’re part of the piracy-centric Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, and it’s cool to have links to both history and the games.
The women pirates have their own card, and it’s an interesting one that leans hard into looting to create a lot of Treasures. While their looting ability is enough to make treasure, this pairs well with red (and blue) tapping hard into discard. Make note that the Treasure pops out regardless of what triggered the discard; if it’s an Island, Pirate, or Vehicle, you et the reward.
The main downside is that, despite a serviceable body, it lacks a real way to contribute to combat besides looting, and they are very Boltable at three mana. I do think that there’s room for them to do some unspeakable things, but I do think Modern and other deeper formats aren’t their ideal playground.
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4
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