Storm Herald – Theros Beyond Death MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

And suddenly, things turned ugly. You don’t always associate red with auras, but you do always associate red with absolutely destroying you out of nowhere, and that’s what Storm Herald does at the best of times. He’ll do very well in aura-based decks, whether it’s as simple as reusing the first Theros block’s Ordeals or as intricate as getting two Daybreak Coronets onto one creature without first enchanting it with something else. But he’ll also open up deck designs involving very confusing self-milling strategies, and generally the most Timmy- and Johnny-friendly aura strategies ever. In case you hadn’t noticed, I like basically everything about this card.

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

Most of the Voltron-style enchantress decks tend to exclude red, but Storm Herald offers a unique effect that might be reason to dip one’s toes into the color, as being able to fish back all of your Auras that can stick onto creatures is a rather potent effect to try and end the game with (and you’ll be trying to end the game then and there, since they come back for only one turn). While there is a Very Obvious Target that plays especially well with this effect, you can mix and match to give combat stats, evasion, and other fun toys; also note that Storm Herald does not have any in-built targeting to it, you can actually suit up creatures with shroud in an attempt to smash many faces (though this will not let you get around protection). He even gives you a 3/2 body with haste to liven up the party, which is pretty decent!

My gut says Storm Herald is going to be more “fun” than “powerful” in Constructed, since red is still a bit of an awkward color for the enchantment decks that might otherwise like the effect. That said, it could be a cute one-of tech option in Bogles, if they want to splash in red; Bogles gambles on an all-in strategy, and having a second chance at it can sometimes be all the deck needs. I don’t see it doing a lot in Standard, but there are ways to make this pop if you believe in yourself enough.

Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 4
Limited: 3.75 (it’s a 3/2 with haste for 3, which is pretty legit)
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.75 (powerful and unique effect, but I don’t know if a deck particularly wants it)

Phat
Pack
Magic
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Hello everyone and welcome to Pojo’s Card of the Day!

Today we’re looking at some of the rares that WotC decides to include because they really don’t want you getting pack value from your regular packs and they also decided that this card was worth taking a box topper spot in the collectors booster packs.

I’ve got a bone to pick with this card because not only is a strictly Johnny card that won’t see play anywhere outside of the junior combo kitchen tables with newer or strictly casual players who brewed up this ‘sick combo’ deck that will get demolished at their FNM. But I opened a foil one of these. Yeah. $30 booster pack to open a foil 50 cent piece.

But that’s gambling for ya, win some lose some.

Anyways, for those of you who were wise enough not to open this in a booster pack but still want to check out this card, I recommend not doing so. This card is the wrong color for a creature based Replenish, milling stuff into the yard isn’t that difficult but that puts you in red-blue, then you need the white aspect for the really good enchantments.

On top of that the deck of your dreams goes out the window when you go to strap all these neat enchants on your Storm Herald and then they just go “Lol. Doom Blade/Etc.”

If this card had been white I would have been a lot more interested, but as it stands, 3 mana for this card and for this effect is too much and in the wrong colors. Colorshift this to White, make it a 1/1 with haste, and suddenly you got a new toy for Boggles. But as it stands now it’s the wrong color, and 3 mana for a non-hexproof creature on a deck that barely wants to run 18 lands is simply too much to ask for.

In Limited this is a card you want to pass and hope some Timmy Raredrafts it and decides to try and steal all the garbage you ship down the line.

In Multiplayer, this is still not good.

In Commander… it’s the wrong colors, again, if it had been white I could see it as a possible toy for Zur the Enchanter, but this card simply has everything wrong going for it.

Constructed 1/5 – For the Johnny’s who want to durdle at their FNMs

Limited 1/5 – Never ever go for this, only villains do that.

Commander 1.5/5 – …Maybe if you want to dedicate your Commander to a Red Aura deck? I guess there’s more ways to be miserable though.

Cube 1/5 – I just threw up in my mouth a little thinking about it.

Phat Pack Magic is a channel dedicated to Magic: the Gathering and creating awesome coverage of local events for formats like Cube, rare pack drafts, and now FNM Pioneer videos! Check it out at YouTube.com/PhatPackMagic