Storm Of Saruman
– LOTR: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.37
Casual: 4.13
Limited: 3.50
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
The “second spell each turn” pseudo-mechanic has gotten a lot of support in recent years, to the point where you might even be asking if it needs a keyword or ability word, and Storm of Saruman might be one of the most powerful payoffs for it. It scales well to any power level – you get something good even if the rest of your deck involves basic cards like Cloudkin Seer, and you get something devastating if you have planeswalkers and such. And ward gives it some additional kick in high-pressure settings like multiplayer formats, where the downside of an enchantment that does nothing on its own is often three or so opponents who might have Naturalize. I think it’s going to find a niche in Commander, if nothing else.
Tolkien’s work argues so strongly against industrialization and in favor of the pastoral landscapes of the Shire, that some people have gone as far as accusing him of being a luddite. The problem is, modern research suggests that some – perhaps much – of the physical and mental health challenge that we face now is due to a lack of exposure to nature. This includes not just breathing fresh air, but even simply seeing trees, animals, clouds, and such; so perhaps Tolkien was, in some ways, just ahead of his time . . .
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Saruman certainly liked to make things befitting one who had cost his lot with Evil, and here we are with a spell depicting him making things in Isengard nice and evil. Storm of Saruman in gameplay is very interesting, going for that sort of “punch twice” approach of recent spells (and Saruman himself); you get a copy of your second spell each turn, regardless of what it is, and that can make things particularly perilous if you line things up well enough. “Each turn” makes for added fun if you can flash things or just use instant speed shenanigans, and ward gives this a bit of durability. This is even live on the turn you cast it…but at six mana, this might be hard to cast in the same turn as another spell, but it still can have immediate impact that way. This is probably too slow for Modern, as it takes time to really get the most out of it, and a six-mana enabler is too slow in the vast majority of cases…but it’s certainly not too slow for Commander, and it even can make you have double the trouble with your Commanders if you play your cards carefully.
Constructed: 2.25 (probably too slow)
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4 (if you get this early, it’ll crack a game open, but I doubt this is a proper bomb)
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
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