Sword of Sinew and Steel – Modern Horizons MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Equipment cards are often rather slow for Modern, but I think that says more about Modern than about the card! Pretty much all of the mythic Swords are very powerful – for some settings, arguably overpowered – but Sinew and Steel is perhaps even more powerful than it looks. Even if all it did was +2/+2 and protection from black and red, that would actually be pretty good in itself, as those are among the first places people look for cards that kill creatures. But its combat triggers are very appealing: unlike some of the Swords, their use is partly dependent on what’s on the table when the creature deals damage, yet they allow a black deck to destroy artifacts and a blue deck to destroy planeswalkers without having to use a second color. They also solve the classic dilemma of whether to attack a player or a planeswalker, and repeated attacks will put you very far ahead indeed against some matchups. 

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

Much like every other member of the Sword mega-cycle, Sinew and Steel is pretty good. Black and red might be one of the best color pairings to be protected from, given that those two colors are the most efficient when it comes to killing creatures dead, and the ability to blow up planeswalkers and artifacts with each successful hit makes this sword a massive threat to any board state. While it may not be the flashiest sword ever printed, the sheer value of Sword of Sinew and Steel in how much you can get makes it quite a threat…and even if your opponent is bereft of targets to kill, giving your creature protection from the colors most known for kill spells is always pretty legit.

Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander: 4.5