Sword of Truth and Justice – Modern Horizons MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

I didn’t realize that the Mirrodin Swords were actually a cycle of ten – not that I’m complaining. They’re among the coolest equipment cards ever made, and there are decks across multiple formats that will receive more of them favorably. This particular example is not as obviously powerful as, say, Feast and Famine, but it is perhaps the best of the cycle so far in terms of synergistic interactions. It can make the creature bearing it into an ever-growing monster, or act essentially as a combo card in combination with Darksteel Reactor, As Luck Would Have It – and, y’know, planeswalkers.

This side of the cycle also means that we still have a chance for a card named “Sword of Heart and Soul”, which I still feel was a huge miss from the first half. Get on it, Wizards of the Coast!

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

A new cycle has begun, en route to maybe finishing the cycle of Swords started in the original Mirrodin block. Darksteel and the Scars of Mirrodin block gave us the enemy-colored swords, stabulous implements that proved to have a bit of a warping effect on Standard…especially when paired with Stoneforge Mystic. While the swords don’t often look massively threatening, they’re definitely a case of playing better than they look. You’re automatically giving a creature protection from two colors as well as a decent stat buff.

Sword of Truth and Justice gives protection from blue and white, and gives at least +2/+2 to your board whenever it hits, thanks to proliferate and putting a +1/+1 counter on something you control. There will sometimes be entire decks the Sword of Truth and Justice can effectively blank, as this insulates the creature from a lot of bounce spells or pinpoint exile from both blue and white, and decks that lean heavily into those colors will have a hard time stopping a rampage. This sword can snowball hard once it gets through once, and it also pairs with strategies like “super friends” (a lot of planeswalkers).

All of the Sword mega-cycle can be a massive threat, and Truth and Justice is no exception. It makes a creature harder to remove, and it also does a lot of damage each time it hits. What’s not to like? I do think Equipment is fairly weak right now in Modern, but this can be a sideboard piece to shut down some specific decks soft to its combination of attributes.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander: 4