Tax Collector – Assassin’s Creed
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.00
Casual: 3.75
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 3.88
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
It’s always fun when a card that looks so innocuous – and in this case, also has an incredibly mundane name – promises some kind of really strong effect or interaction. This sort of negative mana acceleration is a design you don’t see too often, presumably because a lot of recent design has been about pushing for things to happen rather than not to happen. But it has a lot of uses and a lot of appeal in constructed formats. You’ll note, for example, that if you manage to resolve one just before a storm player’s big turn, it’ll throw off all their calculations, much less if you have more than one or if you do it on more than one consecutive turn. The detain mode is actually pretty solid against other creatures – that ability hasn’t always gotten a lot of respect in bigger formats, but it can certainly help push damage through, and helping against creatures’ activated abilities can actually be a big deal. Anyone who’s ever been demolished at the casual tables by a card like Hythonia the Cruel or Kenrith, the Returned King will attest to that. I think Tax Collector might be a surprise breakout star from the Assassin’s Creed cards.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Here to do all the things people dislike, Tax Collector is actually a pretty neat little “hate bear” sort of card. It has an efficient enough body, and as long as it resolves, it’s always going to do something relevant. Early, sticking a tax on everything can possibly stun an opponent long enough to solidify your board position (and it’s even possibly useful late, depending on how that deck plays out). Late, tying a creature up is a great way to either push for lethal or just buy a turn against an attacker.
This definitely feels like a creature more pushed for Constructed play; it’s not the flashiest, of course, but it does a lot in one role, early or late, and it pairs well with white’s fondness for small bodies. I would be surprised if Tax Collector didn’t see play, and I can even see it making ripples in Legacy.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 3.5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
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