Card of the Day - February, 2013 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

By Monty Ashley

Ondu Cleric – Zendikar common. Ondu is the continent in the southwest of Zendikar. Travel through Ondu is mostly vertical, thanks to the Makindi Trenches, the trees of Turntimber, the Crypt of Agadeem, and the Soul Stair. And like all of Zendikar, it's treacherous to even walk through.

Jaya Ballard, Task Mage – Time Spiral rare. Jaya Ballard essentially casts three spells: Pyroblast, Incinerate, and Inferno. And by a shocking coincidence, those cards all have flavor text spoken by Jaya Ballard!

Way of the Thief – Gatecrash common. The thieves in Ravnica seem hard to stop, don't they? The Orzhov go to the trouble of posting a guard, but the Dimir just walk through walls unmolested.

Kamahl, Pit Fighter – Odyssey rare. Kamahl was first seen as a fighter in the pits of Cabal City. But he rose in importance, becoming a central character of the Onslaught block when his sister Jeska was turned into Phage the Untouchable.

Edric, Spymaster of Trest – Commander rare. In the port city of Trest, nothing escapes Edric's network of spies, thought couriers, and familiars. Even the empress of Kinnesta is wise enough to consult with Edric before she conducts maneuvers along the coast. Yet some say that a secret from his youth, over four centuries ago, still eludes him.

Experiment Kraj – Dissension rare. Yesterday, we said that Momir Vig had created a "savage, instinct-driven being, based on cytoplastic technology." This is that being!

Momir Vig, Simic Visionary – Dissension rare. Momir Vig was the leader of the Simic Combine in the original Ravnica block. As an elvish bionmancer, he oversaw all the work done and determined the general direction Simic scientists took. But he also has his own work: a savage, instinct-driven being, based on cytoplastic technology.

Merfolk of the Depths – Gatecrash uncommon. There were no Merfolk in the original Ravnica block, but they were on the plane all along. As the flavor text on Merfolk of the Depths explains, the Merfolk were hidden below the city in an ancient underground ocean.

Prime Speaker Zegana – Gatecrash mythic rare. Zegana is the speaker for Zonot One, and she delivered the Fathom Edict that declared a new beginning for the Simic Combine. She claims that the Speakers' Chamber can replace her as guildmaster at any time, although not everyone believes this.

Kindercatch – Innistrad common. The art for Kindercatch is actually fascinating. To see all the things in the bag it's dragging, check out this Arcana.

Grove of the Burnwillows – Future Sight rare. The "future-shifted" cards in Future Sight don't all come from a definite future. Some might never be reprinted in a regular frame. Grove of the Burnwillows went directly from "the future" to "the vault" when it appeared in From the Vault: Realms.

Apes of Rath – Tempest uncommon. The basic pun on Apes of Rath is that the name sounds like Grapes of Wrath, but they're apes. On the plane Rath. There's another one in the flavor text; it's not "Monkey see, monkey do" but "Monkeys three, Monkeys through."

Arcbound Slith – Darksteel uncommon. There were five Slith creatures in the Mirrodin set, one for each color. The creature type came back on one creature in Darksteel: the artifact Arcbound Slith. Since then, the only Slith-y creatures have been Changelings.

Gyre Sage – Gatecrash rare. Gyre Sage is about as Simic a card as you're likely to find. Not only does it have evolve, but the Druid in the art is actually creating the Simic guild symbol out of pure mana!

Geist Trappers – Avacyn Restored common. On Innistrad, the incorporeal spirits of the dead, called geists, take many forms. They can be harmless, even protective spirits who haunt the living out of a sense of duty, fealty, responsibility, or love. Or they can be specters of revenge and cruelty, appeased only by mortal offerings. In that situation, guess who you should call.

Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs – Worldwake rare. Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs is fully explained in this "Savor the Flavor" article from 2010. If your opponent wants to cross Kazuul's land Kazuul demands some tribute!

Gluttonous Slime – Conflux uncommon. If you look carefully at the art for Gluttonous Slime, you can see that the Ooze has eaten two creatures. They may have been consumed, but they're still visible, thanks to the backlighting!

Loxodon Gatekeeper – Ravnica: City of Guilds rare. The Loxodon from the original Ravnica block are still around now that we've returned to the plane. But they're not guarding the gates anymore, which is weird. Maybe if we still had Elephant Soldiers in charge, the gates wouldn't have gotten all crashed up.

Keymaster Rogue – Gatecrash common. Judging from the flavor text, the reason the Keymaster Rogue is unblockable is that it carries a bag with every key it could ever need. That sounds like a helpful sort of thing for a Rogue to have around, doesn't it?

Skullcrack – Gatecrash uncommon. From the Gatecrash FAQ:

Effects that would replace gaining life with another effect won't apply because it's impossible for players to gain life. If an effect says to set a player's life total to a certain number and that number is higher than the player's current life total, that part of the effect won't do anything. (If the number is lower than the player's current life total, the effect will work as normal.)

Posted in Feature on February 1, 2013

Card of the Day - February, 2013

Latest Feature Articles