Card of the Day - November, 2011 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

By Wizards of the Coast

Slayer of the Wicked – Innistrad uncommon. The art for Slayer of the Wicked shows two creatures, but they're not the slayer and a victim. Actually, according to the art description, it's a father-and-son team who work together as monster hunters!

Kismet – Legends uncommon. Many years ago, Kismet combined with Stasis to lock down decks pretty well. But it only tapped creatures, lands, and artifacts! In Betrayers of Kamigawa, Orb of Dreams finished the job, affecting enchantments and, now, planeswalkers. Just in case!

Dream Coat – Legends uncommon. Anthony Waters is credited as the artist on thirteen cards, ranging from Legends up to Alliances. After that, his credit switched to Anthony S. Waters for another 109 cards. This is vital information if someone plays one of Unhinged's "artist-matters" cards against you.

Desert – Arabian Nights common. Well, what else would come after the appetizer and the dinner?

Hunting Grounds – Judgment rare. Yesterday's card, Demonic Appetite was picked to reference the "appetizer." Today's card mentions "dinner" (well, a "dinner bell") in its flavor text. There's only one more card of the day left before the site breaks for Thanksgiving!

Demonic Appetite – Rise of the Eldrazi common. Demonic Appetite calls all the way back to the Alpha card Lord of the Pit. Although not all of Magic's demons like sacrificing creatures, it's still pops up occasionally as iconic demonic behavior.

Necropolis – The Dark uncommon. The original Necropolis (as opposed to the Keldon or Crumbling kind) dares players to find a way to make use of it. You could probably start with Doran, the Siege Tower and some variation of Animate Wall if you had to.

Empty the Catacombs – Ravnica: City of Guilds rare. A catacomb can be either an underground cemetery or just any underground maze of twisty passages. Most of Magic's catacombs are of the "maze" variety, but the kind that Empty the Catacombs is emptying is unambiguously the kind filled with dead bodies.

Boneyard Wurm – Innistrad uncommon. The ability that defines Boneyard Wurm's power and toughness works in all zones, not just the battlefield. If Boneyard Wurm is in your graveyard, it will count itself.

Cemetery Puca – Shadowmoor rare. A puca (which can be spelled a lot of different ways) is a mischievous creature from Celtic folklore. It's got the head of a horse, so it shouldn't be confused with the donkey-headed Noggles. Or the donkey-headed Donkeyfolk.

Elephant Graveyard – Arabian Nights rare. The "elephant graveyard" is a mythical place where all elephants go to die. There's one in Disney's The Lion King. And here's something else interesting: There is precisely one Elephant in Arabian Nights.

Shrewd Hatchling – Eventide uncommon. Eventide's Hatchling cycle was originally slated for Shadowmoor, but got axed because that set had too many cycles in it. Mark Rosewater kept it around for the next set, because the manipulation of -1/-1 counters felt like a natural evolution of Shadowmoor's mechanics.

Midsummer Revel – Urza's Saga rare. The "growing enchantments" of Urza's Saga were inspired by the similarly-growing Legacy's Allure from Tempest. All of the Urza's Saga versions were based on songs, which is why they all used verse counters.

Hamlet Captain – Innistrad uncommon. A hamlet is a small village. And it makes perfect sense that in a place like Innistrad, with all its werewolves and geists and vampires and so on, a hamlet would want someone to be in charge of the first line of defense!

Measure of Wickedness – Saviors of Kamigawa uncommon. Once, there was a powerful combo consisting of Donate and Illusions of Grandeur (and possibly Necropotence, because why not, right?). Measure of Wickedness combined the donating and the life loss and put it in one card!

Tempest Efreet – Fourth Edition rare. Although it's classed with the "ante cards" for purposes of being banned in every format, Tempest Efreet actually bypasses the ante system for an even more direct method of changing card ownership.

Fat Ass – Unhinged rare. During playtesting, this card gave rise to a very important R&D discussion (which could easily be confused for an argument in any other context). The question: Is Gum Food?

Clifftop Retreat – Innistrad rare. The "retreat" in the name of Clifftop Retreat is meant in the sense of "a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy" rather than "the act of withdrawing." See those buildings on top of the cliffs? They have monks in them!

Trapfinder's Trick – Zendikar common. Trapfinder's Trick and Trapmaker's Snare are the reasons that the "Trap" subtype was allowed to exist in Zendikar. You can't have a subtype and then not do something with it! For a more recent example, see Bitterheart Witch and Witchbane Orb.

Mask of Avacyn – Innistrad uncommon. Mask of Avacyn isn't something you'd wear if you wanted to look like Avacyn. It's something you'd wear if you were Avacyn and wanted to keep your face safe while you flew into battle.

Posted in Feature on November 1, 2011

Card of the Day - November, 2011

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