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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Crystalline Sliver
Image from Wizards.com

 Crystalline Sliver
- Premium Deck Series: Slivers

Reviewed August 22, 2013

Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 4.00
Multiplayer: 4.50

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

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Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Crystalline Sliver

This was the Sliver that made people fear Sliver decks. Get six or seven Slivers out, and you'll have a board full of 6/6's with flying, first strike, haste, trample, "B: Regenerate" and whatever else they liked to tack onto monsters back in the Bronze Age of Magic. But the Slivers' downfall was that the enemy could kill one Sliver and the remaining team also lost that Sliver's ability, meaning that a well-aimed Terror could rob the Sliver player of a surprising chunk of his potential damage output. Crystalline Sliver makes ALL Slivers immune to targeted removal. Your opponent is now staring down NOT just a mob of creatures with more combat abilities under the sun, but a mob of creatures with more combat abilities under the sun THAT HE CAN'T KILL. Before Crystalline shows up, the army of Slivers is daunting but not unbeatable. Crystalline robs the opponent of most common answers-- only a Wrath of God or other board wipe would help, and those have never been exactly common, most creature-based decks don't even bother with them.

Constructed- 4.75
Casual- 4.95
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Crystalline Sliver

I once heard a story that this card was originally going to be in Time Spiral's timeshifted subset, but was pulled because it led to too many "you can't do anything" scenarios for its opponents. I've always found this hard to believe, considering that Time Spiral's Slivers are in all five colors, mostly have mid-range costs, and practically each one pulls towards a different strategy, making it difficult to find the basis for a deck among them in smaller formats. However, there can be no doubt that this is one of the most powerful tribal cards in all of Magic. In a deck built for aggression and backed up by disruptive elements, Crystalline Sliver is capable of ending games before they begin. I wouldn't be surprised if this card is the reason that most lords now have rules text that clearly specifies "other" creatures of their type.

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


Paul

Welcome back readers todays card of the day is one of the most powerful slivers ever printed. The ability to grant shroud to your entire army allows you to protect your slivers to make sure they maintain their plethora of abilities. In eternal formats where it is legal this card provides much needed protection from powerful removal spells that fill older formats from Lighting Bolt to Swords To Plowshares providing a lynchpin for decks looking to utilize this powerful tribe. In casual and multiplayer protecting yourself from all but mass removal is a great way to accumulate a board position and insure the survival of your important slivers. In draft environments that utilize this card its definitely a draft around and can turn slivers into unstoppable monsters. Overall there isn't much to say, shroud is quite powerful and granting your entire team this ability is really a no brainer.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 3.0
Multiplayer: 4.0

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Crystalline Sliver which is a two mana White and Blue 2/2 that gives all slivers Shroud. In a sliver deck without auras or beneficial targeted combat tricks this is an extremely effective way to shut down most removal available to an opponent.

Outside of global and sacrifice effects there is little remaining to respond to sliver threats, particularly with the very low cost of two mana allowing this to be played early in a game. The drawback of not targeting your own creatures is noteworthy, but easily addressed during deck design and overall this is one of the most dangerous tools in the sliver tribe.

In a Limited format where this is available the main drawback is giving any slivers your opponent has the benefit of Shroud as well. The two colors require at least some deck dedication and other slivers dramatically increase the value, though it stands well enough by itself as a 2/2 with shroud. A solid second or third pick in Booster if in color or as a hate draft as you absolutely do not want to face multiple slivers with Shroud across the table. In Sealed it naturally depends on whether your Blue or White pool is strong enough to run with as primary colors or a splash, which should be strongly considered based on the potential advantage this offers.

Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 4.5


Franky
Green

Slivers are one of the most terrifying creatures to fight in large numbers. Shroud is one of the most frustrating abilities to fight against. (I love burn spells so I’m biased). Therefore, at a fast and efficient mana cost and sporting a 2/2 body, Crystalline Sliver is one of the most frustterrying slivers in the whole brood. When this terristrating creature hits the field you better have a field sweeper in your hand or be ready for the pain.

Constructed:5
Casual:5
Limited:5
Multiplayer:5


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