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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Prime Speaker Zegana
Image from Wizards.com

 Prime Speaker Zegana
- Gatecrash

Reviewed January 29, 2013

Constructed: 4.10
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.56
Multiplayer: 3.55

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

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Prime Speaker Zegana

The biggest thing that strikes me about this card is that she's a Merfolk. Were there Merfolk in the first Ravnica block? I don't remember seeing any. Have Merfolk always been native to Ravnica? Did the Simic "invent" Merfolk since the last block?

However they did it, this one's a powerful one. She comes down on turn six. How big do you think the biggest other creature you have will be by turn six? Keep in mind, you're playing Simic-- the guild of making your creatures bigger. But kill spells do exist, so let's be conservative, and say that your biggest is a 3/3. In that case, you've paid six mana for a 4/4 and drawing four cards (because Zegana starts as a 1/1 herself). Granted, Opportunity hasn't been reprinted in a while, but getting four cards for six mana is a pretty nice deal even without getting the 4/4 as well.  So what we've got here is a creature that's always as big as whatever else you've got, and refills your hand when you drop it. What's even better is that you can combo it with a Titanic Growth to get an additional 4 cards and an additional +4/+4 to Zegana permanently. If your next biggest creature is of a decent size (and in the Simic it should be) then Zegana will always be a welcome addition to your board and hand.

What I really like is the way Zegana works with the Simic's new AND old keyword abilities. Since Zegana comes down as "biggest you've got + 1" she'll always have higher power (if not toughness) than any of your creatures with Evolve, so they'll all get counters. And since her "draw cards" ability is an enters-the-battlefield ability, if you've got Graft creatures you can graft onto her before it resolves to draw even more cards! I like how that makes her strongest in a dedicated Simic deck and a great way to bridge the two abilities without having to awkward call out either mechanic and render Zegana useless in a deck that doesn't use them.

Constructed- 3.75
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4.75
Multiplayer- 4.75

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Prime Speaker Zegana
 
This card probably scared a lot of people when they first read it - I imagine there were plenty of players who, once they parsed what Zegana's rules text actually means, had flashbacks to games they lost against creatures like Primeval Titan and Sphinx of Lost Truths. However, Zegana makes its caster work a little harder than those earlier cards, and her more subtle interactions with other cards make her, in my opinion, much more interesting. Yes, I consider the word "interesting" a compliment when it comes to design, unlike certain game designers we all know.
 
Cosntructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Prime Speaker Zegana which is a six mana Green and Blue 1/1 that enters play with +1/+1 counters equal to the greatest power creature you control and you draw cards equal to Zegana's power.  This has excellent symmetry with the Evolve mechanic and the other cards in the Simic guild as well as effects that blink to get additional card draws.  The high cost is the biggest drawback, though mana acceleration and card drawing in the same build help mitigate that.  Overall an interesting and effective leader for a Green/Blue deck that is even stronger when partnered with a full Simic deck.
 
in Limited this can become a very large threat towards the later stages of a game that Evolves your other creatures and refills your likely dwindling or empty hand.  The double Green and Blue keeps it from being easily splashed, but otherwise there is no reason not to run this whenever using Simic's colors.
 
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3.5

John
Shultis
Phoenix
Gaming

     Welcome to the Pojo.com card of the day section. We are continuing our look at Gatecrash today with Prime Speaker Zegana. Zegana is a legendary creature Merfolk Wizard that costs two generic, two green and two blue mana for a 1/1. Zegana enters the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters on her equal to the highest power among other creatures you control. When Zegana enters the battlefield, you draw cards equal to her power. 

     Prime Speaker Zegana is really a great representative for the Simic Guild and their new Evolve ability. Seeing she will find the biggest creature you control, and be one higher ensures that all of your creatures with Evolve will also get stronger. Then, you get to draw a bunch of cards. That is sure to be worth six mana. And with Cavern of Souls, it is very simply to choose Wizard and not worry about a Counterspell ending the fun. 

     Nothing really bad to say except her high end mana cost, but six mana for a deck using green should be very easy to come by.  

Limited: 5/5
Constructed: 5/5
Casual: 5/5
Multiplayer: 2/5


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