I remember how hard it was to get around a
Kitsune Blademaster in Kamigawa block, or an
"active" Ballynock Cohort in Shadowmoor drafts.
Three power is clearly the magic number when it
comes to first strike creatures, and Bant
Sureblade hits it. Just name a creature in Alara
block that can kill this in combat that doesn't
cost four or more mana. Deft Duelist, which you
probably drafted yourself, and Dragonsoul
Knight, which very few people play with, and
that's about it. The only downside is that when
this is "off", it's just a 2/1 for two-- a
multicolored Krovikan Scoundrel. But with
Borderposts and all the multicolor goodness
we've gotten so far, that shouldn't be an issue.
I'm a big fan of all the 'blade creatures from
Alara Reborn; they've got the efficiency,
they've got the power, and they've got the
style. Oh, and they play nicely with Borderposts,
too. It's a testament to green and white's
strength in constructed right now that he's far
down the list of creatures for competitive
decks, but there's nothing wrong with Bant
Sureblade; he'll be a good card to have around
for various decks for a long time.
Constructed:
This guy with a Borderpost in play is a 3/2 with
first strike for only 2 mana. Which is okay.
Casual &
Multiplayer:
Hybrid cards are getting more popular as they
make more. This set of creatures that require
another multicolored permanent to get pump
actually helps move the rest of the set. So this
is a good thing.
Limited:
First strike is second to flying, but still
good.
Overall a good common for it's mana cost.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 3
Multiplayer: 2
Limited: 3
Later
Miguel
Paul
Magic The Gathering COTD: Bant Sureblade
Welcome back today’s card is a solider of Bant
that requires other multicolored permanents to
function properly. For two mana in the
combinations of W/G W/U you get a 2/1 creature
that gets +1/+1 when you control another
multicolored permanent. Two mana for a 3/2 with
first strike is a great deal, the downside is
that it’s highly reliant on other permanents you
control making it unreliable and unable to
compete with the current standard lineup of
powerhouse creatures. Casual and multiplayer has
a wealth of better creatures available in color
that make Bant Sureblade a redundant choice,
although not a useless creature in a highly
multicolored Bant deck. In limited a 3/2 first
strike creature should be easy to manage with
the vast amount of multicolored cards in Shards
of Alara block. A solid creature just nothing
overly remarkable.
