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Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day
Daily Since November 2001!

Viridian Emissary
Image from Wizards.com

Viridian Emissary
Mirrodin Besieged

Reviewed April 8, 2011

Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 3.75
Limited: 3.90
Multiplayer: 3.75

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

Viridian Emissary

Simple and effective. A 2/1 for two, and when it dies, you get a Rampant Growth effect. Like Sakura-Tribe Elder, only you trade an extra point of power for the ability to control when the land fetch happens. But that's okay, because a 2/1 is pretty clearly made to swing with, as often and as early as you can. They can take the two damage, or they can block, inevitably killing your 1-toughness Elf and giving you that land fetch, and possibly losing a creature of their own. Better yet, they may assume that you're attacking into a larger blocker because you just want the extra land, so they block with bigger creature... never expecting the Giant Growth you had in hand, which was the real reason you were willing to attack with it. The same goes for if they choose not to block-- they may thing taking two damage is worth not letting you ramp your mana, but they don't know they're really taking five or more damage.

Constructed- 3.75
Casual- 4
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 4


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Viridian Emissary
 
Contrary to what some people will tell you, Sakura-Tribe Elder did not become unplayable after combat damage no longer used the stack. Viridian Emissary does not obsolete it, or anything else for that matter, but rather occupies a niche all its own. While it's taken over the "kill an attacker and get a land" niche, it doesn't work at instant speed unless you have another card (may I suggest Plaguemaw Beast?). The Emissary shines in limited where Phyrexia-heavy decks like you to sacrifice creatures, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it follow in the footsteps of its famous ancestor and appear in constructed. And if your deck can fit some of both, why not?
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Viridian Emissary which is a two mana 2/1 Green elf that will put a basic land into play tapped when it is sent to the graveyard from the battlefield.  The effect isn't as reliable for acceleration as other elf options, but Green has no shortage of those and a two mana 2/1 elf that can speed things up works quite well in their designs.  It will depend on the exact build, but even if it is just played to charge into the opponent's defenses it may trade and will gain you the advantage.  Overall a solid card when used correctly and an interesting twist to Green's standard themes.
 
For Limited this is a very nice common to get in multiples as a 2/1 for two that can help fix a multiple color deck and put pressure on the opponent early in the game.  There is no drawback to running this card and should be played in any Green build in Sealed and drafted aggressively in Booster as both support and one of the lowest cost threats in the format.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.0

John
Shultis
Phoenix
Gaming

      Welcome to the last installment of card of the day for this week at Pojo.com! Today we take a look at Viridian Emissary from Mirrodin Besieged. The Viridian Emissary costs only one green and one generic mana to cast. The Viridian Emissary is a 2/1 that when it is sent to the graveyard from the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped, and shuffle your library.

     Ah, another great card for the land fall mechanic which is still standard legal. This guy serves as a great blocker for getting land, but perhaps a better use is removing your own creature for some greater purpose to get said land pumping potential land fall mechanics, and then attacking. And since this guy is Phyrexian, perhaps he is best suited for a Phyrexian mixed with Zendikar card deck. Like for instance, a green and balck deck could exploit this guy for its land fall by using Plaguemaw to proliferate if there are any poison or -1/-1 counters floating around, getting you a land, which can gain you life with Grazing Gladeheart and/or pump a Baloth Woodcrasher and then use a Tainted Strike to give it +1/+0 and infect.

    All in all a very great and useful card, in pretty much any format because you could always use some extra mana.
 
Limited: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Constructed: 4/5


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