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

Phyrexian Revoker
Image from Wizards.com

Phyrexian Revoker
Mirrodin Besieged

Reviewed Mar. 1, 2011

Constructed: 3.40
Casual: 2.90
Limited: 3.10
Multiplayer: 2.75

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

Phyrexian Revoker

Compare this to Meddling Mage. On the one hand, this doesn't need to hit the board before the card it's trying to censor. If your opponent casts Jace, the Mind Sculptor, you can drop one of these and nullify it. You dont' have to worry about guessing the right card-- you can wait until your opponent shows you the thing you're worried about.

On the other hand, the Revoker only stops activated abilities. Name Steel Hellkite, and it still gets to swing for 5. Name Grand Architect, and you've hindered your opponent's mana acceleration but not the +1/+1 bonus to blue creatures. Name Sword of Body and Mind, and your opponent can't equip it to a creature, but the creature already wielding it isn't stopped at all. Name any instant or sorcery... and your opponent laughs at you and then casts the spell you named with no hindrance whatsoever.  Basically, this card is useful as a sideboarded answer to planeswalkers, or maybe a few other cards that depend on activated abilities, but not much more. Sure, a 2/1 for two isn't bad, but it sort of is when you realize how easy it is for your opponent to kill the Revoker and get his planeswalker back. Any amount of damage, or any card capable of destroying an artifact or a creature will do it. Crush and Go for the Throat are the only things in Standard that fail to kill this thing.

Constructed- 2
Casual- 2
Limited- 2
Multiplayer- 2 

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Phyrexian Revoker
 
I've heard it argued any ability becomes better when you put it in a creature's text box, because at least it attacks for two (or whatever). Personally, I always thought the non-creature versions (Blood Moon, Phyrexian Arena) were a little underrated after the release of the creature versions (Magus of the Moon, Graveborn Muse) - they're harder to kill. Either way, Phyrexian Revoker is likely to find a role somewhere. Not only is it the only effect of this type available to Standard players, it fits right into the Steel Overseer deck's aggressive curve.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 2/5
Multiplayer: 3/5

Paul

Well hello Pithing  Needle with  legs  good to see you.  In  standard  and  extended this  will see a fair amount of  play  as  it shuts down  planeswalkers such  as  big  bad  Jace The  Mind Sculptor  and  other  creatures such  as   Noble  Hierarch tapping for mana, the  fact it  can beatdown for  two points of  damage is not  bad  either. In eternal  another Pithing Needle is important and one with the body of Dark  Confident  is even better  it  can shut down Mox and Lotus  and  Tezzerett  it’s a powerful card.  In  casual  and  multiplayer it  can  cripple one player or  multiple if  they are  playing similar cards, or if  they  are  playing a general in EDH such  as Azami.   It’s a small fragile creature so  don’t  expect it  to stick  around long. In limited its  an ok beater that can shut  down  some of  the opponents cards and is  a sought  after  card  from the set, take  that for  what  it’s  worth.  Overall a  powerful card  that will  see play in  a  variety of formats.
 
Constructed : 4.0
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.0
Multiplayer:  3.0

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Phyrexian Revoker which is a two mana 2/1 with an effect similar to Pithing Needle which gives it the advantage of being able to deal damage with the added weakness of being far more vulnerable to removal.  Pithing Needle was an excellent and extremely popular card and this should see a ton of play in sidedecks if nothing else.  Overall a bargain for the price as it can deal the two damage for the two mana and disrupt a key component of combo decks or a big threat.
 
For Limited it can be difficult to guess what your opponent may have in their deck in the first game of a match before it gets played, but afterwards you can name anything that proved to be a threat.  Even if the effect is never a factor a two mana colorless 2/1 is quite playable in the format, so it should always be included in a Sealed build.  For Booster this does warrant a first pick as it can buy time against threats or simply attack if the early advantage making it a decent draw in any stage of the game.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.0

John
Shultis
Phoenix
Gaming

    Welcome back to pojo.com’s Card of the Day. Today we take a look at the Phyrexian Revoker. The Phyrexian Revoker costs 2 generic mana for a 2/1. While that is a deal in most scenarios, it gets even better with the Phyrexian Revoker. The Phyrexian Revoker’s ability is when it comes into play, name a non-land permanent. Activated abilities of the named permanent cannot be activated. So let me first go and explain what an “activated ability” is. An activated ability is any ability with a cost that is separated by a colon. Cost could mean anything from tapping to paying mana, sacrificing, etc. This shuts down toms (tap deals one damage), mana producers, including Eldrazi spawns. However, there is something else that uses activated abilities, Planeswalkers. That’s right for two mana you literally shut down any troublesome planeswalker.

     In standard right now that could mean stopping control decks relying on Gideon Jura, or Jace, the Mind Sculptor. It of course shuts down some other nasty things, but they seem to be by far the worst.

     In vintage, I think that people would still prefer the Meddling Mage as far as lockdown. But a creature version of a Pithing Needle is still just as nice. Which in actuality, the Phyrxian Revoker is better than the Pithing Needle, since Pithing Needle doesn’t stop mana abilities, while the Phyrexian Revoker does.

    Simply put, being able to just stop a Planeswalker from working is most impressive, and stopping creature abilities can be easier solved with Linvala, Keeper of Silence.  

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 2/5
Multiplayer: 2/5
Limited: 4/5


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