As an Equipment, Viridian Claw has the one
quality that I look for as the earmark of a
potential superstar-- an Equip cost of 1. The
greatest strength of an Equipment is the ability
to move it from creature to creature, and the
cheaper it is to do so, the harder it will be on
your opponent when he tries to figure out what
creature he needs to leave up to block what.
And the Claw's effect doesn't make that much
easier for him. First strike is a strong ability
against any deck with blockers, and the +1/+0
only makes it stronger, and harder to block
profitably. And the presence of infect in this
format makes it better still.
If you've got infect creatures, the extra point
of power pumps up your poisoning potential
pretty potently, and the first strike means that
your creature will shrink whatever blocks it
before the opposing creature deals damage back,
meaning that the other creature needs power
equal or greater than yur infect guy's increased
power PLUS its toughness if it expects to have a
chance at killing the infector.
And if your opponent's the guy with infect
creatures, than using Viridian Claw allows you
to block and kill infectors that attack you
without amassing -1/-1 counters on your
creatures, so that any proliferate effects he or
she has can't shrink them down to nothing. And
once the way is clear to attack, the +1/+0 bonus
helps a non-infect creature kill faster as well.
I have a funny feeling that Viridian Claw will
be a favorite in creature-based decks for quite
a while, especially in green and black decks--
the color of deathtouch.
The great tragedy of high-level constructed
Magic is that following it closely can render
some cards nearly invisible - because they have
an impact but not as high an impact as another
card, because they do something good but for a
slightly higher cost than another card, because
they are merely good and not "very good."
Viridian Claw is the type of card that this can
easily happen to. Sometimes we get so caught up
in cards with more involved game text, we forget
the ways that first strike can break what seem
to be the rules of combat. But I'm sure none of
you will make this mistake.
Today's card of the day is Viridian Claw which
is a two mana equipment with an equip cost of
one that gives +1/+0 and First Strike. The
overall low cost of this and power of First
Strike, plus a little offensive boost, makes it
playable in any format. Some of the bigger
equipments may get more attention, but being
able to switch this for one and easily play and
equip it at any stage of the game is a big
advantage. It may not be played in many
decks, but those that find room for it should
find Viridian Claw giving a long-term advantage
when comparing similar creatures.
For Limited this is an excellent uncommon and
one that should be played whenever possible as
it can turn nearly any creature into a much
larger threat. Infect becomes a dominant
force when it deals damage first and even an
otherwise weak 2/1 will be beyond the reach of
an opponent's 3/3 without additional support.
This can be drafted as early as second or third
in Booster depending on the pack and should
always be played in Sealed without exception
regardless of your pool. As long as you
have creatures this low cost equipment should
pay for itself in any game it sees the
battlefield.
Welcome to another week of card of
the day reviews here on Pojo.com. This week is
going to be an artifact themed week. Today to
kick it off, we are looking at Viridian Claw.
This 2 cost equipment costs one to equip and
then gives the equipped creature +1/+0 and first
strike. While not the most overpowered equipment
ever made, it definitely adds a nice flavor to
standard, and certainly is easily exploited
there.
One of the most obvious reasons to use the Viridian Claw is
of course on a creature with infect. Then, the
-1/-1 counters would be applied before the other
creature deals any damage. This strategy should
be able to save you and your creatures,
especially when used with the Phyrexian Hydra.
This 7/7 would then become an 8/7 first strike
that shouldn’t ever take damage, there for never
be reduced to it’s own ability.
But I think my favorite target for the Viridian Claw is the
Spiraling Duelist. When combined with Accorder’s
Shield, you get a 4/4 first strike and
vigilance, which requires only one other
artifact to become a 4/4 double strike and
vigilance. Now that can be a lot to handle,
especially when combined with Battle Cry. And
that is another great strategy for the Viridian
Claw, running it in unison with Battle Cry
creatures. This way the other Battle Criers will
help pump whatever creature is holding the
Viridian Claw.
Basically this is one of the most useful pieces of equipment
in a long time, and it is easy to utilize in a
variety of decks.
