Because of how planeswalkers work, they take a
few turns to get going, and that means that more
expensive ones really need to be something
special. Elspeth 3.0 costs six mana, which for a
'walker is a lot, but I think she's still worth
it. She comes down with four loyalty, and her
first two abilities are +1 and -3, so you have a
choice of which one you use right off the bat.
The +1 drops three Soldier tokens into play,
providing you with blocker backup if you're
playing the long game, while the -3 ability
kills anything that's still a threat at this
point yet leaves the small stuff and the 0/4
blockers and such. Either one should help stall
for time while you build up to her Ultimate-- a
permanent +2/+2 and flying for your entire team.
If you can get that off and any of Elspeth's
tokens are still on the board, or if Elspeth
herself is still on the board, then you pretty
much win.
There's a semi-written rule of modern design
that says every set should have a planeswalker.
There also seems to be an entirely unwritten
rule that every planeswalker has to be powerful,
and Elspeth is no exception. Then again, she was
never likely to be the exception. Mechanically,
this appearance is a cross between her first
two, but I have no doubt that it will be just as
influential, both because of Elspeth's personal
appeal and because all three of her abilities
work wonders against Theros' monstrous
creatures.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
the newest incarnation of Elspeth a powerful six
mana planeswalker capable of churning out an
army. In standard this card provides a valuable
tool for control decks allowing you to make
chump blockers that can act as win conditions
and acting as creature removal. Elspeth also
provides aggressive decks with a way to keep
pressure on opponents and her emblem allows for
weenie decks to swarm for the win. This card
provides power for different archetypes and a
planeswalker with a powerful board presence. In
modern and eternal formats this card has a high
mana cost but still can see some solid play as
it is a powerful planeswalker. In casual and
multiplayer this creature is amazing for token
decks as it spits out a powerful army and can
deal with problematic powerful creatures to
insure her small army can dominate, and once you
get her to her ultimate you dominate creature
battles. In limited it’s a bomb its mythic pick
it and enjoy the fruits. Overall a powerful
planeswalker that will see play in most formats
and has powerful abilities.
Today's card of the day is Elspeth, Sun's
Champion which is a White six mana planeswalker
with four loyalty. The +1 is excellent as just
spamming that can win games, trade with threats,
or at least stall very effectively. The -3,
which is usable the turn she enters play, is
also quite strong and similar to a Wrath of God
with the added synergy for the other two
effects. The -7 is nice, though it takes three
turns to power up, but if even some of those
nine tokens are still in play they become 3/3
evasive threats which should win the game that
turn. While they are a great set of planeswalker
abilities, the casting cost is a little too high
for competitive formats particularly as she also
benefits from multiple turns to stack effects.
Play outside of Casual or Multiplayer is
unlikely, though a Green and White acceleration
and token build could be viable and she would be
a strong finisher if the format slows down later
in the rotation.
For Limited the mana cost is less of a
drawback and the abilities are dominant in the
format with few options available as a response.
An incredibly easy first pick in Booster and
barring a completely incompatible pool in Sealed
should be played whenever possible. Token
production often wins in the format and the mass
removal to somewhat clear the field for them or
powering up into the evasion gives flexibility
to control most situations.
Yay! We get to review what most players
consider to be the best card in Theros. What’s
not to like about Elspeth? Of course I can name
a few things that I don’t like. I really don’t
like the idea of paying 6 mana for three 1/1
tokens, just to watch my opponent destroy
Elspeth. Let’s be realistic. Most players will
try to get rid of a Planeswalker ASAP. Sure, we
all know that if your opponent has no legit
response to Elspeth, she is a total BEAST! Her
second ability is what really makes a difference
in a game. Destroying all creatures with power 4
or greater is a great way to swing the game to
your favor. I really don’t like 4 loyalty for 6
mana, but when used correctly Elspeth, Sun’s
Champion can win games by herself.
