Resetting a creature's power and toughness just
hasn't caught on as a combat trick I'm afraid. I
enjoyed Wings of Velis Vel way back when, but
most times it didn't tilt the combat math
enough.
Wings of Velis Vel didn't have Overload, though.
The overload cost here isn't cheap, but it
will end games if you can keep a decent number
of critters on the field. Like Mizzium Mortars,
the potential for overload is the real draw, and
the "base" effect really only exists to prevent
the card from getting stuck in your hand if your
mana's low. Suddenly being 4/4 can also protect
a creature from Searing Spear, if necessary, and
a good player knows when you need to give up on
the overload because you need the base effect
NOW.
I'm surprised there have only been two or so
"Everything I control becomes a dragon!" cards
so far. It's exactly the sort of thing you would
expect people who fight with magic to try and
do. And as you might expect, it's not quite as
reliable as you might hope, and pure fighters
still have a role to play. This one takes a lot
of setup and is rather expensive to use like an
Overrun variant. It also wants to be in a token
deck, but includes none of the colors usually
associated with tokens. Even so, it's more
versatile than Day of the Dragons, and the
effect is powerful enough to try and build
around.
Today's card of the day is Dragonshift which is
a Red and Blue three mana, or seven with
Overload, that has one target creature or all
creatures you control become a 4/4 Flying until
end of turn with no other abilities. This is a
card that is an odd fit for Izzet as it benefits
most from a token swarm or secondary methods to
support the 4/4 dragons. The three mana cost is
okay, but even on a 1/1 it only equals a Giant
Growth that adds evasion while simply having an
evasive target to begin with would often be
better. The Overload cost is high and with
anything less than three creatures is very
inefficient. Overall this is a card that could
win games that probably could have been won
earlier with more reliable tools.
In Limited this is a potentially game winning
card in more situations than Constructed, but
still a more vulnerable one by benefiting from
multiple conditions of the battlefield. With
several creatures on your side and a lack of
Flying on the opponent's side it will end
stalemates in a single attack, making it strong
in the endgame or at least a surprise combat
trick. Decent enough to be a first pick in
Booster and included in Izzet oriented Sealed
builds.
