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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Nissa, Worldwaker
Image from Wizards.com

Top 10 Cards of 2014

#10 - Nissa,  Worldwaker - M15

Reviewed Dec. 15, 2014

Constructed: 4.00
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 4.88
Multiplayer: 4.25

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Deck Garage

Nissa, Worldwaker

The initial mana cost and starting loyalty on this seem a little underwhelming, but in play this can be a surprising boon, even by Planeswalker standards. Nissa has two +1 abilities, one of which refunds nearly all the mana you spent on her (and maybe more if you're using cards like Overgrowth or Rites of Flourishing) and one that gives you a 4/4 trampler out of one of your lands. Usually effects that turn your lands into creatures are dubious because they open up the option for your opponent to kill your lands, but since Nissa comes down turn five, by then you should be able to spare a land. And a 4/4 trampler is sturdy enough that the resources your opponent spent to kill it (a removal spell, or a 4-power creature) should be worth paying a land for. More importantly, if you have a land untapped, you can animate it and use it as a blocker to protect Nissa and keep her loyalty building up-- that Ultimate is really something special. It gives you a horde of 4/4 tramplers AND a massive boost in mana development, meaning you can either swing for the win or hardcast all your best stuff. And even if your opponent has the Day of Judgment as an answer, your deck is now completely land-thinned while his isn't, so you'll draw nothing but gas to recover.

Constructed-4
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4.5
Multiplayer- 4.75

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

The number ten card of the year is Nissa, Worldwaker which is a five mana Green planeswalker with three loyalty. The first +1 makes a target land you control into a 4/4 with Trample that remains a land which is a very solid threat and in a low mana curve build there is little risk to using it. The second +1 untaps up to four Forests, which can include those turned into creatures, which allows attacks and mana usage or a pseudo-Vigilance. The -7 allows you to search your library for any number of basic land cards and put them into play with the same 4/4 with Trample effect from the +1. The ultimate is devastating with Red/Green to provide the option of Haste for all creatures you control. Overall this is a strong planeswalker with three useful effects that are almost always worth playing which makes this a likely sight across a variety of formats.

In Limited this is a clear first pick in Booster and foundation for a deck in Sealed as the first +1 and -7 are dominating abilities in the format. The second +1 can support the other two effects, but 4/4 Trample creatures will often win with no additional support needed.

Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 5.0
Multiplayer: 4.0


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Nissa, Worldwaker
 
There's something that feels good about planeswalkers who have more general abilities. Granted, some of them become ridiculous like Jace the Mind Sculptor, but it sort of makes more sense lore-wise. They're supposed to be beings of the multiverse, beyond issues like politics and such. At least, that was what I always understood from the situation. 
 
This new version of Nissa shows her as a being of the multiverse, in contrast to her previous tribal incarnation. Tribal Nissa was good, but only in like one deck, but as the Worldwaker, she is assured a place in Magic's future history. You can be sure that Forests will be in every large Magic set; you can be assured that there will be large green things to cast in every Magic set, period. And she's even still pretty good in Elf decks.
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
 


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