Scars Of Mirrodin

Yes, I'm lucky enough to have an original one as well as the 2014 reprint. I like her in any voltron build that uses equipment as she's the type of card that can be put down and start doing something relevant at any stage of the game.

As for populating tokens - Depending upon the format, Growing Ranks and Parallel Lives are always fun. Rhys works well with her also. Trostani, Selesnya's voice / Healer of the pride / Suture Priest etc all work well alongside her as well - as, in that context, does Archangel of Thune and Rhox Faithmender.

I'd say there is always something you can do with her in any format where she's legal.

Yes, some of those cards around her would be useful - Rootborn Defences would be one.

Yes, I agree completely. one of the things I enjoy the most is that there are so many potential card interactions and strategies that it's hard to get bored and yo'll never be able to say you've mastered every format (or in my case ANY format)

Voltron - it's another way of saying 'Cast a creature and bolt on loads of equipment / enchantments to it'. It's appeared a few times in standard - most notably when Etherial Armor was last in - but is particually big in Commander because you've always got access to your creature - if it's your commander.

The premise is that you take a hard to kill creature or one with a massive bonus from playing it and either enchant it up or load it up on equipment in order to reach your 21pts commander damage a lot quicker than you wold hit 40pts damage otherwise. Good voltron ready commanders include Sigarda (Hexproof and you can't be forced to sacrifice her - so pretty hard to kill) Geist of St Traft (Dies a bit easier in combat until you've got something decent on him but when you have has massive upside - hexproof also) Khemba (rewards you for equipping her) and Bruna (even if she does die you still get the enchantments back next time you cast her and attack).

Typically a voltron deck will be definitely angled towards either equipment or enchantments and have supporting creatures that fit the theme and help out. Stoneforge Mystic for equipment builds (Sigarda) or Kor Spiritdancer for Enchantment builds for example.

Comes from an old anime where little robots - like transformers - bolted together to make a big robot.

It's a good strategy although it does involve putting all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

I agree, Elspeth Tirel is a very useful card. Ok, she costs 5 mana with 2 of it white - but that is easily achievable in the types of decks that will run her. She can generate her own little tribe of defenders if your opponent looks likely to be able to attack her but most important is that ultimate. I wonder which type of commander deck she would do well in? Oh yeah... one with Rhys or Nahiri as the general.

Venser I really like. You are right - lands are permanent from the point of view of the ability. The other day we were speaking about creatures with ETB abilities - such as Blade Splicer, Solemn Simulacrum etc. Venser is a perfect 'tick up' with creatures like this. Then after his ultimate goes off lots of little 1 mana spells to wipe your opponents board - remember also that will count in any phase, combat, their end step etc.. For bonus points combine with Tamiyo and Omnescience to lock your opponent completely out of everything.

Koth... is the planeswalker I 'get' the least. It's almost as if someone has said "We need a red guy that isn't Chandra... Green has Garruk and Nissa, Blue has Tamiyo and Jace... Black has Liliana and Sorin and White has Elspeth and Ajani - we need a male red walker" and gone off to make one. I don't dislike him - with certain red enchantments out his ultimate can cause 2-4 damage per mountain.

I find he's more of a 'win more' card that makes life easier when he's out but you don't budget on actually using him TO win a game.

I think he's basically walking burn. His mana boost can cast any number of 'x' burn spells to throw at your opponent. His +1 is really only useful as an untap. The 4/4 creature only lasts until end of turn - not start of your following turn - so you can't set it up as a blocker. At best it's a chance to swing for 4 at worst it's a way to loose a land to a kill spell.

His ultimate on the other hand I do like and I suppose it could be reached quickly enough to try to build around him if you were inclined. If you REALLY were inclined though. I would like him more if planeswalkers could be commanders (2014 crop excepted) as then you could load up on cards that would capitalize on his abilities.

Such as:



Works well with burn and especially with the emblem.

A little yes - I think perhaps it's because red as a color is more focussed than the other colors. It wants to either burn you or charge at you and hit you and so the planeswalkers have to be in line with that, or at least facilitate that. Red has become a little bit more flexible in recent sets but as a single color it's still quite linier. The other colors tend to be a bit more flexible with what they do and how they do it.

White has counterspells (really)
Blue makes tokens (master of waves) and has aggro (merfolk)
Green also has at least one counterspell and can restock it's library from it's graveyard
Black doesn't just sac it's own creatures to kill you - it also gives itself lifelink and card draw...

Red does have a couple of tricks but not too many. They tend to be 'one of's'

So... compared to a multiplayer game - yes, red is a little weak on it's own. It does have strong cards and can be very deadly but it's better when combined with a second color for staying power. Whereas mono-blue, black, white or green decks can be slightly more viable sometimes.

However in one on one formats red can be very fast and very hard to stop - but... that does mean 4 mana for a red planeswalker is a little high as there are usually better creatures to play for that much or - for example - purphoros who gives a much better effect every turn and is harder to remove.

I'm waiting for a 3 mana Chandra.