I don't see how this can have such a bad rating.. it may have a drawback but in a naya deck the 5 life gain is offset by things like thoctars. It has the same power as a bogardan on a 3 mana removal (a mythic rare I might add), and the downside is life gain (which also works with punishing fire just fyi). The other card that was this good that caused life gain is swords to plowshares.. one of the best cards in this game. I suppose if this card has a downside it can really be said to be the extreme color requirement, you basically have to be playing either 5 color or 3 color naya shard to get the use of it.
A fun combo, this + everlasting torment, it deals 5 in wither damage and your opponent doesn't gain any life.
Posted By:
Donovan_Fabian
(2/12/2010 1:07:11 PM)
Tamanoa makes this a little better. Then you and an opponent gain 5 life, and you get to distribute 5 damage how you choose amongst their creatures which is nothing to scoff at.
Posted By:
TreeTrunkMaster
(4/1/2011 4:02:40 PM)
You know, this is going to give me, like, at least 4 for 1 against a lot of decks in my playgroup. Pesky elves? Swept away. Mana myr? Cleaned up nicely. You name it.
Posted By:
Dark_Raider
(3/16/2011 11:26:53 AM)
In multiplayer, this makes for great politics. Wipe out a weenie deck as a threat and butter up an ally? Hell yeah.
Posted By:
djflo
(7/24/2011 8:46:02 AM)
This would also be good if your deck goes for an alternate win condition like mill, infect, or "you win" cards. Though the colors don't really work well with mill or infect.
Posted By:
sonorhC
(8/14/2011 11:26:32 PM)
This is a significantly better card now that planeswalkers are in the mix. Highly efficient and versatile--knock down a weenie army, nuke a fatty, and/or polish off a planeswalker, all for 3 mana and a handful of life for your opponent. I like it.
Posted By:
Guest2017427298
(1/27/2012 4:47:26 PM)
Seems like it could be cool in EDH in a deck that uses commander damage to kill people. The 5 life gain could still cause probs in a big multiplayer setting, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as bad.
Posted By:
Gargantula
(4/29/2012 11:14:26 AM)
This is fantastic for the same reason Swords to Plowshares is good really. It's removal, not burn. Instead of being really cheap, though, it kills more then one thing.
Posted By:
Maraxas-of-Keld
(2/24/2013 5:09:21 PM)
The thing about giving your opponents life is it only matters if you're planning to wear their life total down over time. If your deck plans to win by doing much more than 20 damage in a single turn (either with an infinite combo, or just say an Overrun on top of fifteen Saprolings), you probably don't care about having to do 25 instead.
And of course if you're playing infect - or any alternative win condition like Maze's End or Door to Nothingness - you don't care at all about the lifegain.
Posted By:
Sasooli
(7/21/2013 11:59:43 AM)
I target you for 5.
Posted By:
Tommy9898
(2/23/2010 10:06:55 PM)