Post-Theros is likely to be a slower format, and Elspeth could be a shining star in B/W midrange and U/W control. Her ultimate is not super-important, it is her ability to protect herself and destroy threats on demand that make her so strong. Six 1/1 tokens in a row is nothing to sneeze at.
Posted By:
Hreth
(9/17/2013 10:01:28 PM)
this is theros pack rat. but this will see play in standrad
Posted By:
Sel3l3e
(9/17/2013 2:53:11 PM)
Can't wait to get this card for my mono-white weenie soldier tribal EDH deck. Excellent card in commander; probably marginally less awesome in standard.
Posted By:
WolfWhoWalks
(9/17/2013 4:35:53 PM)
It is awesome how all three abilities synergize with each other and even better because it is not very apparent. If your opponent only has three non-evasive creatures, you can chump block quite effectively until you draw an answer.
Posted By:
Purplerooster
(9/18/2013 3:58:31 PM)
Please note that the ultimate, while actually rather weak, is designed to allow the soldier tokens she produces to survive her own Reprisal sweeper.
Though, really, it could have given lifelink and vigilance too. No kill like overkill!
Posted By:
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
(9/17/2013 3:06:54 PM)
A plus ability that gives 3 chump blockers to defend itself? Riiight.
Posted By:
Qazior
(9/17/2013 3:07:41 PM)
An absolutely amazing finisher for a control deck. Protects itself, hard to remove, disrupts the opponent, and wins the game by itself. I'll be playing her in modern
Posted By:
BongRipper420
(10/13/2013 1:41:50 PM)
I need to Vorthos gush a little here ^^ . She's built this time as a fighter of monsters. Her minus three is perfectly reflective of her arrival in Theros, she arrives late (6 mana cost - as is befitting of Elspeth, motivation has always been her biggest problem) - but when she does she can immediately save the poor meek townsfolk from evil hydras (or anything with power 4 or greater) This brings her the loyalty of said meek people (next turn +1) Her community and admiration grows her following larger and larger, the cycle of community growing into her acts of protective destruction.
and something in Elspeth is changing. Before she hated the admiration. Her attraction of adoring 1/1 soldiers took energy from her, but here, where they see her not as a god, but as a link to the gods - where they, like her, look to something bigger - she's able to actually draw something from drawing them. It still takes considerable energy to protect them, but now it is them, not her gift of life to he... (see all)
Posted By:
Cloudchaser.Kestrel
(9/18/2013 10:39:46 PM)
First off, let me say that I admire Cloudchaser.Kestrel's comment highly. I'm a Vorthos player at heart and he hit the nail on the head for her. <3
The only thing I want to add to it, though, is her -3 in comparison to humans with power 4 or greater. Magic isn't 100% flavor-accurate, especially in some older cards, so I tend to think about things in terms of "In general." For example, in general Human creatures with power 4 or greater fall in to three categories:
Legendary creatures: Vela, Mishra, Lavinia, Kaervek, Commander Greven, Iwamori, and Anthousa for example.
Groups of creatures: This includes multiple humans such as Meleria's Keepers/autocard... (see all)
Posted By:
SunshineTheBlond
(9/23/2013 3:33:55 PM)
It's gonna be the new 6 mana finisher for Esper or anything with White midrange/control. Aetherling really need 7-8 mana to really protect.
Remember you read it here.
Posted By:
ShiroRX
(9/17/2013 6:01:30 PM)