This card is absolutely amazing when paired with soul warden, and Oracle's attendants. Take damage, make soldiers, gain life back, and use Oracle's Attendants to help keep Darien immune to damage.
darkfury
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
combo: Darien Soul Warden 1-3 2-4 (dependant on soul warden count) Indestructibility Angelic Chorus (optional, interchangeable with Soul Wardens) Sanguine Bond1-4: Take Damage>Spawn Soldiers>gain life>blast opponent
Jokergius
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Can you not TASTE the synergy with soldier pumpers? Field Marshal, Daru Warchief, Veteran Armorsmith, Veteran Swordsmith? Get hit, get soldiers. You can even try using Angelic Chorus with Dovescapefor some added fun. (Though I do not recommend you using that, since it gives you opponents some ample space for attack with the mass amount of flying cratures.)
mutantman
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(20 votes)
"Oh, you attack me for five? Sure, I don't block. I'll just make some tokens and hit you right back for five. Oh wait, is that a Field Marshal? Sorry, make that ten. In fact, I happen to have a Soul Warden on duty, so I'll just go ahead and gain back that five life. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to forge an alliance with Balduvia."
tacticg1
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Did anyone else see the misprint on the creature type on the detail? the card says human lord and the details say human soldier
rubber
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ tacticg1: That's not a misprint, they changed the creature type. They just wanted this to support tribal soldiers even more.
riec01122
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm just curious. The card doesn't actually say it's creature type as a soldier. But the oracle text now says that it's a soldier. Which is it?
It's too bad that they haven't reprinted this card, although I wouldn't want them to change the artwork or anything. (On second thought, maybe it's better that they haven't reprinted it!) But, as a side note, I like it better with the creature type saying "Human Lord," rather than "Human Soldier." Sure, sure, it makes it a better card to have it say "Human Soldier," but it fits better to have a Legendary King creature character be a "Lord." That's the whole point of a Lord character. After all, he's not just another soldier, any more that Lord of the Undead is just another zombie.
For surprise purposes of gain life, I think this card is fun conbined with Congregate.
Omenchild
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
great EDH general. haha omg i take 17? no prob, i get 17
Lazyblazey
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Try this with a couple of Soul Wardens and Mana Barbs. Every time I tap for mana, I get creatures equal to the damage and double the life I lost back, since each Soul Warden triggers separately. This is even better now that mana burn is a thing of the past.
Kirbster
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Well, he's a way to keep Lich's Tomb happy indefinetely.
MAH BOI, THIS PEACE IS WHAT ALL TRUE WARRIOR STRIVE FOR!
Superllama12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh my gosh, this is AWESOME! With any soldier pumpers or a Soul Warden or two, this is just mean! To bad it's in bolt range...of course, now in M12, it's Shock, but this is M12, not MColdsnap
TheManakinTransfer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So much synergy, i love it 5/5
Crag-Hack
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
Dinner.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I once had a Reiver Demon out and I just used a Mark of the Oni on this guy, so I stole him. It was cruel. :)
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
By far not the best combo, but pretty nice with Heartless Hidetsugu nonetheless: You deal a good amount of damage to your opponent and to you and get a bunch of tokens, yet can't die by it.
He's pretty awesome in my Ghave, Guru of Spores deck. Oh, you hit me for 10? Ok, I'll just sacrifice all those tokens and put them on Ghave and swing back for lethal. Or sacrifice them to Vish Kal for precision removal. Or have Mentor of the Meek out, which basically says "Whenever you are dealt damage, you may pay X, where X is between 0 and the amount of damage dealt to you. If you do, draw X cards."
Or, if you're in a tight spot, you can use them as chump blockers next turn.
Of course, in practice, most people try to kill him on sight before the craziness gets going, but that just means that your dozens of other bombs stick around to mess things up. The 3/3 body can hurt with big damage sweepers in the format.
Oh you're gonna kill me AYE? G'head, I BLEED soldiers!!
Psychrates
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card makes me wanna hit myself...5/5
konokono
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I'm not normally one who rates down a creature because it "dies to removal", because a lot of cards, i.e. Baneslayer, is an immediate threat on the next turn if the opponent doesn't have removal in hand. The problem with this card is that unless you have some way to damage yourself, your opponent gets to choose whether it's worth damaging you or not, and if it's not, he can just sit and wait for a removal, while Darien isn't affecting the board position much. 4/5
MisterMirage
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Konda's Banner seems like a nice inclusion in an EDH deck with this guy as General. To clarify: with it equipped to Darien, since the Grand Creature update made him a Soldier, all those Soldier tokens he makes are 3/3's instead of 1/1's. Quite nice indeed.
You take damage, you pump creatures equal to that damage, you heal damage equal to the creatures (and thus gain all lost life back) and you trigger the Pridemates for each life gained thus producing not only an army and a psuedo kind of invincibility, but also a big nasty in the process. Woohoo!
Kelptic183
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Cathar's Crusade.
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Hasn't anyone mentioned painlands? Adarkar Wastes, I get one mana and one token.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(7 votes)
I'm going to Gamelon to aid him.
ahmed1991
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I am a beginner player of the MTG. I don't understand this card. I played Darien last turn. At my another turn i played Blaze for six. Do I put tokens on to the battelfield???
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This seems like a brutal EDH general.
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ahmed1991, if you cast the Blaze on yourself, yes, you will create tokens (six of them, in your example), but you'll also take six damage. If you cast the Blaze on your opponent or on a creature, you won't create tokens. It triggers when you are dealt damage, not when you deal damage.
WolfWhoWalks
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I used to use Darien exclusively as the commander for my white weenie soldier tribal deck. Then I discovered Odric, Master Tactician, whom, after lengthy trials, I now prefer. Darien's good defense, but there are times when taking a hit to generate tokens isn't worth it (for example, fatty commanders dealing commander damage). I now vastly prefer taking the weenie aggro to the opponent with Odric, and his nifty "you choose not to block anything" ability.
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Lash_of_Dragonbreath: Painlands. Huh. Genius.
Also, wish they'd reprint this guy just so he doesn't have the awkward Lord type on the card.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So brutal, so abusable. Every time I see him in a deck, I cringe with fear. A few Soul Wardens, Pandemonium, anything that deals damage to you, infinite combo.
Mother of god.
Averyck
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fun casual deck idea: This card, Soul warden/Soul's attendant, and Manabarbs. Throw in Tamanoa and you're net-gaining 1 life and a soldier from each land you tap, and 1 life per land they tap.
hasdragonsforhands
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
infinite combo: blasting station (target you) + some random creature + Darien, King of Kjeldor + Blood Artist then just keep blasting soldiers at yourself until the blood artist has killed all your opponents (he also heals you all the dmg)
Bacon_Businessman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Five because he has the same name as me. 4.5 because taking damage is normally inevitable. "Normally"
Comments (51)
Also, Angelic Chorus.
Darien
Soul Warden 1-3
2-4 (dependant on soul warden count) Indestructibility
Angelic Chorus (optional, interchangeable with Soul Wardens)
Sanguine Bond1-4:
Take Damage>Spawn Soldiers>gain life>blast opponent
It's too bad that they haven't reprinted this card, although I wouldn't want them to change the artwork or anything. (On second thought, maybe it's better that they haven't reprinted it!) But, as a side note, I like it better with the creature type saying "Human Lord," rather than "Human Soldier." Sure, sure, it makes it a better card to have it say "Human Soldier," but it fits better to have a Legendary King creature character be a "Lord." That's the whole point of a Lord character. After all, he's not just another soldier, any more that Lord of the Undead is just another zombie.
3 Words: Coat of Arms
Step 2: Goblin Bombardment
Step 3: Pandemonium
Step 4: ?????
Step 5: PROFIT!!!
Hit me for 10?
I get 20 life and 10 creatures.
I once had a Reiver Demon out and I just used a Mark of the Oni on this guy, so I stole him. It was cruel. :)
You deal a good amount of damage to your opponent and to you and get a bunch of tokens, yet can't die by it.
Oh, you hit me for 10? Ok, I'll just sacrifice all those tokens and put them on Ghave and swing back for lethal. Or sacrifice them to Vish Kal for precision removal. Or have Mentor of the Meek out, which basically says "Whenever you are dealt damage, you may pay X, where X is between 0 and the amount of damage dealt to you. If you do, draw X cards."
Or, if you're in a tight spot, you can use them as chump blockers next turn.
Of course, in practice, most people try to kill him on sight before the craziness gets going, but that just means that your dozens of other bombs stick around to mess things up. The 3/3 body can hurt with big damage sweepers in the format.
All in all, 4/5.
You take damage, you pump creatures equal to that damage, you heal damage equal to the creatures (and thus gain all lost life back) and you trigger the Pridemates for each life gained thus producing not only an army and a psuedo kind of invincibility, but also a big nasty in the process. Woohoo!
Also, wish they'd reprint this guy just so he doesn't have the awkward Lord type on the card.
Mother of god.
4.5 because taking damage is normally inevitable. "Normally"