I have a really soft spot for Ashling the Pilgrim, namely for her neat ability. I find it incredibly fun to pump her up with tons of +1/+1 counter abilities, such as the Reinforce keyword or cards like Daily Regimen or Incremental Growth. I currently have a deck that utilizes Ashling's explosive properties with counters and Vigor's turn-damage-into counters function, which leads to great fun, as Ashling never dies and only gets larger each time she triggers.
WotC_KennethNagle
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(16 votes)
My first ever contribution to Magic was Ashling the Pilgrim's game text. She had no card after two rounds of emails, so I searched for red creatures with a colon ":" in their box and found Molten Hydra. I matched it closer to her Lorwyn novel synopsis (she explodes!). Card turned out neat, especially for Multiplayer which is an accomplishment for a red card. Nice art, we used it on booster packaging.
God_of_Destruction
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Blow up the world Ashling... I once triggered its ability for 15 damage... i won with only 1 life point...and guess what, its a star multiplayer format, even my allies was blown away...
madformedusa
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(5 votes)
Cheap cost, cool control ability (which is sort of rare for red), makes an awesome EDH general, sweet tattoos, ......this girl's got mad flow! 5/5
Jokergius
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Ashling the Pilgrim in my pure white Soldier deck (I get the red from *Sungla s ses of Urza). Beef her up to enormous extremities and blow her up. how do you survive, and your creatures with it? Simple, use Safe Passage. A really nice surprise in my deck. Weird, and absurd, indeed, but effective, is it not?
*: Had to get around the filter.
Donovan_Fabian
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(4 votes)
I really like this card, if you can ramp some fast red you get great removal early in the game. Play it with Vigor to make all your creatures bigger, but kill all your opponents.
@nagle, heya! didn't know wotc staff actually stopped by the comments on cards page. Keep up the good work. :)
if you have 2 Vigors on the field, then when she explodes, you replace and double the counters
BrilliantIdiot
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(7 votes)
One of my favourites, give her a Scythe of the Wretched and pop her for what can only be called beautiful results, hey, you even get her back with it.
nammertime
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(9 votes)
Guys, didn't you read the article? Just play this creature and 99 mountains in an EDH deck. She can be summoned on turn 2, can be pumped once or twice a turn, and can attack every turn for a lot of damage. And, if you get in trouble, just use the ability three times and nuke the entire field! Then, summon her from the command zone again if someone kills her... for a measly 2 more mana. Win!
Great with Magebane Armor or Mark of Asylum (I used her before Zendikar came out in that odd post-X, pre-M10 summer in a fun little one-sided boom deck).
Tezz
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
watch out for regenerate creatures when using that ashling edh deck. and removal.. really slows you down!
While I have never personally used Ashling due to not actually owning a copy, I did run an elemental deck for a time that used the cards with the resolution type effects. As a whole, they were enjoyable cards to play.
Based on that, and due to Boredom, I give Ashling a 4/5. I could see this type of effect printed on a level card as well, with interesting results.
jsttu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This gal wants infect. just make sure your opponent has more counters than you do, or else it will be a tie, which would be hilarious, but not exactly desirable.
I'd just play this in infinte mana. You play this t2, then get mana t3, t4 resolve it thrice to deal 3 damage and keep going past that. Unless you're opponent doomblades, you're in it to win it.
first off, double Vigor doesn't work as you can only prevent damage once, also this card is a boss, regardless of what amount of damage you do, provided you're not in an EDH format where everyone plays field manipulation (such as my current meta) you can easily get away with blowing up the field quite a few times, but watch out, commander damage dealt by Ashling to you would still apply towards the 21 damage count, so use it mostly as a finisher or a final countdown.
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is such a bomb as a Commander. If you only do two counters at a time you can build this creature enough to cause massive damage at once.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Proliferate might be fun, though red doesn't get much of it.
Not even one pun on how hot Ashling is? Seriously? Also, there is no way her top would stay on, unless her nipples are just so pointy that they suspend that wrap over them. That is the absolute only problem I have with this card, and even that is acceptable for the sake of her looking really cool.
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yes, you can have multiple versions of a legendary character out at the same time. The Legend Rule only cares about the exact full name of the card, it isn't like the Planeswalker rule that checks the character name in the Planeswalker Type line.
clockword44
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
She's hot. Get it?
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
And then the pretty lady goes KABOOM and then everything dies. In all seriousness though, Ashling is probably my favorite legendary creature of all time. An interesting and flavorful ability, well costed, and some amazing, amazing art.
Reishyn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
It would have been cleverer if they had called her Aisling the Pilgrim instead of Ashling. It's an Irish name which fits into Lorwyn Celtic influenced background and it's also a pun on how she's made of ash and flame.
Also, I just have a thing for names that are spelled one way but pronounced another. It makes you feel about as cultured as you possibly can when playing a fantasy trading card game.
Keeps her protected from her own damage, and you can keep clearing the board to get the hits in.
NARFNra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So if you toss a bunch of counters on her by any other means... she can still activate her ability without bombing? Iiiiinteresting.
JarieSuicune
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Commander: Ashling, Opal Palace. Otherwise: Ashling, Doubling Season, give her protection from Red (Sword of War and Peace or Sword of Fire and Ice perhaps?), and have a Phytohydra with the Pariah's Shield equipped (keeping you alive, as well as getting a lovely smasher Monstrous easily. Constantly growing/always huge Nuke. Make sure to shield yourself when blowing the world up...
RAV0004
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
repercussion? Any sort of life-gain should be ridiculously useful... but only two equipment in the game even do that.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
She's not just hot.
She's a sex bomb.
MasterOfTheVault
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hmm.....She is pretty hot, But I'm worried I would get third degree burns on my.....Everything.
Comments (34)
*: Had to get around the filter.
@nagle, heya! didn't know wotc staff actually stopped by the comments on cards page. Keep up the good work. :)
talk about the Killer...
soul's fire
elemental mastery
go ashling the phoenix!
Based on that, and due to Boredom, I give Ashling a 4/5. I could see this type of effect printed on a level card as well, with interesting results.
Scythe of the wretched
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Basilisk Collar
Repercussion
Akroma's Memorial
Vicious Shadows
Sword of Kaldra
Are just a few cards that go great with her.
In all seriousness though, Ashling is probably my favorite legendary creature of all time. An interesting and flavorful ability, well costed, and some amazing, amazing art.
Also, I just have a thing for names that are spelled one way but pronounced another. It makes you feel about as cultured as you possibly can when playing a fantasy trading card game.
Keeps her protected from her own damage, and you can keep clearing the board to get the hits in.
Otherwise: Ashling, Doubling Season, give her protection from Red (Sword of War and Peace or Sword of Fire and Ice perhaps?), and have a Phytohydra with the Pariah's Shield equipped (keeping you alive, as well as getting a lovely smasher Monstrous easily.
Constantly growing/always huge Nuke. Make sure to shield yourself when blowing the world up...
She's a sex bomb.
Oh, And the card is kick ass.