A truly awesome card, both for its usefulness and its originality. Talk about being both dynamic and effective. Just don't drop one of these against your buddy's burn deck ;)
Yes, it works with the Firemind. However, Chain of Plasma is more usable. Only need one Conflagrate in the deck for a finisher.
...Wait how much longer is Scourge Ext.-legal?!? I don't want Swan combo decks to go away!
The_Somnambulist
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
I think the Swans would be great in a milling deck, maybe if you could force your opponent to attack you with a big creature when you have one of these out by using Alluring Siren's ability.
Hyon
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I think drawing cards is more useful than killing it most of the time. But the combo options are numerous.
Catmurderer
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
What happens when a Swans gets hit by a 100/100 trampler? Does the trample damage go over Swans or does the person draw 100 cards?
danth78
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think these make perfect blockers for a mill deck. Flying, won't die to damage, makes your enemy draw cards. The right colors, too.
Denizs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
use shivan meteor on it and you'll have a succesful drawing! :)
Equip with Pariah's Shield and be invincable as long as it's in play.
Ashamed
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
The trampler only needs to do 3 damage (lethal damage) to the Swans.
Grone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@catmurderer
Whenever a creature with trample is blocked, the controller of the trampling creature chooses how to assign the damage. The trampler can choose to assign any amount of damage to the blocking creature, however this amount must be greater than or equal to the blocker's toughness. The remainder of the damage hits the blocking player.
So if this 4/3 Swan blocks a 100/100 trampler, the 100/100 chooses how to assign the damage. It can assign anywhere from 3 to 100 damage to the swam, and the rest would hit the defending player. For example, the trampler could choose to deal 5 damage to the Swan (and thus draw 5 cards), and deal 95 to the defending player.
skew
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Psychic possesion to minimize the drawback.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
exsqueeze me?
cjgrimmreaper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card basically showcases some of the best things that existed in Standard around the time of Shadowmoor. This card was so powerful, it independently had many unique combos, some of which saw competitive play. This is sincerely one of the reasons I want to go back to Lorwyn-Shadowmoor.
Tommy9898
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(11 votes)
I had it at the prerelease. I misread it and thought I drew the cards when they hurt it. my opponent didn't read it either, just believed what I said it did. The guilt is too much, sorry random opponent.
There's a new legendary creature in the Commander preconstructed decks (Nin, the Pain Artist), and she's going to make an awesomely fun combo with the Swans. She has an ability which is XUR, T: Nin, the Pain Artist does X damage to target creature. That creature's controller draws cards equal to the damage done.
Basically, on the swans, for 1UR you're going to draw 2 cards - that's as good as a Divination or Tezzeret's Gambit, and doesn't even cost you a card slot. For 2UR you get to draw 4 cards - that's right, 4 cards for 4 mana and no cards from your deck, and for each extra mana on top things get more and more insane.
And that's just one synergy she'll have. Throw in an indestructible creature like Darksteel Myr and you've got another winner.
mrbgddy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just stumbled across this card...and it struck me as having a lot of fun potential. Without looking at the posted combos, the first cards that came to mind were Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Lightnng Helix. Then as I thought a little more, playing red, white, blue presented a perfect opportunity to play 4 Isochron Scepters and a very nice use for Powerstone Minefield. Just have to run heavy control to guard against the direct kill/sacrifice shots this thing has to endure.
"bwahaha so you think your going to win with your quadrillion elves? Well I have a quadrillion squirrels!!! Not only that but I also have swans of bryn argoll hahaha!!" "Oh yeah? Well now I use garruks ultimate and overrun sucka, elves! ATTACK!!!!!!! FOR NARNIA!!!!!!!" "hm.......i'll take it" "oh um ok well then I guess you lose..." " oh but I don't cause before damage is dealt I use martyrdom so you just deal all that to my swans now draw those cards sucka!!!!!"
Ensures Sword of War and Peace gets a full swing in the hands of invisible stalker
IcedJack
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
In late game, combo this with Blasphemous Act. After wiping the board, you're sitting pretty with 13 cards and a 4/3 flyer. On top of that, you should have enough mana left over to cast whatever you need to win.
this thing is wierd lol. it's so, so, SO broken, but many cards that are much less broken are made BETTER by Diregraf Captain...when this is actually made considerably worse. Still quite great. But worse.
Sure, this card is mostly all about the combos and all, but still, just throwing it out there, Steel of the Godhead. Suddenly 6/5 flying lifelink unblockable.
Bogmire
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
4/3 with flying for ? Not bad. The card draw thing? Wow! I want eight!
Well, Drogskol Captain would actually stop your opponent from using direct removal on it, to allow you to keep shooting it with whatever means you're packing. I'd happily run these guys in a spirit deck.
Nothing says feel bad like flashing in a Notion Thief before the damage step after they've blocked with their largest flyer thinking you read the card wrong...
RiftenBlack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't understand the high rating for this card. If your opponent can take advantage of it, and let's face it, every deck in Modern is running at least Lightning Bolt these days, then this card is going to help him more than it's going to help you.
Even if there's a 20% risk of playing this card in your deck, it's a risk too great to take. And I wouldn't want to "design my deck around him", because then my deck is going to be much worse than it would have been if I never included him in the first place.
Not a very consistent card, which is why it hasn't seen any constructed play in Modern, and likely won't unless some new card is introduced that utterly breaks him, which is doubtful.
Completely over the top combo, especially in multiplayer games: target this guy with Mirrorweave and then cast Blasphemous Act with Laboratory Maniac on the field. Five players with three creatures each: "Why, yes, I WILL draw 195 cards, thank you very much."
Ummmmm this card can get ridiculous with Pyrohemia lol
xlebec
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sure, it may let your opponent draw a couple of cards, but you get a 4/3 damage-proof flyer who'll net you insane card advantage with Shivan Meteor, Blasphemous Act, and X burn spells like Comet Storm. I wouldn't build a deck around it, but I would build a burn deck around Boros Reckoner / Spitemare using all those cards. For a midrange Boros burn deck to draw so many cards is absolutely brutal, and basically adds a major blue / black advantage without needing to run those colors. It's also just a really fun card. 5/5.
Pongdok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
By far the prettiest spirit. Some might feel that a 4/3 flyer for 4 cmc is underwhelming, but in the right deck it really pulls its weight. If you can find a way to abuse your own swans and draw piles of cards, good for you (turns Prodigal Sorcerer into an Archivist on demand). I just like it for being slightly more difficult to kill. Make the opponent use a card to get rid of it. Others might pinch a few draws off of it, but if you have the right setup, a la Drogskol Captain and Steel of the Godhead, your birdies won't have much to worry about. Once again, so pretty... 5/5
Comments (66)
= unlimited drawing?
...Wait how much longer is Scourge Ext.-legal?!? I don't want Swan combo decks to go away!
Whenever a creature with trample is blocked, the controller of the trampling creature chooses how to assign the damage. The trampler can choose to assign any amount of damage to the blocking creature, however this amount must be greater than or equal to the blocker's toughness. The remainder of the damage hits the blocking player.
So if this 4/3 Swan blocks a 100/100 trampler, the 100/100 chooses how to assign the damage. It can assign anywhere from 3 to 100 damage to the swam, and the rest would hit the defending player.
For example, the trampler could choose to deal 5 damage to the Swan (and thus draw 5 cards), and deal 95 to the defending player.
Infinite would be bad (draw game or drawn out) Nivmizet (sp?) is 'draw as many as you want then stop shooting the ducks.'
Basically, on the swans, for 1UR you're going to draw 2 cards - that's as good as a Divination or Tezzeret's Gambit, and doesn't even cost you a card slot. For 2UR you get to draw 4 cards - that's right, 4 cards for 4 mana and no cards from your deck, and for each extra mana on top things get more and more insane.
And that's just one synergy she'll have. Throw in an indestructible creature like Darksteel Myr and you've got another winner.
@MMChopper
Since Combust's damage cannot be prevented, the Swans crash and burn hard.
Learning a lesson with insight rather than pain is indeed very blue/white.
And you can learn a lot from these swans by beating the shit out of them!
Delicious flavor as well. This card was designed to be the keystone critter of many decks. 5/5 for flavor and breakability, ntm damage proof.
Even if there's a 20% risk of playing this card in your deck, it's a risk too great to take. And I wouldn't want to "design my deck around him", because then my deck is going to be much worse than it would have been if I never included him in the first place.
Not a very consistent card, which is why it hasn't seen any constructed play in Modern, and likely won't unless some new card is introduced that utterly breaks him, which is doubtful.
Deal 4 damage to opponent, draw 4 cards.