almost as amazing than the oldschool Nicol Bolas Elder Dragon Legend counterpart. ;)
chicho27
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(4 votes)
I think they got the flavor right for this card. I really want to play this beast in my next draft.
FreakyM
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(12 votes)
Ugh. For collection purposes, Yes, I'd like one, he's cool and all that.. but with that manacost, no thank you, this is one critter I wont'e be playing, ever.
Something strange: On the actual card, Bolas' wing protrudes from the art box. In this image, it doesn't. Why?
Drac1717
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
i pulled this card from 2 boosters i bought cause they were giving away ajani if you bought 2 boosters, i only got 2 conflux and puled this card, amazing? yes i think so, and i am deffinatly using it
iammagic
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(6 votes)
TOTAL OWNAGE!!! that's all i can describe him...
stygimoloch
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
His first two abilities are just horrible. Vindicate or improved Threaten, every turn? Ouch. The final ability seems a bit swingy in application. Some decks will be absolutely crippled by it, others will barely notice it (and I note with some amusement GW decks will make up a notable chunk of the latter category). But that eight mana is fairly prohibitive... all in all I do think he's a good card. He just doesn't excite me into wanting to play him myself.
Eternal_Blue
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(5 votes)
i own him on mtgo and in foil! -dances- yeah and he's good clearly
macic666
★★☆☆☆ (2.1/5.0)(5 votes)
A very cool card to brag around. But i think not for playing too, a card for collectors, TRUE collectors.
And also it is a small chance that you will find that mana cost.
Hydrogoose
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(15 votes)
Strictly worse than storm crow
shadowfyre77
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
it's good, but seriously, just too good. you could start killing off your opponent's planeswalkers with this thing!
Ixidors_Heir
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(3 votes)
One of my opponents in a draft got this out against me when I was completely mana flooded and powerless to stop it. His ultimate went off in 3 turns and I was staggered.
Dingo777
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(3 votes)
you can make it work, but it is difficult, 8 mana is a big ouch but considering, it is appropriate for the card
try and work on a combo to increase the loyalty counters quickly, for example, gilder bairn: destroy something on Nicol's first turn out, then second turn, find a way to tap gilder bairn and find 2U to untap it and double the 8 counters on Nicol, he now has 16 and can unleash his master ability with 7 counters left, but why stop there, what was good once is good again right? whatever you used to tap gilder bairn before, use again, then another 2U and Nicol is at 32, 3 straight turns to activate Nicol's master ability, even with some damage and gilder bairn being knocked out (your opponent is a fool if he lets this combo continue beyond 1 turn)
Jodry
★☆☆☆☆ (1.4/5.0)(4 votes)
I'm thinking about geting one to go in my new Grixis deck. Just a question about his second ability; If you take control of opponents creature and Nicol Bolas leaves play later, does opponents creature return to him?
ZursApprentice
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(10 votes)
I very strongly disagree with people that rate this card poorly. Granted there are very few decks that can play him, but in those that can he is brilliant. I play a 5 color planeswalker deck that gets up to over ten mana every game and can survive for that long EVERY game. (It is very different than AJ Sachers build) With Wraths, Condemns, Volcanic Fallouts, Austere Commands, planewalkers (esp. Garruk), etc. it is very easy to get up the mana. Some people say it is worse than Cruel Ultimatum and that is probably true in the typical 5 color control decks but in my planeswalker deck this is clearly better. In my deck each players life totals are largely irrelevant because I rarely go below 10 life and have ajani goldmane to usually keep above 20 and I usually do not win by chipping away my opponents life total. The deck also runs 0 creatures main and 0 creatures side, so the pulling the creature from your gy never happens. Forcing the opponent to sac one creature is generally insignificant. So in that deck Cruel Ultimatuum basically just allows me to draw 3 and my opponent to discard 3, which is good enough to run 1 of but not earth shattering and certainly does not win me the game outright. Nicol Bolas on the other hand wins the game 90% of the time he hits. I usually just target a land with his plus ability, he gets up to his ultimate the 3rd turn he hits, which forces the opponent to sac most of his lands, discards whatever they have in their hand, and they lose 7 life. If they ever play another land it just gets destroyed immediately and the ultimate goes off again a couple of turns later. Or if they have creatures you need to take care of you can take whatever of those you need and recruit them to your side. Plus, it is essential in the mirror to pick off their other planewalkers. In brief, it wins the game. Period. I can always hit the mana and its better than milling with jace or putting creatures into play from the graveyard with Liliana thats for sure!
Elven_planeswalker
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(8 votes)
I still will never get what all the rage is on bolas, ive played against him many times. My simple solution:
1. Faiths fetters bolas
2. clear out your opponents defenses with your big creatures, you've had time to play them becasue of bolas's high cost
3. kill bolas with your creatures, you shouldnt have taken too much damage from him at this point
4. if you have a planeswalker, play it (if you dont have one skip this step)
5. move on to your opponent for the win
My recomendation is use the divine deck (in duel decks "divine vs. demonic") and add in ajani goldmane and/or elspeth (both planeswalkers) if you have them. You might want to take out one charging paladin and then, if your adding a second card, angelic protector. akroma hurts bad, good for killing bolas. do this and bolas wont provide you with any trouble. the only thing is your way, is getting faith's fetters or the divine deck :P.
WitcherRage
★☆☆☆☆ (1.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Bolas is great planes walker with great abilities he can kill planes walker for +3 :P But he comes into play for 8 mana and i kill him for 4 mana hes last ability doesnt make anything good i would say he can be dangerous for jund or green colored decks hes second ability is like ability from sarkan
Trev1369
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
I just got him in a pack the other day and I use him, but only because I can. I don't think anyone can deny the fact that this card has to be one of the most powerful plainswalkers, but there are certain rules everyone must know before even thinking of putting one of them in their deck. In my opinion, one major factor you have to remeber is "Don't rely on the plainswalker only to win your duels". If you focus on that only, the chances of winning may be much slimmer. You always have to have a back up strategy just incase you don't happen to draw the card throughout the duel. Onc you do, and you have a killer strategy, chances are you'll probably win. Trust me I have Nicol Bolas and if I draw him and play him I 98% of the time win the duel. This statement is from my own personal experiences. !!! :) !!!
Th3_Dark_On3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Against a good deck, he's not that good. For example, i was bored and pulled his ultimate on myself twice in a row, still leaving me with over 200 life, 34 cards in hand, and all i really lost were 14 1/1 colorless Spirit tokens (which doesn't matter cause I was spawning 5 every turn.)
psychguy
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I have to say I think that this card is amazing, not only is it a way for red to get rid of enchantments (which is a major rule breaker might I add) but the fact that it can pretty much grab hold of a game and 'handle' most any thing your opponent can play is versatility I can really get behind. His final ability is just a bonus, his first two abilities are what really win the game.
The_Somnambulist
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I pull off that mana cost all the time in my deck, where I have stuff like Blood Tyrant and Thraximundar.
I just wish I didn't have such a hard time getting this card :P
edit: I just got the card online :-)
Come to think of it, Bolas is a bit better than Ajani Vengeant in that with his +3 ability, you can kill the opponent's lands one by one, then, if and when you unleash the ultimate, they will be somewhat hard pressed to decide which 7 permanents they will sacrifice, b/c no matter if they sacrifice more creatures and/or other permanents than land permanents, they will already be low on lands due to your bit of destruction you did to their mana pool. then you just keep killing their lands and repeat, it's quite crippling to any deck constructed with cards from the Alara block in general.
The only diff btw Bolas and Ajani Vengeant as far as land destruction is that pulling of Ajani's ultimate will wipe out the opponent's mana pool entirely in one turn, vs. Bolas would be one per turn, however land destruction is happening as Bolas grows in power, then in the longer run, they have an even harder time coming back b/c their choice of permanents to sacrifice during the ultimate effect is way too difficult, and as their mana pool shrinks from destruction, the chances of Bolas being tripped up by some spell decreases, whereas Ajani can be more at risk.
*edit 2* I have 2 Maelstrom Archangels now and they sometimes win me the game very fast b/c I'll either have followed it up with Progenitus, or a planeswalker like said card here. Then again, Mindwrack Liege also does the job for all your expensive red and blue creatures besides Progenitus.
snoregore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
one more thing, if you dont have the seven cards to discard from your hand, they discard from the top of their library.
Mprime818
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Yeah he is alright but i have two words, CELESTIAL PURGE!!!
Vorthosian
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is an excellent, underrated card for Spikes. It's also obviously good for Timmies and Vorthoses. Sorry Johnny.
Any control deck that runs Grixis colors should run at least one copy of this guy. He's an excellent finisher, especially against the midrange decks that are dominating the meta. If you drop this guy, you will win unless your opponent manages to find an answer very quickly.
The mana is actually a little bit better than Cruel Ultimatum in a lot of decks, so I don't know why people complain about that so much. You're certainly getting enough bang for your buck.
God_of_Destruction
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Greatest planeswalker out there...a bit high mana cost but u should deal with it since Nicol have great powers... second to my favorite after Chandra Nalaar..
Archonman
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
ok yes bolas is very steep price. think of him as a giant 98 pound sledgehammer. slow to raise fast to fall
XRT
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(5 votes)
The bomb has been dropped.
SocialExperiment
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(8 votes)
A supply of endless "destroy enchantment" effects that can also take annoying equipment off the board or destroy lands would be good enough, but he can even take over enemy creatures. Those alone would be worth eight mana as far as I'm concerned, but then he can unleash a powered-up version of Cruel Ultimatum, which not only deals fairly noticable damage and forces your opponent to discard their entire hand, but will likely force them to either mana-screw themselves or clear the table of blockers, allowing you to end the game in that combat phase. God I love this card.
j3tzblu3z
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
this is one crazy card... would be a headache for my blue deck that relies on enchantments.. then again by the time this bomb drops on me i probably still have at least one counterspell in my hand by then.
Teakon
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I have rarely come across a deck that used him in the area I play FNM at, but from what I have seen he isn't that great. Sure he can come out and destroy something or take a creature from someone. All you need to do is use either Celestial Purge, Scourglass or a few other cards and he is gone. When I went up against someone that used him he didnt make it to my turn and I always got back what he took or destroyed.
VardthLokkur
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
No doubt that Nicol Bolas is a very powerful card but it is little bit expensive to summon. Nicol Bolas is suitable for the decks which has land and artifact destroyer cards in it. You must slow downs your opponent in order to summon Nicol Bolas. Your target lands must be Islands (for counter spells) and Mountains (for direct damages to Nicol Bolas). And better you have some mid and low power creatures to defend yourself.
Eggroll
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Such a win card. His cost justifies his abilities. I've gotten to play his ultimate twice. (2 different matches) There's noooo way an opponent can come back from that. Especially when you take away 7 of his lands :D
meddlingmage21
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I like this, but it's kinda casual. Still it is something to end games with. And i think he's the only planeswalker to live after firing his ultimate ability since his fake vindicate is a +3
Neojoe
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(14 votes)
I rated him five because he's Nicol Bolas. He bit Teferi in the head and showed him who's boss. Then beat up Leshrac and did the same. He's probably killed more planeswalkers then all other factors combined. Heck, his freaking first ability just outright kills them. And people thought Chandra was good at suppressing enemy walkers. Playwise, he's hard to get out and doesn't win the game as fast as Cruel Ultimatum or whatever, but don't forget, he's casting that spell in it's artwork. Points for Bolas.
Whapow
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The only thing that really bugs me about this card is that his art doesn't come out of the art box. He looks so distant while all the other 'walkers are right up there, popping out of the card.
Titanium_Dragon
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
While powerful if you can pay the very high casting cost... you aren't going to, save in limited (and you won't get him in limited because he's a mythic rare). Lamely, rather than having his original casting cost, he has a slightly lower one which still doesn't make him playable. The only real use of him is to cheat him into play, but there are very, very few ways of doing so, and most of them cost nearly as much as he does.
He will win you the game if you ever get him into play, though.
Saxophonist
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I wonder why his type is Planeswalker - Bolas instead of Planeswalker - Nicol.
sprywolf
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Dragon arch or Urza's filter are perfect for putting him into play faster.
JanusAurelius
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm confused as to why everyone is complaining about Bolas's mana cost but not Progenitus... Don't get me wrong I hate both of them but it just seems kinda wierd...
Kartakass
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I suppose this card could make it into play in multiplayer. It's a nice collectable, nothing more. By the time this could hit the table most of our games are probably over.
OutlawD1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Probably bececause with Progenitus there are many ways around his mana cost. Not with bolas though.
ChuckMickey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i play 5 color control. vivid lands, reflecting pools, unsummons, counters, so on and so forth. 8 mana is no problem at all.
THE_SHADOWED_ONE
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i use him in my EDH decks ONLY.
LovesBlack212
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He's cool. But the mana cost is terrible. I out him in a five color control deck for kicks and actually got him out; my opponent scooped... lame!
BDragon123
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
People who are complaining about his cost... I mean... wow. He starts with 5 loyalty, and his + ability gives him +3. And his ultimate (2 turns after he's out, if you wanna go straight to it) is HUGE. You same people would be griping about balance if he cost any less. Let's face it-this guy is expensive, but HE'S WORTH IT.
benlivinmusic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I threw him in with a grixis vampire deck. With such vamps as Baron Sengir, Garza Zol, Szadek, Skeletal Vampire, Vampire Nighthawk, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Mephidross, Malakir Bloodwitch, and Blood Seeker. Along with some Crosis's Charms and Dark Rituals. Every time I bring him out it makes my opponent look like they are about to cry or wipe all the cards to the floor in a tantrum. I love this card! With all the vampy weenies who have lifelink, it keeps me alive until I can bring him out.
Ajani_is_da_man
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I mean he's 8 mana BUT he is so epic that I'll play him even if he was 400000000 mana ; )
Fire_Master
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I gave him 4.5/5 because even though he is a game ender when he hits the board he is too difficult to play. You need at least a 3 colored deck to play Nicol Bolas and by the time he gets out most duels are already over.
hardstones
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
REALLY good planeswalker, destroy other planeswalkers, artifacts, sorcerry, enchantments, and LAND!!!! Once he's on you have the advantage. (unless they have some tricks up thier sleeve)
WER386
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(8 votes)
8 mana for total game domination... this thing can bypass most things without leaving a single drawback; besides, he is NICOL BOLAS! okok, you're right: 8 mana is a kick in the darn, but well, get this guy into the battlefield and ask gentlemanly to your opponent "do you concede or do I have to make you suffer?". Another good point is the non-Nicol Bolas elder dragon-cost (2UUBBRR); but its main problem is that it joins the battle too late, beside that this thing alone can handle your foe whole deck.
Demonic_Angel13
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I've played my grixis deck 6 times so far and got Bolas out 4 times. He won me 3 of those four. Maelstrom Archangel would be great but I traded the angel for bolas.
TheTraitorKing
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
IWhen you cast this, you just want to yell, "I AM BOLAS! COWER BEFORE ME!"
Seriously, he's the most lethal and most expensive planeswalker ever. He kills stuff, ssteasls creatures, and then uses Cruel Ultimatum on an opponent.
xd4
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Ok this card rocks, but everyone has to agree its broken as HELL the mana cost is nothing you can get it out easy
TokenPlayer
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
4.5 for style alone - nothing more.
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(29 votes)
The Spike in me shudders at the cost, but the Timmy in me punches him out in exultation.
Kryptnyt
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
lol, he's U-B-B-R! Like uber but with an extra black mana.
PainfulTears
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Just epic win
Neutralion
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(6 votes)
of course he use Cruel Ultimatum... look at shadow on its artwork :)
Kontrey
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
No comment. Just use it... Card made for atmosfere
Weretarrasque
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
Why does it seem like he should be saying, "WHAT IS A MAN?"
Halo_Lover
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I cannot believe what I am reading. This PW has got to be the worst of them all. I'd rather drop a Cruel Ultimatum. I'll rate it 5 stars, however, because I like the art.
badmofo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
...everybody talkin' about cruel ultimatum... that's like apples and oranges, they're two WAY different things.
This guy is more difficult to use and less effective in the immediate sense anyways!
Teotanek
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best planewalker, the onlyone tolerable.
Smilezilla
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love Bolas's teeth
DonRoyale
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Despite being more of a casual card than a competitive one, let's look at what he does competitively.
-He answers Baneslayer Angel. How? By making your opponent answer it. This is also true for any non-shroud creature in general; he answers any creature threat the best way possible; by shifting the pressure right to your opponent. This often turns the tide of the entire game. Have you ever taken a Baneslayer? Even if it just got hit by Path to Exile, that's in theory a 3-card tempo swing; your opponent loses their Baneslayer and their removal spell, and you get a land! And Nicol Bolas is still alive (though in Lightning Bolt range, sadly) -He's great in a match against any Control deck, specifically Cruel Control, as it keeps the lands in check so the opponent can't cast Cruel for the rest of the game, provided the opponent doesn't have Crumbling Necropolis with the rest of the mana that can cast it. -He also wrecks Jund's frail manabase by attacking it. Sadly, this is the only thing he offers against Jund before Maelstrom Pulse just makes it go kasplat. -He kills other Planeswalkers. Dead. -His ultimate. Enough said.
I love him to pieces. He's my absolute favorite Planeswalker ever. :D
Layton
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
bolas is the word in spanish for "balls"
o yes,nicol bolas, lord of hasbro is really cool.and is very cheap to buy
Ezenthar
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(5 votes)
When the second ability is played, the player should say, "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."
Please tell me someone else here plays Mass Effect 2
Awesome card. 5/5
@ArKive: Celestial Purge will do the trick for 2 mana (I've used it on friend's Sarkhans and Ajani Vengeants before :P)
ArKive
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ever been Nicol Bolased turn 2? Its great fun Turn 1 Forest, Birds of Paradise Turn 2 Lotus Cobra, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland, Lotus Cobra, Path to Exile the birds, Explore, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland, Explore, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland. NICOL BOLAS That right there is how you can make someone stop playing Magic for ever, the only problem i have found is that the second turn Bolas requires exactly 11 cards, so you have to go second, and you have to draw fetchlands off of your Explores. can anyone name a card that removes Nicol Bolas for 2 mana? the only 1 i can think of is Vampire Hexmage, so as long as your not versing vampires or mbc then the game is in the bag.
ps: the chance of having the exact 7 spells and drawing 3 fetchlands and a forest or 4 fetchlands is about 1 in 20, so good luck :)
@Ezenthar, yes you're correct, as I found out the hard way. turns out, Oblivion Ring does a nasty job of him too. I dropped Nicol Bolas about turn 5 and stole his Baneslayer, next turn, he O'ringed both. WTF.
NeoSin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I got mine, trying to find a way to put him in Grixis Control type situation, with creatures that will make my opponent fear trying to attack him.
stille_nacht
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
sorry about my brother's comment, hes sort of new but thinks he is great..... ive removed it.....
about this card, really strong, costs a lot though, ive got to say, even with five, theres always that danger that it dies.
KrisKross
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Because of his effect - 4.5/5 Because hes F%@#n Nicol Bolas? - 5/5
greenandblack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
every time I open a conflux pack i hope for this more then anything, really.
DeathDark
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The anti-planeswalker planeswalker.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey since we made Nicol a Planeswalker, why not Phage?
Phage the Untouchable (3)BBBB Comes with 5 +1 Pay 2 life, This life loss cannot be reduced or redirected -2 Remove target creature from the game -8 Target opponet Looses the game
McThor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sigh. This guy is ridiculously amazing, but the only time I've ever gotten him out is when I'm already about to win.
persecutor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Great planeswalker, but bad in block no Grixis accelerators
Gilder_Bairn
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Did you know that once you play the planeswalker, then you put their loyalty counters on them? So if you play... say... doubling season a turn before... He comes into play with 10 counters. And you can just jump straight to his ultimate. And considering G has the best cards for manafixing, it should be no problem to get to his color cost.
Have a nice day.
RafiqTheMiststalker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He destroys sorceries? Good one, hardstones.
mdakw576
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
a 1 or 2 of in grixis (may be sideboard) in case the game lasts very long. Remember, cruel is 7 mana and this is 8, so chances are if the game is still going on strong even after you cruel them once, there's no real problem to drop nicol bolas on the field.
Ladnarud
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Lol... all those Timmys out there raving about Bolas make me facepalm.
Good planeswalker though if you have the mana for him and the resources to protect and use him.
raverboy1123
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
so much fun to have both this card and the clasic nikol bolas in play at the same time but on another note mister gregory why is he not holding a book?
opinionfailure
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(11 votes)
@Ladnarud: We could all go on and on talking about how this card falls to card A,B,C etc... We all know that, THAT IS THE POINT OF MAGIC!!!! Every card in magic has some sort of way to defeat it, we all know this. I can't stand people you just post comments for a card saying "Oh this card sucks because it dies to 1,000 removal spells." SO DOES EVERY CARD IN MAGIC!!!!!! That is what makes this game so great. There are no perfect strategies, there is always a way around your opponenets threats and there will always be ways for your opponenet to get around your threats. Thats why we all love playing magic, its ever-evolving and you must always be ready to problem-solve and to think outside of the box.
slaveofbolas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
new comment, ok so i was playing with my nicol's wish deck, and my friend summoned emrakul, and i was like f**k but then i remembered that i had a wish left and nicol on my top of deck so i let him attack chumped block with a sage and got rid of everyting else i didnt need then i wished and got nicol bolas out took control of the emrakul and turned the tables for the win.
PhyrexianLobbiest
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you're playing U, B, R then you're probably running a pretty nasty Control Burn deck. With a deck like that, and enough manna on the board to summon him, if you don't already have the game locked Bolas mocks you.
raegbund
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"The Spike in me shudders at the cost, but the Timmy in me punches him out in exultation." XD thats hilarious. He really is great. First time i saw him and i wanted to make a grixis deck right away.
Enchantment_Removal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The planeswalker for players who hate planeswalkers.
Players who run rampant with planeswalkers don't play this guy- he's too expensive.
I think he is fair and adequately costed..... unlike most of the others.
Very powerful, very expensive, very easy to kill with cards like Vampire Hexmage.
Ruminite436
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
POWERFUL, but appropriately costed.
UndecidedLetter
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Opened up a Conflux booster and got a foil of this... Best card I have in my opinion. Used it on a friend and used the ultimate when he had exactly seven permanents out. Sigh...so much fun...Yes, that is what describes this card, in my opinion, fun...yet utterly broken, just like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn...and Black Lotus...and Storm Crow.
Elder_Kraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great control, great defense, gives you instant options. Cool style. I'm using him in a Superfriends-style multi-player Sopranos deck with him as the mob boss, the 1st Chandra, Liliana, Tezzeret and Sorin. With mana acceleration and/or Tezzeret with artifact lands to pull out of the deck or untap lands, he'll come out quickly enough to be useful after a Damnation clears the air and give top-cover for the other Planeswalkers to do their thing. Just a brutal card, so looking forward to using him in conjunction with Sorin and Co.
I understand the hexmage weakness, but with some prudent planning, you should be able to keep him in play (hexmage is one of the few things that can kill him, so worth planning for.) Just a thought.
JaxsonBateman
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Oh lord how I wish he was cheaper... having said that, he's an absolute dynamo. Almost makes me want to work on a long game Grixis control deck just so I have the chance to use him more.
Thy_Eggman
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Seems like the art displayed here is incorrect. His right-hand wingtip would be outside the art frame, no?
Kernkraft
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
One of the best things about this card is how it says "seven permanents"...including planeswalkers. It adds a lot to the flavour and idea that this guy has been the pimp of almost every planeswalker in the game...
lordof1000mimes
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(9 votes)
If the game is at a point where a player can produce 8 mana out in 3 colors, none of which is green, and you can't muster some kind of answer to this in the next two turns, you deserve to take his ultimate in the face. He's damn powerful, but anything at that cost will be a force to be reckoned with and if you're not dropping your own bombs by then, you're probably going to lose anyway.
LarsBM
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
5/5 for style and awesomeness alone. The extreme cost means you cant get him out until very late and by then your oppoent(s) probably have an answer for him. But if not, they're in real trouble.
anyway. A case of 'if you can get it out you win' vs Mana cost. With Nicol Bolas. Playing=Winning. With Jace, Your put well on the way. And for half the mana.
All in all. 5/5 just for the fact he is mother duckin' Nicol Bolas
Bursama
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(12 votes)
Whenever I play Nicol Bolas, it end my opponents giving up the game. 75% of the time. The final ability reads: Destroy target opponent. He/She can't be regenerated.
"-plays Nicol Bolas- Do you concede or do I have to make you suffer?" "Nah I'm good. In the 8 turns it took you to cast that mofo I was just waiting to Tendrils you."
A combogasm proceeds, and you feel stupid for playing an overcosted linear card that isn't "GAME-WINNING" like Tezzeret is with Time Vault.
GG!
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Yeah He's A BadAss. Destroys O-Rings Other Planeswalkers, Man-Lands, Mindslavers, And Honor Of the Pures. And He Steals Your Baneslayer Like A 10 Dollar Trick
Nicol3olas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It scares me to see that this card has dropped from a $40 price tag to around $11.
knightwalker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My current alternate win condition in my favorite deck. First and third abilities work verrrry well with prince of thralls, and they even happen to have the same cmc. Surprise!
Superllama12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Definitely my fave planeswalker EVAH from a favorite block (my faves are Alara and Zendikar, too bad I only recently started buying booster packs)
Kamidii
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(11 votes)
Words can't describe it.
desolation_masticore
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
This card is rated over JtMS for good reason, the people who like him love his flavor, his fatness, and his overall awesome presence. People who like JtMS like winning, and don't really care for the costs or the cards. The people who enjoy the game don't enjoy JtMS being as common as islands and swamps.
SolidSoldier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing and powerful in every right. Whenever he hits the field, he's like a wrecking ball. And if you don't take care of him quickly, he'll murder your face. Won't ever see constructed play, but I love to play him in EDH at the very least.
IMO the BEST planeswalker. He axes other Planeswalkers immediately (bye bye big Jace) and his ultimatum sets your opponent so far back that by the time they recover you got him ready to do it again (assuming you pumped him past 9). Far better than Jace in so many ways
KingCody77
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
why i love grixis
NoobOfLore
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
This guy can guarantee you a three-card advantage when he hits the field, even if your opponent has Planeswalker removal handy.
If they don't, they lose in three turns. Pretty straightforward.
ninjaman98
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In my opinion, the best planeswalker out there
dragonking987
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(12 votes)
I would like to thank Eight-and-a-Half-Tails for not letting this card rape my face every time it comes out.
Hard to get out there, but once it does... "opponent go boom."
BlackAlbino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
+3 pseudo vindicate, that's enough -2 mind control, ok we get it he's a sexy beast -9 cruel ultimatum on steroids, WTF? as if the regular one wasn't game ending enough.
Seriously, +3 pseudo vindicate, that's all that's needed.
But with tht cost I'll stick w/ master T + spine of ish sah
cathode01
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Be careful of cards like Reroute. Your opponent could reroute the ultimate to target you instead. That would suck. Stifle or Trickbind will also be really really painful. Adding or removing loyalty counters is paid as a cost, so if the ability is countered you still lose (or gain) the loyalty counters.
divine_exodus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The foil makes it look so much better than if it didn't have any.
bassok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
the most hated card in my prismatic deck, just beats out, Emrakul, Stormtide, and Platinum Emperion
AppleButter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I added him to my deck that allredy had tezzeret, agent of bolas and now I can destroy any deck that comes in my way.
1. since some artifact deck abuses the 0 cmc artifacts, it will not harm sarkhan as much with his 0 ability 2. artifact with their charge counters and +1/+1 counters and planes walker's loyalty counters. I believe proliferate goes here. ;3
but I am not familiar with artifact decks... :(
well, it is a thought~
Scrubs91
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I felt like a bad person the other day.. I had Nicol Bolas, Sorin Markov, Ajani Goldmane, Progenitus and a 48/48 Apocalypse Hydra on the field... and my opponent had 4 swamps and a 0/1 moth..
WateryMind
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"Thats a nice everything you have there... Shame if anything happened to it..."
Come on, its Nicol Bolos! He blows shit up like a boss! You think I'm kidding? His +3 ability should read "Blow up a plane."
Ninjazilla
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
what could possibly be cooler than a dragon planeswalker?
EpitomeOfEvilness
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(20 votes)
Did anybody else notice is mana cost is UBBR? (Uber)
ZeroSheep
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Kamidii But...isn't that what words do?
MechaKraken
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This is the reason every player using black should consider Vampire Hexmage in their decks.
SgtSwaggr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The primere antagonist of Magic the Gathering, of all time.
Mana cost aside, I beleive this is the most powerful card of any Magic card ever printed.
.hack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the one card more powerful than Storm Crow...
conicsonic5
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@marmaris74 Vampire Hexmage's sacrifice ability removes all counters from a permanent. Planeswalker's "life" (loyalty) is shown through counters. Sac Vampire Hexmage -> all counters removed -> dead planeswalker.
netog121
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I pulled this from a Conflux pack and gave it to my little brother because he had the Grixis deck, I regret giving it to him because I lose to it 99% of the time:(
Axelle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why does he have 5 starting loyalty? Nicol Bolas is loyal to no one. But himself.
I wanna put this guy in my grixis deck, but at 8 mana I just don't have a spot for him... :( maybe I'll take out Malfegor, this guy's lackey, so I can put him in
FullMetal1988
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(4 votes)
@mtear
Yes, everyone is going to be playing this in competitive legacy. O_o
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
@Axelle- he's got the same loyalty as Vess, for the same reason- you can buy his loyalty. he's not just a mindless savage evil that tries to destroy everybody. He's much more devious than that. He's the ultimate Chessmaster- he's everybody's ally, and he cackles with glee as his pawns kill each other off on his orders, for his personal amusement. There's not much left interesting for him to do, being All Powerful. Further more, Loyalty is a combination of alignment and toughness- 5 is the minimum I would accept. He shrugs off Bolts, and even a Lava Axe isn't particularly disturbing if you remembered to Strip Mine them when he comes out.
Compare this guy's mana-cost to power ratio with Progenitus' or Emrakul's. Emrakul may actually be stronger than Bolas, but only at TWICE the mana! Progenitus dies very badly to both. Nothing has 'protection from sacrifice'!
NuckChorris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So there's going to be an Ajani vs Bolas duel deck in September. I wonder who would win.
CrowJonSnow
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
definitely a great card, but i don't think he's the best planeswalker; for one, i find his mana cost to be a big bump to get over. the different colors, one of them double, and 4 of any other. a bit hard to hard cast, and i can't think of anything off the top of my head that can get around that.
his first ability is insane in the sense that is can kill any other planeswalker, and any supporting cards your opponent has. if, however, your opponent has a ton of creatures out, nicol can't do a whole lot. his second is good, but you probably won't use it as much as the first and last. still good though.
his third is, more often than not, a game changer, but not all the time. the seven damage isn't a huge deal, since he seems to fit a UB deck more, and those aren't big on burn. the seven permanents is a big deal and can easily clear your field. even if you only sac seven lands, you're now down by a huge land amount. seven discard is also great, but if you have a great field, it's not a huge deal.
he is a great planeswalker, but i think his mana cost is a bit crazy. however, he fits his colors very well; his first ability is black, his second is blue, and his third is a combo of all three (UBR).
4/5
pedrodyl
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(7 votes)
I was gonna rate him 4/5 cause anything that costs 8 mana, four of which are specific, should own the game anyway, but then I gave it 4.5 cause it's fuckin Nicol Bolas
LuminOfMoonlight
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Ajani Vs. Bolas tells me that there will be a HUGE drop in the price for this card. EVERY Walker Vs. Walker set has the two walkers in them. So this guy will probably get his value HALVED on sept. 2nd.
Kontrah
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I may be setting myself up for a facepalm here. Not sure if this means anything, but Nicol Bolas is the only Planeswalker not referred to by his first name in the card type.
You have "Planeswalker - Nissa/Ajani/Jace/Chandra/etc." but in this case it's Planeswalker - Bolas.
Maybe Nicol is too epic to refer to merely by first name.
EDIT: Just read a bit of Wiki on Nic here. Turns out he is so epic, he survives (wins?) a duel against his OWN mirror image? Beat that Chuck Norris... planeswalking > karate
Xilinoc
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Alright, let me put it this way.
This is Nicol Bolas' power level after tens of thousands of years.
He even admits he's weak, and so is trying to absorb the energy of the Conflux.
Now, imagine him after getting back his full strength.
Still think this is overpowered?
Kura-san
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In a Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker deck, you'd want a playset of Nightscape Familiars. Why? Because each has the ability to make blue and red spells 1 colorless mana less to play, but it doesn't stack on UR cards. However, the ability stacks with multiple Nightscape Familiars. So, with one out, Bolas' CMC becomes 7. Another one and it's 6. With a bit of luck, a rite of replication, or other copy creators, Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker could have a CMC of 4.
RedAtrocitus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It says something when my only complaint is that, after I make my opponent sacrifice 7 permanents, he doesn't have anything left for me to target for +3 and I have to turn on my own permanents. Maybe not the greatest card ever, but still one of my favorites.
Toquinha1977
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've been slowly building a Nicol Bolas EDH deck...and joy of joys, this card doesn't cause it to violate the Planeswalker OR Legendary rules.
Voriki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What he doesn't destroy, he takes. What he can't take, he makes suffer.
When faced with those that are like him, he ends them.
Power incarnate and the best villain in Magic that released world-eaters and corrupted minds: Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker.
Favorite planeswalker hands down. Still can't get over the fact that he's the only one that can kill another planeswalker so directly.
His plus ability kills planeswalkers. You don't $!@& with Bolas.
WarioMan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a highly convoluted deck that revolves around him. It runs 4 Bolas, Sheoldred, Whispering One, 2 Crosis, the Purger, Lotus Blooms and the rest is land destruction/bounce and creature removal. It consistently gets Bolas out on turn 4 with my opponents sitting on 1 or 2 lands. Bolas comes out and makes sure it stays that way. Buying 4 Bolas was well worth it, I love that deck so much.
5/5 for being able to constantly winning games entirely on its own. He's also my favorite planeswalker.
WILL0W
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There are ways of getting him out early game. 4th turn is pretty standard, but 3rd is a bit of a challenge.
Purple_Shrimp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
stomr crow xD
edit: The joke is that Storm Crow is not a very good card
Gako
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Tell him you like his hat.
icanhazownge
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i have a question about his second ability. my friend claims that just because emrakul can't be the target of spells that i cannot take control of emrakul with nicol bolas' -2 ability. i claim that yes emrakul can't be the target of spells, it can be the target of abilities such as royal assassin or nicol bolas -2 ability
KokoshoForPresident
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, why exactly does the most powerful planeswalker in mtg have a girl's name? I realize it doesn't have the e, so it's not nicole, but it sounds the same. x)
Seriously, though, I love this card. The other day, he single-handedly won me the game (along with stabwhisker the odious, but he stole that with his -2). He's just brutal. I love to play planeswalkers like this guy that can hold their own.
You just don't mess with Nicol Bolas.
And by the way, Icanhazownge, you can take Emrakul because it has protection from spells and not abilities. You were absolutely right.
mlanier131
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nicol bolas can target emrakul since nicol bolas is not a spell after it enters the battlefield. The same with royal assassin.
Scormio
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
He doesn't need some lame tagline like "Knight-Errant" or "Mind Sculptor". He is THE "Planeswalker".
JackTheStripper
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Okay. I will now teach you how to have a thing of beauty. Nicol bolas, elder dragon, wielding nicol bolas, planeswalker. Get them both on the battlefield, and hold off on winning for a few turns. Play mycosynth lattice, then play bludgeon brawl. Equip nicol bolas, planeswalker to nicol bolas, then attack for (presumably) lethal damage. If that wasn't lethal, pop of the planeswalkers ult. Laugh maniacally.
tankthebest
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@marmaris74
The same way the Hexmage can single-handedly release something as huge and powerful as Marit Lage (see Dark Depths).
the_sixth_degree
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
13/7/2012. He's coming.
DragonsRCool
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@marmaris74
Well I believe from a flavor perspective the planeswalkers are summoned to help you out and when they have no loyalty they just leave. So vampire hexmage is doing something to make Bolas want to leave. So maybe she smells really bad, makes an irritating sound or something I don't know.
Zoah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I remember the first time I saw someone play this card. He played the plainswalker, stole my Ertie, wizard adept and ended his turn. I took my turn, Confiscateed Nico, and used him to steal my Ertie back. I ended the game shortly there after. (Me stealing the most expensive planswalker in the game sent me on a power trip of a week)
Ironically, I later got the card from him, so I now own it. (Thought he didn't need it after he got Jace, the Mind Sculptor, though I still had to trade half a deck for it).
I will admit, he is harder to summon than I thought. Although, I did underestimate his ultimate; the first time I got him out I used it. This left my opponent with an empty hand, two lands left on the field, and Zero life. (Another week long power trip)
So at any rate, His plus ability is nice, at worst, it disarms your opponent by killing his lands. At best, he just ate your opponent's with twelve loyalty counters (It's only a matter of time). That, and he gets plus three loyalty, more than his minus ability costs.
Another fun thing about him is that he has flexibility. With Espeth or the Elf lady you have one direction: the ultimate. With this guy on the other hand... Yes, you can shoot for the ultimate, but it's also quite satisfying to just sit there and have him eat all of your opponent's lands while snagging a creature every other turn.
Edit: @ConicSonic5 I understand how he can do it according to the rules. I was wondering, from a flavor perspective, how a tiny vampire would ever hold up to the most powerful planeswalker there is. To me, it seems strange that someone so small would be able to take this guy down.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Apparently Vampire Hexmage has got plot points oozing from her tramp stamp to tackle baddies like thos gentleman. And releasing Marit Lage.
TheWallinator74
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
All Planeswalkers shall kneel before the omnipotent Lord Bolas.
If you would so foolishly choose not to, then your very existence is hereby forfeit, as Lord Bolas has no need for those who would defy his insurmountable might.
@marmaris - Somehow she destroys the loyalty that Nicol has in the opposing planeswalker (perhaps treacherous whispers in his ear?).
Waven
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
8 mana to win...heu...wtf Wizard XD
gman92
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He wins games singlehandedly if you cast him from a position of control (and really, in , are you ever not in a position of control?). I've seen so many games go T7: Opponent casts fattie. I let it resolve and opponent is all like "0_0" T8: I cast Bolas, steal fattie to use as a blocker. T9 and on: Put the hurt on with Land D, artifact/enchantment removal, and a devastating ultimate that he can pull off in just a few turns.
Amazing card; my favorite Planeswalker.
Rikiaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nicol Bolas is the perfect planeswalker card, big mana cost, ends games, and big and flashy abilities without being overpowered.
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have this card in my Nicol Bolas Commander deck. Nothing like playing one and then the other. ^.^
BowbeforeZod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He is the king! my favorite plane walker of all time. If you guys haven't already, you should look up his back story, its pretty cool....but anyways, I have a deck using this guy and let me tell you, when hes out, your opponent poops in their pants. Even if they have removal, they still poop, that is how badas$ he is!
The_Murderauder
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Goatllama: Made my day. Thank you.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I kinda want to make a deck that pretends to be Storm but then just uses this guy. 2x Lion's Eye Diamond + Dark Ritual gets him Turn 1
Also, mono-black enchantment/artifact destruction with Morgue Toad ;)
Yodha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh god, the -7 is like Annihilator on steroids. In that case, why didn't Nicol Bolas attack the Eldrazi head on? He would surely win against Ulamog and Kozilek. And team up with Sorin Markov just to beat Emrakul...
Bluecraney
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
can you have the planes walker and the creature on the field? if so OH GOD!!!!
MizziumSculptor444
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He's not the best planeswalker. In fact, when you're talking about pure efficiency, he's the worst in the game.
Keep in mind that only Lilliana 2.0 and Jace the Game Breaker even come CLOSE to the raw power that this card gives you. Jace and Lilliana mess with your opponent and manipulate them over the course of the game. Bolas just douses your opponent with hot sauce and eats him.
Juven
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is so scary that i rarely win due to the actual effect of his abilities, but rather because of my opponents gives up instead.
I might get off the ultimate only in 10% of the games, but I win regardless. He is just that strong!
SauceyCoffee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Such an amazing card. I always hesitate not making EDH decks out of grixis, being that I'm a Naya fanboy just for this. Ever since my turn 0 win playing this on a reality shaping on the first planechase card :3
Belgarath123
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh, I just love this card. In my Bant ramp, I just use wargate on turn five, or if I use my Fertile Ground and Arbor Elf shenanigans, then I can cast him T4, lolz. Oh, and I have a hard time remembering when someone actually recovered when I did that in 1v1.
when a creature is attacking me can i choose to take the damage to myself instead of the planes-walker.my opponent is always trying to say that i have to take the damage to the planes-walker before i can choose to take the life points away
Comments (184)
And also it is a small chance that you will find that mana cost.
try and work on a combo to increase the loyalty counters quickly, for example, gilder bairn: destroy something on Nicol's first turn out, then second turn, find a way to tap gilder bairn and find 2U to untap it and double the 8 counters on Nicol, he now has 16 and can unleash his master ability with 7 counters left, but why stop there, what was good once is good again right? whatever you used to tap gilder bairn before, use again, then another 2U and Nicol is at 32, 3 straight turns to activate Nicol's master ability, even with some damage and gilder bairn being knocked out (your opponent is a fool if he lets this combo continue beyond 1 turn)
1. Faiths fetters bolas
2. clear out your opponents defenses with your big creatures, you've had time to play them becasue of bolas's high cost
3. kill bolas with your creatures, you shouldnt have taken too much damage from him at this point
4. if you have a planeswalker, play it (if you dont have one skip this step)
5. move on to your opponent for the win
My recomendation is use the divine deck (in duel decks "divine vs. demonic") and add in ajani goldmane and/or elspeth (both planeswalkers) if you have them. You might want to take out one charging paladin and then, if your adding a second card, angelic protector. akroma hurts bad, good for killing bolas. do this and bolas wont provide you with any trouble. the only thing is your way, is getting faith's fetters or the divine deck :P.
I just wish I didn't have such a hard time getting this card :P
edit: I just got the card online :-)
Come to think of it, Bolas is a bit better than Ajani Vengeant in that with his +3 ability, you can kill the opponent's lands one by one, then, if and when you unleash the ultimate, they will be somewhat hard pressed to decide which 7 permanents they will sacrifice, b/c no matter if they sacrifice more creatures and/or other permanents than land permanents, they will already be low on lands due to your bit of destruction you did to their mana pool. then you just keep killing their lands and repeat, it's quite crippling to any deck constructed with cards from the Alara block in general.
The only diff btw Bolas and Ajani Vengeant as far as land destruction is that pulling of Ajani's ultimate will wipe out the opponent's mana pool entirely in one turn, vs. Bolas would be one per turn, however land destruction is happening as Bolas grows in power, then in the longer run, they have an even harder time coming back b/c their choice of permanents to sacrifice during the ultimate effect is way too difficult, and as their mana pool shrinks from destruction, the chances of Bolas being tripped up by some spell decreases, whereas Ajani can be more at risk.
*edit 2* I have 2 Maelstrom Archangels now and they sometimes win me the game very fast b/c I'll either have followed it up with Progenitus, or a planeswalker like said card here. Then again, Mindwrack Liege also does the job for all your expensive red and blue creatures besides Progenitus.
Any control deck that runs Grixis colors should run at least one copy of this guy. He's an excellent finisher, especially against the midrange decks that are dominating the meta. If you drop this guy, you will win unless your opponent manages to find an answer very quickly.
The mana is actually a little bit better than Cruel Ultimatum in a lot of decks, so I don't know why people complain about that so much. You're certainly getting enough bang for your buck.
He will win you the game if you ever get him into play, though.
okok, you're right: 8 mana is a kick in the darn, but well, get this guy into the battlefield and ask gentlemanly to your opponent "do you concede or do I have to make you suffer?".
Another good point is the non-Nicol Bolas elder dragon-cost (2UUBBRR); but its main problem is that it joins the battle too late, beside that this thing alone can handle your foe whole deck.
Seriously, he's the most lethal and most expensive planeswalker ever. He kills stuff, ssteasls creatures, and then uses Cruel Ultimatum on an opponent.
Like uber but with an extra black mana.
Card made for atmosfere
This guy is more difficult to use and less effective in the immediate sense anyways!
-He answers Baneslayer Angel. How? By making your opponent answer it. This is also true for any non-shroud creature in general; he answers any creature threat the best way possible; by shifting the pressure right to your opponent. This often turns the tide of the entire game. Have you ever taken a Baneslayer? Even if it just got hit by Path to Exile, that's in theory a 3-card tempo swing; your opponent loses their Baneslayer and their removal spell, and you get a land! And Nicol Bolas is still alive (though in Lightning Bolt range, sadly)
-He's great in a match against any Control deck, specifically Cruel Control, as it keeps the lands in check so the opponent can't cast Cruel for the rest of the game, provided the opponent doesn't have Crumbling Necropolis with the rest of the mana that can cast it.
-He also wrecks Jund's frail manabase by attacking it. Sadly, this is the only thing he offers against Jund before Maelstrom Pulse just makes it go kasplat.
-He kills other Planeswalkers. Dead.
-His ultimate. Enough said.
I love him to pieces. He's my absolute favorite Planeswalker ever. :D
o yes,nicol bolas, lord of hasbro is really cool.and is very cheap to buy
Please tell me someone else here plays Mass Effect 2
Awesome card. 5/5
@ArKive: Celestial Purge will do the trick for 2 mana (I've used it on friend's Sarkhans and Ajani Vengeants before :P)
Turn 1
Forest, Birds of Paradise
Turn 2
Lotus Cobra, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland, Lotus Cobra, Path to Exile the birds, Explore, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland, Explore, Fetchland, Sac Fetchland. NICOL BOLAS
That right there is how you can make someone stop playing Magic for ever, the only problem i have found is that the second turn Bolas requires exactly 11 cards, so you have to go second, and you have to draw fetchlands off of your Explores.
can anyone name a card that removes Nicol Bolas for 2 mana? the only 1 i can think of is Vampire Hexmage, so as long as your not versing vampires or mbc then the game is in the bag.
ps: the chance of having the exact 7 spells and drawing 3 fetchlands and a forest or 4 fetchlands is about 1 in 20, so good luck :)
@Ezenthar, yes you're correct, as I found out the hard way. turns out, Oblivion Ring does a nasty job of him too. I dropped Nicol Bolas about turn 5 and stole his Baneslayer, next turn, he O'ringed both.
WTF.
about this card, really strong, costs a lot though, ive got to say, even with five, theres always that danger that it dies.
Because hes F%@#n Nicol Bolas? - 5/5
Phage the Untouchable (3)BBBB
Comes with 5
+1 Pay 2 life, This life loss cannot be reduced or redirected
-2 Remove target creature from the game
-8 Target opponet Looses the game
Have a nice day.
Vindicate. Vampire Hexmage. Commandeer. Willbender his +3 ability to himself. Even a Lightning Bolt if you're stupid enough to use his -2 ability the turn he comes out.
Good planeswalker though if you have the mana for him and the resources to protect and use him.
Players who run rampant with planeswalkers don't play this guy- he's too expensive.
I think he is fair and adequately costed..... unlike most of the others.
I understand the hexmage weakness, but with some prudent planning, you should be able to keep him in play (hexmage is one of the few things that can kill him, so worth planning for.) Just a thought.
anyway. A case of 'if you can get it out you win' vs Mana cost. With Nicol Bolas. Playing=Winning. With Jace, Your put well on the way. And for half the mana.
All in all. 5/5 just for the fact he is mother duckin' Nicol Bolas
The final ability reads: Destroy target opponent. He/She can't be regenerated.
"-plays Nicol Bolas- Do you concede or do I have to make you suffer?" "Nah I'm good. In the 8 turns it took you to cast that mofo I was just waiting to Tendrils you."
A combogasm proceeds, and you feel stupid for playing an overcosted linear card that isn't "GAME-WINNING" like Tezzeret is with Time Vault.
GG!
If they don't, they lose in three turns. Pretty straightforward.
-2 mind control, ok we get it he's a sexy beast
-9 cruel ultimatum on steroids, WTF? as if the regular one wasn't game ending enough.
Seriously, +3 pseudo vindicate, that's all that's needed.
But with tht cost I'll stick w/ master T + spine of ish sah
/\
~:>-O=< <-Chiken
V
I wanna make an grixis artifact deck!!!
go go bolas themed deck!
possible interactions:
1. since some artifact deck abuses the 0 cmc artifacts, it will not harm sarkhan as much with his 0 ability
2. artifact with their charge counters and +1/+1 counters and planes walker's loyalty counters. I believe proliferate goes here. ;3
but I am not familiar with artifact decks... :(
well, it is a thought~
Come on, its Nicol Bolos! He blows shit up like a boss! You think I'm kidding? His +3 ability should read "Blow up a plane."
Mana cost aside, I beleive this is the most powerful card of any Magic card ever printed.
You gonn' die.
Yes, everyone is going to be playing this in competitive legacy. O_o
Compare this guy's mana-cost to power ratio with Progenitus' or Emrakul's. Emrakul may actually be stronger than Bolas, but only at TWICE the mana! Progenitus dies very badly to both. Nothing has 'protection from sacrifice'!
for one, i find his mana cost to be a big bump to get over. the different colors, one of them double, and 4 of any other. a bit hard to hard cast, and i can't think of anything off the top of my head that can get around that.
his first ability is insane in the sense that is can kill any other planeswalker, and any supporting cards your opponent has. if, however, your opponent has a ton of creatures out, nicol can't do a whole lot.
his second is good, but you probably won't use it as much as the first and last. still good though.
his third is, more often than not, a game changer, but not all the time. the seven damage isn't a huge deal, since he seems to fit a UB deck more, and those aren't big on burn.
the seven permanents is a big deal and can easily clear your field. even if you only sac seven lands, you're now down by a huge land amount. seven discard is also great, but if you have a great field, it's not a huge deal.
he is a great planeswalker, but i think his mana cost is a bit crazy. however, he fits his colors very well;
his first ability is black, his second is blue, and his third is a combo of all three (UBR).
4/5
You have "Planeswalker - Nissa/Ajani/Jace/Chandra/etc." but in this case it's Planeswalker - Bolas.
Maybe Nicol is too epic to refer to merely by first name.
EDIT: Just read a bit of Wiki on Nic here. Turns out he is so epic, he survives (wins?) a duel against his OWN mirror image? Beat that Chuck Norris... planeswalking > karate
This is Nicol Bolas' power level after tens of thousands of years.
He even admits he's weak, and so is trying to absorb the energy of the Conflux.
Now, imagine him after getting back his full strength.
Still think this is overpowered?
What he can't take, he makes suffer.
When faced with those that are like him, he ends them.
Power incarnate and the best villain in Magic that released world-eaters and corrupted minds: Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker.
Favorite planeswalker hands down. Still can't get over the fact that he's the only one that can kill another planeswalker so directly.
@htgtmd
he may not kill it, but he can take it
5/5 for being able to constantly winning games entirely on its own. He's also my favorite planeswalker.
edit: The joke is that Storm Crow is not a very good card
my friend claims that just because emrakul can't be the target of spells that i cannot take control of emrakul with nicol bolas' -2 ability.
i claim that yes emrakul can't be the target of spells, it can be the target of abilities such as royal assassin or nicol bolas -2 ability
Seriously, though, I love this card. The other day, he single-handedly won me the game (along with stabwhisker the odious, but he stole that with his -2). He's just brutal. I love to play planeswalkers like this guy that can hold their own.
You just don't mess with Nicol Bolas.
And by the way, Icanhazownge, you can take Emrakul because it has protection from spells and not abilities. You were absolutely right.
The same way the Hexmage can single-handedly release something as huge and powerful as Marit Lage (see Dark Depths).
He's coming.
Well I believe from a flavor perspective the planeswalkers are summoned to help you out and when they have no loyalty they just leave. So vampire hexmage is doing something to make Bolas want to leave. So maybe she smells really bad, makes an irritating sound or something I don't know.
Ironically, I later got the card from him, so I now own it. (Thought he didn't need it after he got Jace, the Mind Sculptor, though I still had to trade half a deck for it).
I will admit, he is harder to summon than I thought. Although, I did underestimate his ultimate; the first time I got him out I used it. This left my opponent with an empty hand, two lands left on the field, and Zero life. (Another week long power trip)
So at any rate, His plus ability is nice, at worst, it disarms your opponent by killing his lands. At best, he just ate your opponent's with twelve loyalty counters (It's only a matter of time). That, and he gets plus three loyalty, more than his minus ability costs.
Another fun thing about him is that he has flexibility. With Espeth or the Elf lady you have one direction: the ultimate. With this guy on the other hand... Yes, you can shoot for the ultimate, but it's also quite satisfying to just sit there and have him eat all of your opponent's lands while snagging a creature every other turn.
Edit: @ConicSonic5
I understand how he can do it according to the rules. I was wondering, from a flavor perspective, how a tiny vampire would ever hold up to the most powerful planeswalker there is. To me, it seems strange that someone so small would be able to take this guy down.
If you would so foolishly choose not to, then your very existence is hereby forfeit, as Lord Bolas has no need for those who would defy his insurmountable might.
So make like Sarkhan the Mad and Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. Join the legions of Lord Bolas.
T7: Opponent casts fattie. I let it resolve and opponent is all like "0_0"
T8: I cast Bolas, steal fattie to use as a blocker.
T9 and on: Put the hurt on with Land D, artifact/enchantment removal, and a devastating ultimate that he can pull off in just a few turns.
Amazing card; my favorite Planeswalker.
2x Lion's Eye Diamond + Dark Ritual gets him Turn 1
Also, mono-black enchantment/artifact destruction with Morgue Toad ;)
Keep in mind that only Lilliana 2.0 and Jace the Game Breaker even come CLOSE to the raw power that this card gives you. Jace and Lilliana mess with your opponent and manipulate them over the course of the game. Bolas just douses your opponent with hot sauce and eats him.
I might get off the ultimate only in 10% of the games, but I win regardless. He is just that strong!