Pointed Discussion

This is a great common, very strong in limited and a good chance you'll be able to get your hands on at least one if you're runnign white.

this is sick....i hate white...i mean soldiers that kill aveything .....now w tap what more they could give them

not the greatest mana cost for it's effect. similar to a pacifism, but requires a W every turn for that. Not arguing, this is amazing in limited play, especially in draft (multiples of these, assasinate, royal assasin, etc.) maybe not so much in standard though. 3.5/5

Blinding Mage and Royal A.ssas.sin: best friends for life.

I like the tension that cards like this create in deck building. This or Pacifism?

Pacifism:
* Stops only attacking/blocking creatures.
* Takes out the best creature they have at the time you play it.
* No additional costs.
* Not easily removed.
* If removed, could seriously hurt you due to the surprise (eg. resulting in an unexpected blocker or attacker).
* No use against non-creature decks, as a chump-blocker, an extra 1/1 damage in a final swing, etc.

Blinding Mage:
* Stops attacking/blocking creatures.
* Stops creatures from using tapping abilities that can only be used as a sorcery, etc.
* Often stops creatures from using tapping abilities that have a mana cost by forcing a 'use it now or lose it' decision on the controller.
* Takes out the best creature they have at ANY time.
* When ready to 'swing for the win' you can use it to take out TWO creatures (tap one at the end of their turn, then tap another during your turn)
* Additional cost of W each use.
* Very easily removed.
* If removed, no real chance of a major surprise.
* Is a 1/1 creature if you absolutely need one.

A lot of subtle differences to consider that really make it an interesting decision.

@beyondmalachi: He's not a 1/1 creature. This is just Master Decoy with a different name. It's a little more versatile than Pacifism, so I guess I'd pick this guy over the aura.

It makes much more sense than master decoy, and most importantly, he isn't riding a zebra.

Huge flavor upgrade on the white tapper.

Rathi Trapper

Goldmeadow Harrier gets the job done where she's legal. This is pathetic compared to her but good in limited.

Oh boy. I always liked Master Decoy, and the flavour behind it, of distracting a creature using plain tactics. I guess everything must be magical in MtG now.

I prefer this over gideon's lawkeeper. Partly for the flavor, partly for the extra toughness, and partly because it feels weird to run planeswalkers companions without their leader.