1/2 for 1 is better than 2/1 for 1 in some situations.
DonRoyale
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Poor Elite Vanguard. Apparently he and Kazandu Blademaster couldn't work it out, so the Blademaster moved on to bigger and better things.
Wait, a 2/3 on turn 2? That just gets bigger? Yeah, if you're wondering why this is uncommon, it's because it can jump right over the curve incredibly fast if you can support it. Like every other Ally out there.
Monowhite Allies might have a chance, and this guy is their ideal 1-drop.
wolfv
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
i like this card for early, mid and late game, he is a very nice card, and i can see a soldier/ally deck being build somewhere
mutantman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
White-based allies could be a force in block. This guy has potential.
RHS
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Totally awesome. He is good enough that I will use him in my soldier deck instead of Elite Vanguard. He is less offensive, but will be much better late-game as he can enable Kazandu Blademaster and himself.
In allies it's just a ton better :)
Mode
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Finally, an Ally one-drop. And even a pretty good one :) It's a a default 1/2 body which grows to a threatening size during the game when you start your first turn with him, and later it's also an amazingly cheap way to trigger off your Allies' abilities.
Definitely a staple card for Ally decks.
Gaussgoat
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Not much to say that hasn't already been said. The guy is a terrific 1 drop in the current block, and has excellent synergy with other white allies. Between him and the Makindi Shieldmate, you're going to have a tough time getting past white's early defenders.
I love the artwork and thematic feel of the card as well; it is very Zendikar.
4/5
DarthMohawk1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Even without any additional Allies, this Freeblade is efficiently priced as a 1/2 for . I could see some kind of monowhite Soldier/Ally hybrid thing working out pretty well -- this turn 1, Kazandu Blademaster turn 2, Makindi Shieldmate turn 3, Join the Ranks turn 4 would be really sick (and also unlikely to go completely unopposed, since your net result is a 5/6, a first strking, vigilant 5/5, a 3/6 defender and two 1/1s).
Layton
★☆☆☆☆ (1.7/5.0)(3 votes)
great card,for near any standard deck that use white
FogRaider: i think you then play VTES,you know,because you want a really strategy game,i love magic,but in all magic history there have been cards like this,and if you hate them,is because you dont know how to play
also vampire deck sucks,because zombies are better and more black than vampires,regardless what a designer saids,vampires were made because of twilight series.
Arglypuff
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Turn 1: Hada Freeblade
Turn 2: Kazandu Blademaster
Turn 3: Makindi Shieldmate
Turn 4: swing with a 3/4 Freeblade and a 3/3 Blademaster, then during declare blockers drop Join the Ranks, and make a 5/6 Freeblade, a 5/5 Blademaster, and a 3/6 Shieldmate.
Cheza
★☆☆☆☆ (1.7/5.0)(8 votes)
The 'ally' ability should have been used instead of 'exalted' for the Bant shard.
This one is another semi-useless card like all the exalted cards (with some green hierarch exceptions). And it's a dumb card, so I don't like it. For me, white weenies shouldn't be neither fast nor large nor come in masses. White creatures should support the 'nearly invincible band of brothers' who aren't really threatening but can win even if outnumbered. Therefore every card should be a specialist for a unique task and every member adds another speciality to the squad and makes it more and more valuable as a team. And therefore the 'ally' ability would fit better to green predators like a pack of wolves.
SorianSadaskan
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This guy ispractically a 1/2 for a White mana. He grows larger in size/power for each allies appearing on his side, so what do any of you need to complain for.
banditpwn1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Naya Allies FTW! Best combo for turn 4-5 win is turn one Freeblade, turn two blade master, turn three evangel, turn four talus paladin, and whatever Ally on turn five WOOT!
Tezz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(4 votes)
they could have made it 0/0...
the-unbeliever
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
@Tezz: No, they couldn't have.
If any creature is ever at zero toughness, it is destroyed. This is a state-based action, meaning it doesn't use the stack, meaning the freeblade would get destroyed before it got its +1/+1 counter. They COULD have made a one-drop ally that started at 1/1 and got +1/+1 with every ally played, but the text would be very wordy and somewhat complicated to follow, as well as being the ONLY ally with text different than "whenever or another ally enters the battlefield..."
Yes, it would have been more balanced, but Wizards is more concerned with making money than game balance, and while game balance helps their marketing, needlessly complicated cards (especially at uncommon) hurts their marketing far more than the SLIGHT imbalance the extra 1 toughness grants this card. When people can't understand what their cards do (and trust me, not everybody who plays magic is a rules whiz like some of you), their interest in the game goes down, thus wizards is less likely to get more money from them.
Being a 1/2 ally is fine. Powerful? Yes. Not necessarily especially cognitive? Sure. Not broken, though. A nice mix of balance, power, and simplicity.
Lunarblade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A 1/2 one drop. Sweet sausages.
SoulShatterer
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Functionally, He's a 1/2 since he triggers his own ability. Good on turn one, and can be useful for a while after that if you have enough allies for him to trigger with.
ddde
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@the-unbeliever: yes, actually, they could have done that and it would not have died. They might have had to change the wording very, very slightl, but would not have had to make a ddrastic change to it like you suggest. For an example of the sort of creature I am talking about that does exactly this see Arcbound Worker.
P-Slice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Don't be a playa hada!
qaq456
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does he/she count her/him self? Just wondering.(I'm m---s posting)
surewhynot
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Obviously this is an amazing card for ally decks, maybe even a staple, but it's also pretty sweet for white weenie soldiers. 4 of him and 4 Kazandu Blademasters work wonders.
redshoesrock
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@qaq456 - yes, his ability counts "himself", meaning that because of his ability when you play him you put a counter on him making him an automatic 1/2 creature.
http404error
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Disgusting. Simply terrible. It's an abomination- and a Soldier!
Artscrafter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@ddde: No, the-unbeliever is right. There's a subtle difference between this card and abilities like modular or graft. Arcbound Worker hits the field with the +1/+1 counter. From the game's perspective, there is never a point in time that it is on the battlefield without a counter. (Triggers that look for creatures with a specific P/T entering the field will even see it as a 1/1.)
By comparison, this has an ability that is triggered when it hits the field. That ability uses the stack, and state-based actions are checked as soon as the ability is on the stack. If it were a 0/0 right then, it would die.
Sure, they could have changed the effect slightly to make it start as a 1/1 in some way, but it would have to be one of the following, all of which are needlessly complicated or inconsistent with how the rest of allies work:
0/0 Enters the field with a +1/+1 counter Whenever another Ally you control, etc.
1/1 Whenever another Ally you control, etc.
0/1 Whenever this or another Ally you control ETB, this becomes 0/0 and put a +1/+1 counter on it.
land_comment
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This goes in my white/black/blue deck.
It has a bunch of Halimar excavators and Jwari Shapeshifters,
My soldier deck has this, Kazandu Blademaster, and Cenn's Tactician. Hada and Kazandu can automatically block 2 creatures each with her on the field. Get multiples and pump your Kazandu up and he can block entire armies without a scratch.
You swing with two 3/1 haste chick and a 6/5 adventurer.
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Althom, Play the Hada Freeblade before the Akoum Battlesinger on turn 3, that way the freeblade gets a counter for next turn.
As a 1/2 for with three relevant tribes, this little guy pulls his weight. If he is your only Ally, it might be a good idea to swap him for Elite Vanguard, but if you are running even one other ally creature, I think this is an obvious include, and the existence of this and Kazandu Blademaster basically assure all ally decks will feature white.
Comments (32)
Wait, a 2/3 on turn 2? That just gets bigger? Yeah, if you're wondering why this is uncommon, it's because it can jump right over the curve incredibly fast if you can support it. Like every other Ally out there.
Monowhite Allies might have a chance, and this guy is their ideal 1-drop.
In allies it's just a ton better :)
And even a pretty good one :)
It's a a default 1/2 body which grows to a threatening size during the game when you start your first turn with him, and later it's also an amazingly cheap way to trigger off your Allies' abilities.
Definitely a staple card for Ally decks.
I love the artwork and thematic feel of the card as well; it is very Zendikar.
4/5
FogRaider: i think you then play VTES,you know,because you want a really strategy game,i love magic,but in all magic history there have been cards like this,and if you hate them,is because you dont know how to play
also vampire deck sucks,because zombies are better and more black than vampires,regardless what a designer saids,vampires were made because of twilight series.
Turn 2: Kazandu Blademaster
Turn 3: Makindi Shieldmate
Turn 4: swing with a 3/4 Freeblade and a 3/3 Blademaster, then during declare blockers drop Join the Ranks, and make a 5/6 Freeblade, a 5/5 Blademaster, and a 3/6 Shieldmate.
This one is another semi-useless card like all the exalted cards (with some green hierarch exceptions). And it's a dumb card, so I don't like it.
For me, white weenies shouldn't be neither fast nor large nor come in masses. White creatures should support the 'nearly invincible band of brothers' who aren't really threatening but can win even if outnumbered. Therefore every card should be a specialist for a unique task and every member adds another speciality to the squad and makes it more and more valuable as a team. And therefore the 'ally' ability would fit better to green predators like a pack of wolves.
If any creature is ever at zero toughness, it is destroyed. This is a state-based action, meaning it doesn't use the stack, meaning the freeblade would get destroyed before it got its +1/+1 counter. They COULD have made a one-drop ally that started at 1/1 and got +1/+1 with every ally played, but the text would be very wordy and somewhat complicated to follow, as well as being the ONLY ally with text different than "whenever or another ally enters the battlefield..."
Yes, it would have been more balanced, but Wizards is more concerned with making money than game balance, and while game balance helps their marketing, needlessly complicated cards (especially at uncommon) hurts their marketing far more than the SLIGHT imbalance the extra 1 toughness grants this card. When people can't understand what their cards do (and trust me, not everybody who plays magic is a rules whiz like some of you), their interest in the game goes down, thus wizards is less likely to get more money from them.
Being a 1/2 ally is fine. Powerful? Yes. Not necessarily especially cognitive? Sure. Not broken, though. A nice mix of balance, power, and simplicity.
By comparison, this has an ability that is triggered when it hits the field. That ability uses the stack, and state-based actions are checked as soon as the ability is on the stack. If it were a 0/0 right then, it would die.
Sure, they could have changed the effect slightly to make it start as a 1/1 in some way, but it would have to be one of the following, all of which are needlessly complicated or inconsistent with how the rest of allies work:
0/0
Enters the field with a +1/+1 counter
Whenever another Ally you control, etc.
1/1
Whenever another Ally you control, etc.
0/1
Whenever this or another Ally you control ETB, this becomes 0/0 and put a +1/+1 counter on it.
It has a bunch of Halimar excavators and Jwari Shapeshifters,
3 Agadeem Occultists
A bunch of Join the Ranks
And these.
So I either mill my opponent or I beat the crap out of him with his own creatures plus this.
(The occoltist brings back them ahead of the curve with Join the ranks, and they're in the graveyard because of Halimar Excavator.)
CAN'T FIGHT THE WORLDWAKE POWER!!!!
I will call him "wing-man" :P
now i will need a "sky scraper" card
Krosan Cloudscraper
T1 Hada Freeblade
T2 Akoum Battlesinger
T3 Akoum Battlesinger and Hada Freeblade
You swing with two 3/1 haste chick and a 6/5 adventurer.
As a 1/2 for