I wonder if it was always Edward Beard's childhood dream to draw a dragon reading a book.
NeoSin
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(8 votes)
The timeless Elder Dragon who is quickly becoming the center of the Magic storyline.
Razbot
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@Zoah Bolas' red isn't very flavorful, but is necessary to balance out the other Elder Dragons
Yozuk
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Ah Nicol Bolas.. Won me a few games with my dream halls deck. Granted it wasn't a very good deck because I didn't have the right cards. But having Bolas there just to ruin there hand was great for casual play.
petercai
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
@Zoah actually, in later novels, you sort of see why bolas is red. wherever he treads, destruction follows. i mean, the dude will happily annihilate an entire plane for personal gains(in the case of alara, five mini planes).
Stray_Dog
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(25 votes)
Reading, with Nicol Bolas.
This week: The Wind in the Willows.
<3
novasun
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(11 votes)
I'm the ageless nemesis, the scourge of planes!!!... reading a book. P.S. I wonder how big those Books are??
Pontiac
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Knowledge is power!
Raping your opponents hand and the local public library since 1994.
Doowyeh
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The trick I use with Nicol Bolas is nuking my opponents hand with scion of the ur dragon pretty early on the reanimating him to keep the discard going.
He's an absolute pain to summon and keep around without cheating a bit ;)
Shadoflaam
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(21 votes)
He's reading Twilight, that's why he tries to kill everything in recent sets.
kiseki
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
In comparison to Palladia-Mors, he has better art, better flavor, better story... But no trample. If you are not cheating him out early(go you), or putting trample giving cards in the deck(soulbright flamekin?), or giving him the tim ability, he just isn't better. Trample is so crazy powerful that it hurts my soul to see badasses like this stopped by a falcon.
ferenczy
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Dark ritual, emtomb, goryo's vengeance and Nicol bolas. First turn hand nuke
JFM2796
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(10 votes)
Do you think the creators of Legends thought they would use this character as Magic's ultimate villain? My guess is no.
DarthParallax
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(6 votes)
10:1 says he's reading Dante's Inferno. That's why he's smiling. He thinks its a joke book.
Dr_Fletchers
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I do like seeing the word 'Buried' it makes me smile :-)
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It doesn't say combat damage. Sweet.
made4ipod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
has EDH fun written all over him
Kelptic183
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why does Bolas need trample, again? Check his colors. If you're playing red, black, and blue, then you should hopefully be packing some spot removal.
@ DarthParallax: Yeah, and the 1 says he's reading novels about his future self, causing rampant destruction and total mayhem. And that he's smiling imagining what fun he'll have doing it.
Zoah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really wish they had done the art better... He looks too much like a demon, it just doesn't go... He's also expensive and color heavy...
Our of curiosity, am I the only one who doesn't get why on earth he is even a bit red. Flavor wise, he's one of the least red characters I know. He's reading a book for crying out loud, that's more blue-flavored than Chromium. I have read his profile it stated that he sought omniscience(Blue) and omnipotence (Black). Even the hand destruction trick while mostly black, seems bluish black. So where is the red?
blazestudios23
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nice card if you can get it out.
Wormfang
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Zoah, the red is in the dragon bit of him, of the 106 creatures with type "dragon" in magic, 76 of them have some red in them.
Guest141662882
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
On the subject of Nicol Bolas not having trample, it just isn't flavorful for that ability to be on his card. Some .5/.5 Little Girl enchanted with Flight blocking his path to her planeswalker master? Well Nicol Bolas is going to completely and totally annihilate her, reanimate her, manipulate her, and then annihilate her again before moving on to bigger game.
ThinkOriginal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nicol Bolas is my favorite dragon to transform my Scion of the Ur-Dragon into as he swings unblocked in EDH
Smoke_Stack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome if you can get him out early. I have a feeling that by the time you hard cast him, you opponent won't have much of a hand to take away. I'd rather have the planeswalker...
steinburger1109
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Way uglier than when he's a planeswalker...
WILLOW-THE-WHAT
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 1: Swamp, Dark Ritual, Entombed, Shallow Grave.
Opponent: Where did my hand go?
vantha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nicol Bolas, the ultimate deceiver, last Elder dragon standing. In terms of Highlander, "there can be- Only One!"
Yeah, no matter how you slice it this guy has been around for ever and he will continue to be around. Nations rise and nations fall but Nicol Bolas hovers above it all. 5/5 for being such a badass.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Akron Legionnaire has the same rarity and CMC as this. Legends, you were a weird-ass set.
EvilDarkVoid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Note that unlike say, Crosis, Nicol Bolas doesn't say combat damage. This means he can ping an enemy with Power of Fire, Fire Whip, or Viridian Longbow and still force them to discard their entire hand. Pretty strong.
DodgeBungalow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 1: swamp, dark ritual, entomb, exhume. Your opponent can't do anything after the first turn because they have no cards in hand.
Demonic_Math_Tutor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Those must be some gargantuan books...
Cygore
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If you're going to try using this guy, you might as well use Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, which is strictly better in my opinion.
JFM2796: "Do you think the creators of Legends thought they would use this character as Magic's ultimate villain? My guess is no."
Mark Rosewater: "I remember talking to the lead designer of Legends, Steve Conard, many years ago and he was surprised that Nicol Bolas was the break-out Elder Dragon Legend. He thought it was going to be Arcades Sabboth."
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/72118590795/
:)
Lord_of_phyrexia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, I made a deck to abuse him: 4x arcane teachings 4x corrupting licid 4x dragon shadow 4x fear 4x grixis panorama 4x hermetic study 5x island 4x Liliana's caress 4x megrim 6x mountain 4x nicol bolas 4x power of fire 4x psionic gift 5x swamp
Comments (39)
Of course, he's no match for his planeswalker form.
This week: The Wind in the Willows.
<3
P.S. I wonder how big those Books are??
Raping your opponents hand and the local public library since 1994.
He's an absolute pain to summon and keep around without cheating a bit ;)
But no trample. If you are not cheating him out early(go you), or putting trample giving cards in the deck(soulbright flamekin?), or giving him the tim ability, he just isn't better. Trample is so crazy powerful that it hurts my soul to see badasses like this stopped by a falcon.
Our of curiosity, am I the only one who doesn't get why on earth he is even a bit red.
Flavor wise, he's one of the least red characters I know. He's reading a book for crying out loud, that's more blue-flavored than Chromium. I have read his profile it stated that he sought omniscience(Blue) and omnipotence (Black). Even the hand destruction trick while mostly black, seems bluish black. So where is the red?
Opponent: Where did my hand go?
Yeah, no matter how you slice it this guy has been around for ever and he will continue to be around. Nations rise and nations fall but Nicol Bolas hovers above it all. 5/5 for being such a badass.
Your opponent can't do anything after the first turn because they have no cards in hand.
Nicol Bolas + Mycosynth Lattice + Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker + Bludgeon Brawl = Nicol Bolas wielding Nicol Bolas.
Source: http://5colorcontrol.com/comic.php?comic=251
"Do you think the creators of Legends thought they would use this character as Magic's ultimate villain? My guess is no."
Mark Rosewater:
"I remember talking to the lead designer of Legends, Steve Conard, many years ago and he was surprised that Nicol Bolas was the break-out Elder Dragon Legend. He thought it was going to be Arcades Sabboth."
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/72118590795/
:)
4x arcane teachings
4x corrupting licid
4x dragon shadow
4x fear
4x grixis panorama
4x hermetic study
5x island
4x Liliana's caress
4x megrim
6x mountain
4x nicol bolas
4x power of fire
4x psionic gift
5x swamp