This is going to be great to get out in drafting. Since every other card has infect, it'll be great defense. Only problem is the big 11/11 trample infect indestructable.
Great_North
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Winning with infect is going to be hard if your opponent lands one of these and you are low on the proliferate effects. The only creatures with infect i can think of that this guys doesn't kill when he blocks them are Phyrexian Vatmother and Phyrexian Hydra, the latter of which it can kill the next turn. That is excluding, of course, the riBONKulous Blightsteel Colossus.
PrimeSonic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why does the only anti-infect creature in the block have to cost 5 mana? Sure, you might have some mana ramp in green, but it feels like too little too late.
Pyronfirelord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Blightsteel Colossus Is oddly not stopped by this creature it just soaks up 4 damage and the other 7 poison is dealt to your opponent. In limited, with one exception of Leonin Relic-Warder, no single creature can defeat him because even if you block with a large infect creature odds are you took leathal damage anyways. If twelve mana seems like too much to happen in limited, you could be wrong...Who knows the lenths some one will go through to play this guy.
Flyheight
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Okay so was having a little trouble understanding a ruling that was posted as part of the CoTD on the MTG homepage for Feb 1, 2011:
Melira's Keepers – Mirrodin Besieged uncommon. From rules manager Matt Tabak: The damage a creature with infect deals to Melira's Keepers won’t result in any -1/-1 counters, but that doesn’t mean the damage is prevented. If that creature has lifelink, its controller will still gain life. If that creature has deathtouch, Melira's Keepers will be destroyed.
Fortunately the MBS FAQ spelled it out:
* Melira's Keepers can't have any kind of counters placed on it, not just -1/-1 counters.
* Damage from a source with infect has no effect on Melira's Keepers. No -1/-1 counters are placed on it, and no damage is marked on it. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.
* If Melira's Keepers would enter the battlefield with a counter on it, it simply enters the battlefield without that counter.
* If a creature with a counter on it becomes a copy of Melira's Keepers, those counters will remain.
That one little phrase "damage is still dealt for the purposes of effects that care" made all the difference to my tiny little mind.
@Leonin_Kha_Cameron: Maybe we'll find out in the next set?
LimePeel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perfect sideboard material in case you run into an infect deck (or two). 4.0/5
Richard_Hawk
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
hope to see a anti-infect, phyrenix butt kicking Melira as a legendary princess warrior or something cool. :) these flavor really keeps me intrigued with magic!
From Doug Beyer's Column: Dear Doug Beyer, Regarding your article "Public Displays of Aggression":
An interesting thing has just intruded on my awareness: Mirrodin has Melira's Keepers, but no Melira.
When we met Keeper of Kookus in Visions, we also found Kookus. When we journeyed to Alara and discovered Keeper of Progenitus, we were overawed by Progenitus. Every other Keeper or -keeper in Magic keeps some *thing*, but this one appears to keep some *one*, who is yet unrevealed. Who IS she, and why does she need keepers? --Jay
Jay, your eyes observe much. Keep them open. There's more about Melira to come later in this block. Interestingly, Melira's Keepers are green, while many of the creatures of the green-aligned Tangle fell quite readily to Phyrexian influence. Hope from the forests after all?
scumbling1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's too slow to stop Constructed infect decks. This card would have been a lot more interesting with a reasonably-efficient body-to-cost ratio, but the numbers 4/4 for 5 are just hard to be happy about.
I agree with scumbling1, this is not a reasonable answer to infect. Sure its a decent sized critter, but for green its a little pricey for what it is. Not to mention it doesn't do anything aggressive! I was going to say give it maybe first strike to take out the infecters, but I guess with the immunity to infect it wouldn't matter. How about green's favorite lame ability, reach? Skithiryx ain't got nothin' on me!
raadface
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
Well, I definitely know who I won't be playing Primal Cocoon with.
Alsebra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Leonin_Kha_Cameron (and others interested):
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
CC - 1G (CMC 2)
Legendary Creature - Human Scout 2/2
You can't get poison counters.
Creatures you control can't have -1/-1 counters placed on them.
Creatures your opponents control lose infect.
Sure, it looks like the third effect is made useless by the first two, but...
OmegaSerris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I definitely would have liked something better than this to stop infect. Try this:
Melira's Touch Instant Target creature loses infect until the end of turn. Draw a card.
I think that would have seen at least sideboard play. It also doesn't completely punish an infect player, like "Destroy target creature with infect." or "Prevent all combat damage by creatures with infect." (See Tanglesap) would. You can pump your infecter up and swing for the win, but it becomes damage instead of counters. You still get your blow to the face, but not in the way you planned. I guess you could even up the cost and have it hit all creatures:
Melira's Presence Instant All creatures lose infect until the end of turn.
Again, not game altering, but still a nice anti-infect fog for a turn. Plus, looking at Melira herself, it's flavorful to boot.
Infinite mill, draw, and mana combos with this guy go with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Altar of Demention or Ashnod's Altar or Phyrexian Altar or Greater Good or Reprocess.
Comments (28)
'Kay, now all we need is a Whispersilk Cloak and we're set for murdering anything in our way.
Since every other card has infect, it'll be great defense.
Only problem is the big 11/11 trample infect indestructable.
Melira's Keepers – Mirrodin Besieged uncommon. From rules manager Matt Tabak: The damage a creature with infect deals to Melira's Keepers won’t result in any -1/-1 counters, but that doesn’t mean the damage is prevented. If that creature has lifelink, its controller will still gain life. If that creature has deathtouch, Melira's Keepers will be destroyed.
Fortunately the MBS FAQ spelled it out:
* Melira's Keepers can't have any kind of counters placed on it, not just -1/-1 counters.
* Damage from a source with infect has no effect on Melira's Keepers. No -1/-1 counters are placed on it, and no damage is marked on it. The damage is still dealt for purposes of effects that care about damage, such as lifelink.
* If Melira's Keepers would enter the battlefield with a counter on it, it simply enters the battlefield without that counter.
* If a creature with a counter on it becomes a copy of Melira's Keepers, those counters will remain.
That one little phrase "damage is still dealt for the purposes of effects that care" made all the difference to my tiny little mind.
In short: "Bad Phyrexian Crusader!! Bad! No, you may not have a Basilisk Collar!"
Dear Doug Beyer,
Regarding your article "Public Displays of Aggression":
An interesting thing has just intruded on my awareness: Mirrodin has Melira's Keepers, but no Melira.
When we met Keeper of Kookus in Visions, we also found Kookus. When we journeyed to Alara and discovered Keeper of Progenitus, we were overawed by Progenitus. Every other Keeper or -keeper in Magic keeps some *thing*, but this one appears to keep some *one*, who is yet unrevealed. Who IS she, and why does she need keepers?
--Jay
Jay, your eyes observe much. Keep them open. There's more about Melira to come later in this block. Interestingly, Melira's Keepers are green, while many of the creatures of the green-aligned Tangle fell quite readily to Phyrexian influence. Hope from the forests after all?
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
CC - 1G (CMC 2)
Legendary Creature - Human Scout 2/2
You can't get poison counters.
Creatures you control can't have -1/-1 counters placed on them.
Creatures your opponents control lose infect.
Sure, it looks like the third effect is made useless by the first two, but...
Melira's Touch
Instant
Target creature loses infect until the end of turn.
Draw a card.
I think that would have seen at least sideboard play. It also doesn't completely punish an infect player, like "Destroy target creature with infect." or "Prevent all combat damage by creatures with infect." (See Tanglesap) would. You can pump your infecter up and swing for the win, but it becomes damage instead of counters. You still get your blow to the face, but not in the way you planned. I guess you could even up the cost and have it hit all creatures:
Melira's Presence
Instant
All creatures lose infect until the end of turn.
Again, not game altering, but still a nice anti-infect fog for a turn. Plus, looking at Melira herself, it's flavorful to boot.
How many cards does that NOT apply to? Besides the obvious
Enjoy these infintie combos! :)