since anything that targets it is most likely removal anyway, it gets a 1-1 ration of cards. If the opponent doesn't happen to have something though... heh heh heh. Brutal.
Frozenwings
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Really great, but surprisingly phantasmal bear is more efficient than this. Why, because your opponent cast any card to destroy phantasmal dragon, but it's not that easy to spend a card on phantasmal bear.
sonorhC
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Yeah, anything targeting it is likely to be removal anyway, but this is in blue. You'd like to be able to counter your opponent's removal on your finisher. With this, though, even if the kill spell is countered, it'll still die.
PeabodyET
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
There are too many targeted abilities in standard for it to be 5 stars, but i'll give it 4 for trying. 5/5 flyers are great, but losing them immediately to the new Master Decoy is not great.
Leonin_Kha_Cameron
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(7 votes)
@ Kirbster correct me if I'm wrong but a spell targeting Phantasmal Dragon still targets it even if that spell is countered, so it still dies.
Joseph_Leito
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Leonin, I think a spell has to resolve to target anything, but I'm not sure.
Thundergoose84
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(4 votes)
This is the kind of card that no one will put much stock in, but I am confident it will gain popularity when people realize that on turn four they can have a 5/5 with no harmful drawback. He is even more affective when you combo with the Lord of Unreal. Def will be making a kick ass illusion deck with this release.
tcollins
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(8 votes)
...and that kids is why you run removal!
eskan
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(8 votes)
I was kicking ass with Illusions in limited. Then I ran into a deck sporting Chandra, the Firebrand.
Gelzo
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@Kirbster: How do you expect to protect him well with Summoner's Bane, a card that only counters creature spells?
Though it's probably not a bad card to use if you're going illusion tribal.
Anggul
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Strong card, hilarious with Lord of the Unreal.
Radagast
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Some nutty mix of Blue Illusions and Green with Asceticism (I'm sure I mangled that - the one that gives all your creatures Hexproof) could be very funny. Accelerate out at stupid speed to get Illusions on the board, and then laugh as your opponent simply can't target them to make them go away.
As for this Dragon, it is potentially very dangerous since it comes out fast enough to get a hit or two in before it can exchange with another creature, and if it gets targeted by removal, who cares since the removal was going to kill it anyway.
Lazyblazey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Absolutely hilarious with Adarkar Valkyrie. The Valkyrie's ability might as well read "Target Illusion has a near-death experience."
FogRaider
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
It's disadvantage DOES matter. Any burn will kill it, even if it's just one point. And people DEFINITELY play burn, last I checked.
Also tumble magnets and other things. Still a great beater, but fragile.
CollectiveC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome. I love offensive blue, and Dragon makes it even cooler. Am I right to say Lazyblazy is wrong, since a spell or ability targets before it resolves, killing the Illusion in question before the protection is granted?
thisisnotmyname
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This creature is only good if your winning. That isn't good. The other three illusion cards are each a thousand times better.
nemokara
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
@therealphatmatt :
Onyx Mage gives deathtouch only to creatures YOU CONTROL. Too bad your opponent(s) didn't notice this.
TherealphatMatt
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
At prerelease, I had a couple Onyx Mages. I kept killing off illusion creatures by giving them deathtouch. It was pretty neat.
EDIT: Yeah, realized that about a week later :P Felt like an ***.
KrosanPeacekeeper
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Illusions really hit hard with the help of Lord of The Unreal. I think I can build a budget-friendly deck with Illusions. And i think it has fair fighting chances.
ControlledBurn
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(7 votes)
A great card, but it cannot compete with the awesomeness of Bull Rush.
2/5, only because can easily be removed with .
@En_Sigma
Yes, Lightning Bolt can remove Jace, the Mind Sculptor for , but there are around 113 cards in Standard that can remove Phantasmal Dragon for only mana (many are commonly used in tournament and casual decks alike). Add in all the cards that have reusable tap to target effects and you can use a mana creature/artifact to destroy Phantasmal Dragon, while keeping your permanent on the battlefield (effectively only costing you a tapped permanent).
On the other hand, Jace, the Mind Sculptor can push a coming threat to the bottom of the deck for +2, Ponder for 0, Unsummon for -1 and give you an almost guaranteed win condition for -12. Phantasmal Dragon can only do 5 damage if the opponent doesn't own any flying blockers. Even though they both cost , Jace, the Mind Sculptor has much more use and is worth defending with more effort than Phantasmal Dragon.
In limited: Probably not a first pick in most cases, but it can be very solid in certain matchups. There's truth in the argument that the "dies to anything" ability will generally be less of a drawback than it looks like. As long as you're not completely dependent on this winning the game for you, you could do worse than to spend and a card to make them use a removal/combat trick card. You just need to have other threats and be prepared to board it out against decks that have repeatable targeting options.
In constructed: Not really playable outside Illusion tribal decks with Lord of the Unreal. This is potentially workable in a low-tier casual deck designed to have a lot of efficient threats, but making your opponent use their removal card has less value in this format and you still have to watch out for anything with repeatable targeting.
En_Sigma
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Is Lazyblazy right when he says Adarkar Valkyrie will essentially blink an Illusion? I feel like CollectiveC is right but I'm not sure.
@ControlledBurn I know the value of more versatile powerhouses like Jace. I just have more respect for neat cards that try to be unique, such as aggressive blue, whether or not they're tournament worthy. I've lost plenty of Illusions to Gideon's Lawkeeper and the like.
I don't understand why this card isn't rated higher, especially with the Lord of the Unreal released in this core set. Think about it, and I hope I can change some of your minds: This is a 5/5 Flyer for 4 CMC The drawback is what most people are worried about, but with Lord of the Unreal on the field, that eliminates it and also gives it a 1/1 boost, making it a 6/6 Flyer. Also, with something like that, you won't even think that it needs an enchantment or instant boost for attack, toughness, or abilities, so you don't have to worry about targeting it yourself. Besides, even without it having Hexproof, you don't have to worry about "Oh! I know! I'll give your Phantasmal Dragon +3/+3 with Giant Growth" from your opponent very much, since he/she will most likely be targeting a 5/5 Flyer with removal, like Doom Blade or GTFO (player-made 'acronym' for Go For The Throat, tho it doesn't match).
I hope this at least knocks ratings up to a 4.
PcvsApple
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(5 votes)
This is my prime beater in my tribal illusion deck. Last time I checked, Lord of the Unreal, Phantasmal Bear, Phantasmal Image, and this were all printed in the same set...
InvaderJoe1
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(3 votes)
i put 12 flying artifact cards in my artifact deck because a friend used this dam card... red deck would rape this card lol he tried to equip an artifact card that gave this dragon hex proof then i found out that kills it
AncientTimer
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Extremely efficient beater! So now it has come to this where Blue has more cost effective creatures on every rarity than Green. So called Color Pie has finally gone up in smoke.
oienarst
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
The question is, should this be rated in the context of Lord of the Unreal or not? With it, 4/5, as a 6/6 hexproof flyer would cost at least two more mana but requires another fairly frail creature to stick around. Without its Lord, 3/5. There are ways of targeting that won't even cost the opponent a card.
Really surprised, and really disappointed, that this wasn't in Jace's deck on Duels 2012. I love illusion tribal, so getting to play it there is nice, since I don't have to take up space in my stash of Magic cards with a deck I won't play all that often.
Great card, though. It's weird seeing Blue aggro enablers. Note how Gideon's Lawkeeper is a common in the same set.
kajillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I usually love Wayne Reynolds' magic and D&D artwork, but this looks way too much like a D&D dragon.
JaceIsAwesome
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's good enough, because it gets to strike in for alot of damage, but it can get owned quickly versus burn decks. Use it with Lord of the Unreal to kick some ass.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
And then Blue got Rathi Dragon with less drawbacks :)
This card totally makes me want to play M12 Limited.
Tynansdtm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lazyblazey is wrong. Adarkar Valkyrie will just kill this. And, to clarify for anyone, targets are declared when spells are put on the stack. Then the dragon's ability will trigger, on top of that spell. Counterspells won't save him. On the other hand, the spell won't resolve unless it targets something else also. You can save your dragon with a counterspell and a Stifle though.
Bobth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play Krovikan Mist instead if you're trying to keep a low curve, or if the drawback bothers you.
XepherXero
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
I've never seen Imagine Dragons perform, but I imagine it's a lot like this.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Kinda neat that it can't be exiled, pacified, and kill spells with secondary effects are countered so they get nerfed.
Comments (47)
Though it's probably not a bad card to use if you're going illusion tribal.
As for this Dragon, it is potentially very dangerous since it comes out fast enough to get a hit or two in before it can exchange with another creature, and if it gets targeted by removal, who cares since the removal was going to kill it anyway.
Also tumble magnets and other things. Still a great beater, but fragile.
Onyx Mage gives deathtouch only to creatures YOU CONTROL. Too bad your opponent(s) didn't notice this.
EDIT: Yeah, realized that about a week later :P Felt like an ***.
2/5, only because
@En_Sigma
Yes, Lightning Bolt can remove Jace, the Mind Sculptor for
On the other hand, Jace, the Mind Sculptor can push a coming threat to the bottom of the deck for +2, Ponder for 0, Unsummon for -1 and give you an almost guaranteed win condition for -12. Phantasmal Dragon can only do 5 damage if the opponent doesn't own any flying blockers. Even though they both cost
I'd easily spend a Mana Leak to prevent Jace, the Mind Sculptor from being removed from the field. I cannot say the same about Phantasmal Dragon.
In constructed: Not really playable outside Illusion tribal decks with Lord of the Unreal. This is potentially workable in a low-tier casual deck designed to have a lot of efficient threats, but making your opponent use their removal card has less value in this format and you still have to watch out for anything with repeatable targeting.
@ControlledBurn
I know the value of more versatile powerhouses like Jace. I just have more respect for neat cards that try to be unique, such as aggressive blue, whether or not they're tournament worthy. I've lost plenty of Illusions to Gideon's Lawkeeper and the like.
Act of Treason? More like generic targeting spell...
This is a 5/5 Flyer for 4 CMC
The drawback is what most people are worried about, but with Lord of the Unreal on the field, that eliminates it and also gives it a 1/1 boost, making it a 6/6 Flyer.
Also, with something like that, you won't even think that it needs an enchantment or instant boost for attack, toughness, or abilities, so you don't have to worry about targeting it yourself.
Besides, even without it having Hexproof, you don't have to worry about "Oh! I know! I'll give your Phantasmal Dragon +3/+3 with Giant Growth" from your opponent very much, since he/she will most likely be targeting a 5/5 Flyer with removal, like Doom Blade or GTFO (player-made 'acronym' for Go For The Throat, tho it doesn't match).
I hope this at least knocks ratings up to a 4.
on top of other four mana drops--Crucible of Fire
Great card, though. It's weird seeing Blue aggro enablers. Note how Gideon's Lawkeeper is a common in the same set.
This card totally makes me want to play M12 Limited.
And, to clarify for anyone, targets are declared when spells are put on the stack. Then the dragon's ability will trigger, on top of that spell. Counterspells won't save him. On the other hand, the spell won't resolve unless it targets something else also. You can save your dragon with a counterspell and a Stifle though.