God damn it... even this one has freaking 'runeclaws'. At least THIS one is magical.
Anyways, I like this new side of blue. I want to try out Illusion tribal. Zendikar has a few nice illusions as well.
Fictionarious
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(8 votes)
I am of the opinion this card deserves five stars. Why? Well, it's a nonlegendary isamaru, hound of konda with a drawback that nine times out of ten doesn't matter. A T1 lightning bolt to this would have killed any other contender anyway, and late game I don't think you're going to mind if someone slows themselves down to deal with it as you bring out your bigger threats. Perfect for blue, already in my bear tribal deck as a proxy and he's doing his job well enough.
ThisisSakon
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This bear is Sooooooo Phantasmal
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(7 votes)
That Is One AWESOME LOOKIN BEAR....Blue & Aggro. What? 5/5
Cyberium
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Bear, in any color, remain a 2/2...
Hayw00d0909
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Blue aggro seems plausible in M12... 5/5
Deco_y
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Illusions are coming!!
don_miguel
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
this bear reminds me the good old spectral bears. sorry Cyberium :P
ZEvilMustache
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
These guys are for real. Counter spells are so much sweeter when you can drop the early beats and THEN control the game.
chinkeeyong
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I don't get the logic behind this guy. How can you get physically damaged by something that isn't real?
Regardless, nice aggro card.
Gabriel422
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(10 votes)
I want this to become a core set staple. Then one day they'll print:
Illusion Slayer G 1/1
Tap: Target creature.
pigknight
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
If he was going to be target he was probably going to die anyway. Blue getting cheap beat sticks is always nice for blue.
bijart_dauth
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Illusion tribal is looking pretty good in M12
Gaussgoat
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is an amazing turn 1 beater.... in blue?! It's drawback is minimal, and it works well with all of the M12 illusion creatures.
In rare cases, the drawback can even help. Since targeting it will make it die, removal with bad side effects like Chandra's Outrage or Virulent Wound won't go off.
5/5, no question.
majinara
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
New color for the skulking creatures it seems. A pity you can't equip them.
Guest742242900
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@chinkeeyong: just because it's imaginary, doesn't mean it's not real
Radagast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A blue 2/2 for U with no meaningful drawback in most games... Wow...
SirMalkin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@NoobOfLore
Rod of Empires only targets players.
Iktomi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really like the flavor of both this and Phantasmal Dragon. Blue is using illusion and trickery to use two of it's enemies signature creatures against them (bears are traditionally green, dragons are red). Good card too 5/5.
mythix
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
SOoooo this guy cant even be equipped with an artifact of some kind? I know any spell or ability sent his way would kill it off, but what about equipping it?
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Playable in legacy? Force of Will thinks so.
thisisnotmyname
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A friend of mine tried killing this with angelic destiny. Apparently he thought the die clause on destiny would return it to his hand.
So I would like to remind people that spells are countered if they target one of these things. And that is awesome.
Guest1524274415
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I just wanna point out a rules problem with the illusions.
The gun gets pointed at the bear and the bear dies?
if the targeted spell gets countered then the trigger should not activate in my opinion. If the spell gets redirected or swerved or spellkited, it should also avoid the trigger.
Just a beef I have with the ruling which makes illusion tribal a lot worse
blitzer090909
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing card in draft if you can get several of them...most spells that target usually kill it so the drawback isnt that bad, also a 2/2 body on turn 1 isnt anything to sneeze at...
Artscrafter
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(6 votes)
@Guest: I have two responses to your assertion that illusions shouldn't be sacrificed if the thing targeting them gets countered or redirected.
1. It's trickier to implement mechanically. It wouldn't be impossible to have these say something like "whenever a spell or ability that targets this resolves" but it's a much more awkward templating and it hasn't been done before.
2. You're missing the whole point of the flavor. It's an illusion. It's easier to conjure up than a real one, but it only works if you don't look at it too closely. As soon as you stare at it long enough to point a crossbow at it or try to punch it in the gut, you realize it isn't real and it stops having an effect on you.
I know these would be better if you could save them from being targeted, but it doesn't work that way. As for "this makes Illusion tribal worse", did you not notice that they printed the perfect answer to the Illusion drawback in the same set?
KrosanPeacekeeper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yeah, that perfect answer to the illusions drawback get Blue fair chances to beat White in their own game.
itsverystrange
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Getting this out on turn 1 means it usually does its job before your opponent can put out something that can target it and thus not waste a spell. 4.5/5
JFM2796
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anybody who is down rating this card has never gotten it in limited.. It is an easy reason to draft Blue, with M12 being such a fast format and all. That drawback doesn't come up nearly as much as you would think it might.
SorianSadaskan
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This guy is badass, he's cheap, and simply made your opponents angry by wasting DoomBlades on him.
Dr_Fletchers
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is very nice in drafts.....It may die early but it is a good starting card but it becomes a menace when teemed up with Lord of the Unreal.
Condor_96
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
T1: This T2: Lord of the Unreal, swing with this for 3.
IN MONO BLUE
Caitiebug
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can you not add anything to cards like this? like YOUR own ability?
karathsaul
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Artscrafter Who would try to punch a bear in the gut? lol
AncientTimer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Extremely efficient creature! So now it has come to this where even Blue has better weenies than Green. So called Color Pie has finally gone up in smoke.
Sparkrunner
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a really good card, especially when paired up with Lord of the Unreal and Adaptive Automation. To give the lord a one turn hexproof, use Wings of Velis Vel to make it a 5/5 flier for one turn, whilst evading your opponent's Unsummon, Doom Blade and Lightning Bolt.
SweetoothTKC
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
That guy in the middle is, literally, poking the bear which is exactly what R&D was doing when they made this card. How meta is THAT?!
mattblack04
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
2/2 with a downside for 1 is nice. Having it become a 3/3 hexproof with its cheap lord for a total of 3 is sweet. 4 3/3 hexproof bears and the Lord of the Unreal on turn 3 for a total of 6 is crazy.
It's simple and flavorful, yet somehow also manages a power level where it doesn't feel like I'm making any concessions to play it. This card is straight-up cool!
NoobOfLore
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Rod of Empires, Gideon's lawkeeper... this guy turns a bounce into a kill spell.
M12 has lots of repeatable targeting, which does not help these guys stay on the field.
I can honestly say that I think this card will probably be more helpful in constructed than in limited..
Powercat
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I liked this guy before, but now he's a neat little way to set up for the blue zombies from Innistrad. If an opponent doesn't deal with this, they'll take some quick damage. If they do kill him, then you have exile fodder for blue's nice new zombies.
boneclub
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Good ole' Pedo Bear.
Unfortunately, as soon as he's spotted he leaves...
cubicdude
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
You know that Pol Jamaar guy in the flavor text? They need to make a planeswalker out of it.
DaMaster012
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Raid Leader: *turns to group, sighs* "Okay, which one of you jerks decided to wake up the Ursa Minor?"
j_mindfingerpainter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Best P/T to CMC ratio among m12 illusions. Thank goodness these things have low rarities, and therefore are inexpensive...
DJCHiLL813
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(17 votes)
Dies to Giant Growth.
blindloyalty
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
An instant classic. An aggressive 2/2 one-drop that still nevertheless manages feeling unmistakably Blue in flavor. Great in any sort of Blue aggro/beatdown deck. Obviously central to any of the M12-based Illusion tribal decks in Standard (along with Lord of the Unreal, Phantasmal Image, and Phantasmal Dragon)
spartan7023
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i'm sad we got a new cool illusion in m13 and now all of these are going out of standard
Infernaldarkness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm kinda getting lost here. "When it becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." There is one thing I am not sure about this effect. Does Enchantment target a creature when a player cast it? For example: If I cast Reins of the Vinesteed on Phantasmal Bear, is it sacrifice by its own effect, or just stay in play like other creatures? Even if this fails, could Reins of the Vinesteed return itself from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to the Bear, after being attach to another Bear or Illusion creature?
beleren2012
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Phantasmal Bear plus Switcheroo...is this possible: Phantasmal Bear would become the target of Switcheroo's ability, would it still be exhanged for the other creature? Like would I recieve my foe's creature and he receive a creature that I already sacrificed, which would be an illegal target?
Hunter06
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Created a comical moment in limited when I killed one with a pump effect. 4/5 Stars
chainsmoker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
question: if i ninjutsu this bear, will it die?? it didn't say target, but im unsure.
TurboBaby
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
sick artwork and a good one drop
DoctorGii
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
VALUE
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It is almost impossible to get disadvantage from this. It's a 2/2 for one mana. At best, it's hitting your opponent in the face. Maybe your opponent removes it, but whatever he hits it with, be it dedicated removal or not, probably cannot be any less of an effort than the one mana you expanded to put it.
In the absolute worst case, he might use a creature with a free ability that targets other creatures. However, most of those don't become available until later on in the game, when this guy loses relevance anyways.
MCcreator
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This and Ursine Fylgja are the only nongreen bears in magic.
Petertracy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Gabriel422
But don't you see, they DO already have illusion slayer, in colorless... and it doesn't even have to tap! And his name was Hex Parasite-o! Protip: If your opponent's creatures aren't illusions, make them illusions! Dismiss into Dream
Comments (57)
Anyways, I like this new side of blue. I want to try out Illusion tribal. Zendikar has a few nice illusions as well.
Regardless, nice aggro card.
Illusion Slayer G 1/1
Tap: Target creature.
In rare cases, the drawback can even help. Since targeting it will make it die, removal with bad side effects like Chandra's Outrage or Virulent Wound won't go off.
5/5, no question.
A pity you can't equip them.
Rod of Empires only targets players.
So I would like to remind people that spells are countered if they target one of these things. And that is awesome.
The gun gets pointed at the bear and the bear dies?
if the targeted spell gets countered then the trigger should not activate in my opinion. If the spell gets redirected or swerved or spellkited, it should also avoid the trigger.
Just a beef I have with the ruling which makes illusion tribal a lot worse
1. It's trickier to implement mechanically. It wouldn't be impossible to have these say something like "whenever a spell or ability that targets this resolves" but it's a much more awkward templating and it hasn't been done before.
2. You're missing the whole point of the flavor. It's an illusion. It's easier to conjure up than a real one, but it only works if you don't look at it too closely. As soon as you stare at it long enough to point a crossbow at it or try to punch it in the gut, you realize it isn't real and it stops having an effect on you.
I know these would be better if you could save them from being targeted, but it doesn't work that way. As for "this makes Illusion tribal worse", did you not notice that they printed the perfect answer to the Illusion drawback in the same set?
T2: Lord of the Unreal, swing with this for 3.
IN MONO BLUE
this guy turns a bounce into a kill spell.
M12 has lots of repeatable targeting, which does not help these guys stay on the field.
I can honestly say that I think this card will probably be more helpful in constructed than in limited..
Unfortunately, as soon as he's spotted he leaves...
4/5 Stars
In the absolute worst case, he might use a creature with a free ability that targets other creatures. However, most of those don't become available until later on in the game, when this guy loses relevance anyways.
But don't you see, they DO already have illusion slayer, in colorless... and it doesn't even have to tap!
And his name was Hex Parasite-o!
Protip: If your opponent's creatures aren't illusions, make them illusions! Dismiss into Dream