Whoa, that guy's wielding a dire flail! Hardcore. Plus, that ability's just evil. Slap something on this guy to give him Shroud/Hexproof and laugh all the way to the bank, or until someone wipes the board.
WateryMind
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(17 votes)
"Sit down. Shut up. And stay PUT!" - This guy.
Cyberium
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(9 votes)
So this dude pretty much says, "My turn is MINE."
Deco_y
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
As if my friend's white decks were annoying enough as it is...
Way to screw blue counter spells though. Anything that hoses blue is O.K. in my book.
Cast him, give him shroud, say goodbye to permission decks.
Frozenwings
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
This card has so much power, permanent silence effect...
Philip-BANG
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
I really enjoy how this 2/2 looks more intimidating than his similar looking cousin, Sun Titan.
Osmodius
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I dont care what anyone says, this card is overpowered and almost completely shuts down control.
EvilCartographer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perfect answer to Mental Misstep and dozens of other threats. Love him, need four of him.
DlCK
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I disagree with the statement that this "shuts down control." Any blue control deck worth its salt should have some form of bounce & counter to deal with this, and any white/black control deck has removal/creature kill. Red can simply bolt it on his/her own turn, and green probably isn't playing instants besides fog anyway.
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Compare to Dosan the Falling Leaf, which is legendary, costs more, doesn't stop activated abilities, and affects you, too. Aside from the different color, this guy is strictly better on four different counts.
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Love it for the control matchup. If they don't get rid of it, their counterspells are effectively useless. As has been mentioned, they'll probably have ways to get rid of it, but the point is - cards which *require* answers are generally good cards.
a_mano
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i'm gonna end up hating this very much, very soon... unless i start playing white again...
MrBarrelRoll
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I just realized, this very nicely makes Isochron/Orim's Chant decks into a COMPLETE lock.
And considering that I run one of said decks, I think I will be purchasing a few.
Goatllama
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Hahaha, this guy is a freakin' Badass!!
mike_stubbs1
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Well, at least he dies to Shock. Shock and Disfigure must be the most efficient ways to get rid of him without completely ruining your turn.
Tantudo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
for two you get control "lock down" and a big target to force the wasting of a good card; lots of room for abuse and still not that hard to take out, 5/5 can't say it's a overpowered card of a weakling, feels like a great add to any white+anything deck
oblivion0110
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Wait, how exactly is he a cleric? He sure doesn't look cleric-y.
sniper_ix
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Though this one is sideboard, it's still going to be a major problem in control v control matchups.
This has to be countered or you'll effectively lose 2-3 turns by gathering a bounce/counter and enough mana to do it together.
Whitewing
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
The ability is well worth the fact that he costs insted of
TheSwarm
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Fits into so many decks. Aggro likes it for obvious reasons, control likes it to pigeon people against a wall, combo likes it to stay uninterrupted... American twin seems good with this in standard.
Dr.Pingas
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
I still prefer the nice, fair old Dosan the Falling Leaf. This bro seems a little too much if you ask me.
Huffytreefolkman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
i see.. he not good enough to be mythic but malfegor is ok.
StreamHopper
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
As a seasoned Blue Mage, I can tell you that an intelligent and skilled player should rarely have to lose a game. If you let the opponent play their hand, and counter only the major problems, you should be fine. I find that the second and third turn are the most important. What you do with these turns should be pivotal. That being said, I can tell you two things:
A) I like this card. It's a nice counterbalance to blue. Let's be honest- us blue mages sometimes get tired of winning all the time. Nice to see wizards lobbing us a challenge :)
B) Any self-respecting Blue player should be able to deal with this as easily as any other color. For me, there's Mana Leak (if I go first) and Unsummon if I didn't. Problem solved, that is, unless they play a Silence on my next turn. If it happens it happens. Like I said earlier, a blue mage is very powerful- nice to see them hosed, even from a blue players standpoint. Next time someone cries to me about how blue is so OP, I have another card to point at.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned that this card stops Mana Abilities. I'm not sure if that really matters to much because it stops everything else, but usually a card that reads: "can't activate abilities" always puts in: "unless they are mana abilities."
Insane to see this kind of power on a monocolor bear ...
~Zuty
infernox10
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
So, either counter him, or your won't be countering anything till you can remove him.
Oh, did I mention you get to remove him at sorcery speed?
Have fun with that.
Azrael1911
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
@dick don't be stupid, if you're forced to counter a 2/2 for WW, you're already losing, more importantly, you can't even bounce it on their turn to surprise counter it, and if you bounced it on your turn, you just wasted a card, because the first thing they're going to replay is the abolisher.
this completely rapes blue control.
gab15
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I agree with DICK's statement. You would just play the same spells..just on your turn.
This card just shuts down "combat tricks" ...Green Pump spells Titanic Growth, whites Seize the initiative and stuff like Red's Thunder strike Also prevents your opponent finishing a guy off with a bolt after combat damage
has been asigned.
krauser-gogetthegirl
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
i agree with @streamhopper. And i absolutely adore white lockdown. I pulled this at pre release. It is absolutely intense.
"Black, shut up. Red, shut the *** up. Blue... *** a clown."
- By order of the Grand Abolisher
iammadmad
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
people are so noobish now days. I played against a guy running this in legacy, he side baorded this card in against my merfolk, i murder him because it really isn't that good.
here is the reason as to why this card isn't that good(city of solitude is good, saying that it's overpowered is a stretch.) 1. it's pretty much only good mono white or some kind of gw decks would run this card. these decks get shut down by massive destruction spells such as damnation, or wrath of god.They also get shot down by ghostly prison or prapoganda. Counter magic really doesn't effect aggro decks because they are far to slow to be effective against aggro decks. The cards that kill aggro decks that controls run are mostly sorcery speed anyway so it doesn't really matter.
2. people say it's good against combo? well sure but hivemind goes off on their own main phase anyway. tendril decks can just go off during their own turn also, it really doesn't matter when they go off as long as they can cast ad naseum. people say it kills splinter twin combo? they can just flash in deciever in responds to this guy and still go off.
3. how does this card shut down control? control runs gideon, jace, cryptic command, mana leak, all kind of spells, instant or not. they all own this card.
Andon_A
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Sure, it's not the ultimate lockdown it seems to be at first glance, but it is absolutely excellent.
So, it doesn't do what you think it does. Then what DOES it do?
First? It's a counter sink. They either have to counter this, or sit on their thumbs until their next turn. Second? It's a removal target. It's going to be the first thing they want to get rid of, thus protecting everything else you have. While removal can be cheap, it's not the mana cost that matters - There's only so many cards someone can have in their hand. Third? It slows down your opponent's pace. Either they spend mana to counter it (And can't counter as many other spells this turn), or they spend mana on their turn to remove it (And can't counter/remove as many other things next turn)
If you can get it to stick around, wonderful. Swiftfoot boots can make that lovely. But even if it never really hits the table, it's a good use of two mana.
AngelPhoenix
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow, a lot of solid debating going on over this guy.
I have to say, I agree, for the most part, with the people saying that this guy can be gotten rid of relatively easily, and weather or not he becomes counterspell/removal draw, you're still losing a card, along with your opponent.
The real fun comes in when you run 4. IMHO, it will be VERY difficult for your opponent to stop 2, or perhaps even 3 of these guys in one medium-length game, and ALSO keep your other weapons at bay. Imagine running 4 of these in a Tempered Steel deck, with 2 or more Myr Battlespheres, or various other large and scary artifact creatures. Will your opponents be able to fling kill spells around to keep taking this guy out while you play REAL threats.
I think at some point your opponent will have to decide weather he uses the kill spell in his hand for your second Abolisher, or something else you have on the field that's much more threatening to his life total. At that point, the Abolisher can really work his...magic...especially seeing as him leaving him around for a turn gives you a chance to shroud/hexproof him, like others have said. I think there's a ton of strategy that goes along with this card, that alone get's it a 3.5/5 from me. Add .5 for the awesome ability, and the awesome artwork. Too bad he's 7 bucks a piece right now :(
Anggul
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Because we couldn't have white without a ridiculous card could we?
Seriously, kick blue in the face much?
Khavrion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy pairs up really well with Gideon Jura ; you can use his 0 ability without fear of getting zapped!
RxPhantom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is probably my favorite M12 card. I'm running three in my Puresteel Paladin deck, (only because my fourth one is in the mail). He made a huge difference, especially when I managed to get some Swiftfoot Boots on him. My opponents became so concerned with getting rid of him, that they ignored my growing army of Flayer Husks and Mortarpods.
MacBizzle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card hoses those annoying players that wait last minute to do their abilities (such as waiting till the end of the player-before-their's turn to tutor with Terramorphic Expanse, just so you don't know what land they need until last minute possible, as if that mountain would have made you attack them with everything you had).
Well, it doesn't stop Terramorphic Expanse from doing that. But it stops pretty much everything else. I hate people who wait for the last minute to do small stuff like that, and this kinda shows them exactly how petty their reluctancy to give small amounts of information is, and how it's going to cost them when they remember a little too late that they can't do stuff on your turn.
Aredor
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@MacBizzle: Hiding information isn't the only reason to do things like that. Stalling Terramorphic Expanse might protect your fetched land from bouncing. Or you might want to pick a different land depending on what your opponent did. Or he already has a Mountainwalk creature out that you can block for one additional turn.
With other activated abilities, reasons are even more numerous: you keep your Mana for a Titanic Growth and only activate your Jade Mage if you don't need it after all, or you want your opponent to think you do, or wait to see whether a pesky Lord of the Unreal wants to be Shock before cycling it off with your Merfolk Looter, or you have cards like Mimic Vat that can't produce you a blocker unless you activate them in your opponent's turn, and so on and so on.
So no, Grand Abolisher does a lot more than just annoy people who like to stall just to hide information.
PwNaGe712
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
i gave this guy swiftfoot boots & a indomitable archangel swiftfoot boots as well. and gave both of them darksteel plate for field wipes. he was invincible from EVERYTHING and i was playing a blue white control deck. he had no chance...
MTGFreak
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Can this guy stop ANY ability? or is it only activated abilities?
or can this stop Sheoldred, Whispering One 's sac a creature trigger?
Enkanto
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
So if I play this card and my opponent has some sort of artifact or creature like a howling mine or kami of the crescent moon, do I still draw an extra card on my turn?
God_Of_The_Smurfs
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
*Spits coffee all over computer* Holy sh*t, all that for 2 mana? Easily a 5/5.
Another good thing about it, against control decks, it makes it so that they can't counter your spells. Unbelievable in caw-blade mirror.
KrosanPeacekeeper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I played an interesting game with this against a mono blue deck. I held two copies of this in my hand. I cast one of them, and it got Mind Control-led on the opponent's turn. On my next turn, I played the other copy, and it got the game to become more restrained and slower for both sides.
Got one in a draft. If control stays a viable archetype through the Innistrad block this guy will definitely be a part of it.
brunsbr103
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
very nice facial hair
Philbo_the_Happy_Halfling
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can't wait to see someone break the new Innistrad Werewolves with this guy!
Judgemaster_Rolan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He turns unblockable into unstoppable.
I like to combo him with Dolmen Gate and Serra's Blessing. Then you can attack with virtually no risk! And this entire combo can be play in a mono-white deck for only 2 mana per card!
Gabriel422
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Counterspells need a hoser as much as burn spells (Kor Firewalker). Of course, Dismember gets around the hoser in both cases.
Hate-bear superstar. This man denies your opponent one important thing: the stack.
ICEFANG13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love me some DnD flavor
SureYouCan
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Blue will get a card like this. (2UUU--SomeWizardlyName
Pay 2UUU - Tap Target non-W G R B, non-land artifact enchantment creature. Only activate this ability when you control 10 or more creatures. At the end of any turn if you didn't activate this ability or if you cast 1 or more spells then sacrifice this creature.)
Nayban
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Seems a bit wordy. Couldnt they have just said "During your turn, Your opponent's STFU."
Bombadill
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like it
dontmess17
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
my first reaction to this card:
LOL HE SAID CHAFF
the_sixth_degree
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This seems basically like one gigantic middle finger directed at {U}'s face.
rareibis
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This guy looks like a real boss.
Mike-C
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Bye bye Puresteel Paladin. It's been fun, no really, it has but this guy doesn't play games. He wins them.
j_mindfingerpainter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Another awesome card illustrated even more awesomely by Eric Deschamps.
AngryMudkipz
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
THOSE LEGS MAN. THOSE LEGS.
Hackworthy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Goddamnit this card is good. 5/5
ApotheosisCM
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Give this bad boy double strike so it actually looks like he uses that double-headed flail.
tSDaylight
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Does this card prevent the abilities of flip cards like Huntmaster/Ravager when the oppoent goes to transform it during your upkeep?
chc36
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
tSdaylight: "Grand Abolisher doesn't affect triggered abilities or static abilities." So pretty sure this includes flip cards since the effect of 2 direct damage and a wolf are triggered by the lack of spells.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is the scariest-looking cleric I've ever seen. You'd think he would wear armor with a little less metal, considering all the lightning bolts he attracts.
RedAtrocitus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How's the guy not a Knight?
iwitch
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i am extremely disapointed that this didnt see a reprint in the 2013 core set. extremely dissapointed.
Anzu-chan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Never underestimate the power of a 2/2 creature.
JeanNiBee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
After building my deck and putting this in it.. I cried when I realized it is M12 not M13. New to Magic and currently sticking to Standard Type 2.
VasmanLight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Him + Odric , Master Tactician . Your opponent will just sit by and watch you dropping their HP to zero .
VirusVescichetta
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
And here I was absolutely loving monowhite humans in standard.
Fr33zurBurn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This kinda reminds me of General Onox from Legend of Zelda.
Totally useful. He definitely has a role to play in a lot of decks. Having him on the board = less risk of my opponent countering things like Eldrazi Con***ion.
Cheers
Fenizrael
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I want to make a deck with this guy and Debt to the Deathless to stop them countering it. This guy is really useful in white weenie decks, too.
Alter_Boy
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
In Commander, this is the safest way to change your Lightning Greaves.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Fenizrael Boseiju
I love this card. Nothing says 'F you' to counterspells quite like this guy does. I always feel so happy when I untap with this guy... 'I can do anything I want this turn and no one can do anything about it!'.
He also looks badass, and is an efficient creature for attacking.
ATM97
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"I got 99 problems but a counterspell ain't one." - Grand Abolisher
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I AM THE LAW.
HaveToPeeBRB
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not only does it stop people from meddling with you during your turn, but it also shows you who plays blue and who doesn't.
Anyways, if you manage to get him out he is not going to last long, nobody likes sorcery-speed instants. To quote Colin Mochrie, he will be a "Lightning rod of hate".
Give him a rain coat or use him as fodder to force out your win condition.
Dankirk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's good. Just a shame you never know what did it prevent from happening.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Shuts DOWN counterspells and forces removal on their turn. 4.5/5
Comments (89)
- This guy.
Way to screw blue counter spells though. Anything that hoses blue is O.K. in my book.
4/5
And considering that I run one of said decks, I think I will be purchasing a few.
This has to be countered or you'll effectively lose 2-3 turns by gathering a bounce/counter and enough mana to do it together.
A) I like this card. It's a nice counterbalance to blue. Let's be honest- us blue mages sometimes get tired of winning all the time. Nice to see wizards lobbing us a challenge :)
B) Any self-respecting Blue player should be able to deal with this as easily as any other color. For me, there's Mana Leak (if I go first) and Unsummon if I didn't. Problem solved, that is, unless they play a Silence on my next turn. If it happens it happens. Like I said earlier, a blue mage is very powerful- nice to see them hosed, even from a blue players standpoint. Next time someone cries to me about how blue is so OP, I have another card to point at.
Insane to see this kind of power on a monocolor bear ...
~Zuty
Oh, did I mention you get to remove him at sorcery speed?
Have fun with that.
don't be stupid,
if you're forced to counter a 2/2 for WW, you're already losing, more importantly, you can't even bounce it on their turn to surprise counter it, and if you bounced it on your turn, you just wasted a card, because the first thing they're going to replay is the abolisher.
this completely rapes blue control.
I agree with DICK's statement. You would just play the same spells..just on your turn.
This card just shuts down "combat tricks" ...Green Pump spells Titanic Growth, whites Seize the initiative and stuff like Red's Thunder strike Also prevents your opponent finishing a guy off with a bolt after combat damage
has been asigned.
- By order of the Grand Abolisher
here is the reason as to why this card isn't that good(city of solitude is good, saying that it's overpowered is a stretch.)
1. it's pretty much only good mono white or some kind of gw decks would run this card. these decks get shut down by massive destruction spells such as damnation, or wrath of god.They also get shot down by ghostly prison or prapoganda. Counter magic really doesn't effect aggro decks because they are far to slow to be effective against aggro decks. The cards that kill aggro decks that controls run are mostly sorcery speed anyway so it doesn't really matter.
2. people say it's good against combo? well sure but hivemind goes off on their own main phase anyway. tendril decks can just go off during their own turn also, it really doesn't matter when they go off as long as they can cast ad naseum. people say it kills splinter twin combo? they can just flash in deciever in responds to this guy and still go off.
3. how does this card shut down control? control runs gideon, jace, cryptic command, mana leak, all kind of spells, instant or not. they all own this card.
So, it doesn't do what you think it does. Then what DOES it do?
First? It's a counter sink. They either have to counter this, or sit on their thumbs until their next turn.
Second? It's a removal target. It's going to be the first thing they want to get rid of, thus protecting everything else you have. While removal can be cheap, it's not the mana cost that matters - There's only so many cards someone can have in their hand.
Third? It slows down your opponent's pace. Either they spend mana to counter it (And can't counter as many other spells this turn), or they spend mana on their turn to remove it (And can't counter/remove as many other things next turn)
If you can get it to stick around, wonderful. Swiftfoot boots can make that lovely. But even if it never really hits the table, it's a good use of two mana.
I have to say, I agree, for the most part, with the people saying that this guy can be gotten rid of relatively easily, and weather or not he becomes counterspell/removal draw, you're still losing a card, along with your opponent.
The real fun comes in when you run 4. IMHO, it will be VERY difficult for your opponent to stop 2, or perhaps even 3 of these guys in one medium-length game, and ALSO keep your other weapons at bay. Imagine running 4 of these in a Tempered Steel deck, with 2 or more Myr Battlespheres, or various other large and scary artifact creatures. Will your opponents be able to fling kill spells around to keep taking this guy out while you play REAL threats.
I think at some point your opponent will have to decide weather he uses the kill spell in his hand for your second Abolisher, or something else you have on the field that's much more threatening to his life total. At that point, the Abolisher can really work his...magic...especially seeing as him leaving him around for a turn gives you a chance to shroud/hexproof him, like others have said. I think there's a ton of strategy that goes along with this card, that alone get's it a 3.5/5 from me. Add .5 for the awesome ability, and the awesome artwork. Too bad he's 7 bucks a piece right now :(
Seriously, kick blue in the face much?
Well, it doesn't stop Terramorphic Expanse from doing that. But it stops pretty much everything else. I hate people who wait for the last minute to do small stuff like that, and this kinda shows them exactly how petty their reluctancy to give small amounts of information is, and how it's going to cost them when they remember a little too late that they can't do stuff on your turn.
With other activated abilities, reasons are even more numerous: you keep your Mana for a Titanic Growth and only activate your Jade Mage if you don't need it after all, or you want your opponent to think you do, or wait to see whether a pesky Lord of the Unreal wants to be Shock before cycling it off with your Merfolk Looter, or you have cards like Mimic Vat that can't produce you a blocker unless you activate them in your opponent's turn, and so on and so on.
So no, Grand Abolisher does a lot more than just annoy people who like to stall just to hide information.
or can this stop Sheoldred, Whispering One 's sac a creature trigger?
Holy sh*t, all that for 2 mana?
Easily a 5/5.
Another good thing about it, against control decks, it makes it so that they can't counter your spells. Unbelievable in caw-blade mirror.
I like to combo him with Dolmen Gate and Serra's Blessing. Then you can attack with virtually no risk! And this entire combo can be play in a mono-white deck for only 2 mana per card!
Pay 2UUU - Tap Target non-W G R B, non-land artifact enchantment creature. Only activate this ability when you control 10 or more creatures. At the end of any turn if you didn't activate this ability or if you cast 1 or more spells then sacrifice this creature.)
LOL HE SAID CHAFF
Your opponent will just sit by and watch you dropping their HP to zero .
http://images.wikia.com/zelda/images/3/35/General_Onox.png
Having him on the board = less risk of my opponent countering things like Eldrazi Con***ion.
Cheers
Boseiju
I love this card. Nothing says 'F you' to counterspells quite like this guy does. I always feel so happy when I untap with this guy... 'I can do anything I want this turn and no one can do anything about it!'.
He also looks badass, and is an efficient creature for attacking.
Anyways, if you manage to get him out he is not going to last long, nobody likes sorcery-speed instants. To quote Colin Mochrie, he will be a "Lightning rod of hate".
Give him a rain coat or use him as fodder to force out your win condition.