Yeah the potential for EDH is obvious but you have to remember that your general typically gets removed within one turn. Having a costly general that doesn't have an immediate impact is pretty risky....
Mazaera
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
I love this card... im really glad they change her from Zombie to Horror... But still I insist it would be so much more cooler for her to be a "Spider Horror"... it is exquisitely macabre for her. Besides it makes much sense with the books...
Omniance
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I love this card. The flavor aspects and the overall style of Tasbo Tavok was pretty cool in the books, even if she wasn't that amazing of a villain.
I played this card against my friend's Kamigawa deck once. He didn't like me that much afterwards. :)
majinara
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Have her as general in a commander/edh deck.
The bad: - costs 7 mana while having only 4 toughness - other people, especially unexperienced players, are scared of her and thus attack you very quickly - needs some sort of evasion (dragon shadow) and/or haste to be good (dragon breath)
The good: - a 7 power first striker takes out about anything that blocks or gets blocked - immune to most abilities of other commanders (visaras killing, rubinia soulsingers stealing etc) - can't (obviously) be blocked by other commanders (or legends in general) but can on the other hand be a great blocker - once in play, even prevents other people from playing their legends
Taltor
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I wish they kept her as a zombie, for obvious reasons. Don't forget things like dark ritual, seething song, and quicksilver amulet to get her out quickly.
Silverware
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I can't belive no one has thought about the comboing this with Leyline of Singularity. Infact you don't even have to splash blue as long as your geting Leyline of Singularity in your opening hand.
Kirbster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(18 votes)
How was she ever beaten by Gerrard?! Think about it.
1. Protection from Legends. Gerrard can't damage, target, or block her.
2. 7/4. He would deal a meager 3 damage, she'd suck it up and flatten him with 7 damage.
3. First strike. Even though he can't damage her, if he could, she'd still hit first and kill him.
4. "Destroy target Legend." THERE DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE COMBAT FOR HIM TO DIE.
Just to show that yes, Wizards is biased. Tsabo Tavoc would live on to kill some Legends another day. Ah, well. Also, yes - Leyline of Singularity.
As you were.
Clavat99
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Throw Deathtouch on her and combine that with her first strike...Bye Bye Emrakul!
Tommy9898
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I've always wanted there to be legendary sorceries, so I guess here is a good a place as any to say it. It would be so cool and pointless. You couldn't copy them 'cause than they would both fizzle on the stack 'cause they are legends. And I guess it would make this guy stronger too because than you couldn't target him with one.
ROBRAM89
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
I would love to hear the flavor justification for an anti-legend card.
Iktomi
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
@Kirbster:
Gerrard's Hero's Resolve kept him alive long enough to Smite her. She couldn't use her destroy effect because... um... her controller was tapped out.
Implausible, sure, but this is flavor we're talking about. Flavor cares not for card advantage.
endersblade
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
I don't play this as my general in EDH; I run it in the deck. With plenty of ways of untapping her, I pretty much make sure nobody else can get a general on the field. People hate it. This one card has single-handedly changed the meta-game in my area so much, at least 5 cards in every deck around here is specifically there to take this card out as quickly as possible. Some people outright refuse to play me if I leave her in the deck lol. It's just so mean.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
hehehe, edh
fjoajoe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is amazing in an EDH game as long as you have a few cards in your deck to untap her. she is unstoppable if you can do that. they have to be permanents. but it works.
no_body
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Iktomi: Gerrard used his ability to tap tsabo first?
DarthParallax
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
This needs very, very little to be pushed over the edge.
I like cards that are clearly powerful, but not really viable without some kind of actual game plan/support cards.
That mana cost is appropriately quite prohibitive, and if it HADN't been too high for NORMAL Constructed, this would have been broken as DAAAANG in Commander.
So...thanks for the happy accident, Wizards Development team of Invasion block?
Trygon_Predator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Poor Tsabo doesn't get the respect she deserves. First Gerrard pummels her and then Crovax eats her (check out Diabolic Intent). She does make an excellent assassin Commander though.
@ROBRAM: well, ignoring her personalty in the books (which i don't fully remember), an anti-legend card's flavor could be based on hating famous people and trying to kill them.
Charles_Prefect
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
EDH anyone?
TheWrathofShane
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Remember, its creature only. Back then there was "summon legend" and "legendary" two different things. Wizards errata this card correctly. So if you have leyline of singularity out, You basically get Visara the Dreadful. Your better off running Visara, but this could make a fine EDH general.
BegleOne
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
You see the mana cost? You see the power and toughess? You see the face?
Pity Crovax killed her. Whilst the Praetors were faffing about in Mirrodin she could've single handedly taken the entire plane of Kamigawa.
pedrodyl
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Card of the Day, December 14th, 2012 It is a real wonder how Gerrard managed to kill Tsabo Tavoc here, but when you realize that all that Gerrard's card does is some mediocre life-gain and tap some creatures, you start to wonder if these legendary creatures are well-represented through their abilities. Because Gerrard is a badass (just sayin')
bay_falconer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
So much for "all legends are top-down".
*7/4 versus Gerrard's 3/4.
*First strike, with 7 versus a 3/4.
*Protection from legends. Yup.
*"Destroy target legend." LOL, you don't even need combat.
adrian.malacoda
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@no_body: Tsabo has protection from legendary creatures, so Gerrard's ability wouldn't even be able to target her
@atemu1234: IIRC she was DEFEATED (not killed) in battle by Gerrard, which is why she was executed for her failure by Crovax.
EDH-wise, this'd be an odd general to play with. You'd need a bunch of non-creature permanent removal, since most edh decks give their generals some protection.
Not only that, but Leyline of Singularity isn't playable in these colours. It is in Galina's, though...
SubstantiaNigra
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Kirbster:
I know what you mean. However, legend says that prior to Tsabo Tavoc getting beaten by Gerrard Capashen, good boy-gone-bad Karn, Silver Golem tore several of her limbs off, weakening her... But then, that doesn't make any sense either, because Karn, Silver Golem reads:
Whenever Karn, Silver Golem blocks or becomes blocked, it gets -4/+4 until end of turn.
So that would have left Karn as a 0/1, and Tsabo intact as a 7/4. But even that's not the case, as Tsabo has Protection from Legends, and two ways of killing Karn: Either in one fell swoop (, tap) or in battle (First strike). So she really should have won that fight. In fact, Phyrexia should have won the war. Phyrexia FTW. That is all.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow, Lady Orca, looks like you trained pretty hard to learn to get the drop on your opponents. Aaaaaand got a giant spider mech for some reason.
MithosFall
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This should have "protection from legendary permanents" rather than just creatures.
BorosGreengrocer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Randy Orton's favourite card.
D1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The commander of all commanders.
Actually, she can be killed by a lot of things in a EDH game (like the common battlefield wipes), but she can kill any other commander that is giving you trouble.
r2d2go
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SubstantiaNigra - Karn swore an oath of nonviolence, which is why whenever he enters combat he doesn't deal damage. Presumably, his attack on this card came before that.
Comments (37)
I played this card against my friend's Kamigawa deck once. He didn't like me that much afterwards. :)
The bad:
- costs 7 mana while having only 4 toughness
- other people, especially unexperienced players, are scared of her and thus attack you very quickly
- needs some sort of evasion (dragon shadow) and/or haste to be good (dragon breath)
The good:
- a 7 power first striker takes out about anything that blocks or gets blocked
- immune to most abilities of other commanders (visaras killing, rubinia soulsingers stealing etc)
- can't (obviously) be blocked by other commanders (or legends in general) but can on the other hand be a great blocker
- once in play, even prevents other people from playing their legends
1. Protection from Legends. Gerrard can't damage, target, or block her.
2. 7/4. He would deal a meager 3 damage, she'd suck it up and flatten him with 7 damage.
3. First strike. Even though he can't damage her, if he could, she'd still hit first and kill him.
4. "Destroy target Legend." THERE DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO BE COMBAT FOR HIM TO DIE.
Just to show that yes, Wizards is biased. Tsabo Tavoc would live on to kill some Legends another day. Ah, well. Also, yes - Leyline of Singularity.
As you were.
Gerrard's Hero's Resolve kept him alive long enough to Smite her. She couldn't use her destroy effect because... um... her controller was tapped out.
Implausible, sure, but this is flavor we're talking about. Flavor cares not for card advantage.
I like cards that are clearly powerful, but not really viable without some kind of actual game plan/support cards.
That mana cost is appropriately quite prohibitive, and if it HADN't been too high for NORMAL Constructed, this would have been broken as DAAAANG in Commander.
So...thanks for the happy accident, Wizards Development team of Invasion block?
She does make an excellent assassin Commander though.
You see Lady Orca?
You see the connection?
It is a real wonder how Gerrard managed to kill Tsabo Tavoc here, but when you realize that all that Gerrard's card does is some mediocre life-gain and tap some creatures, you start to wonder if these legendary creatures are well-represented through their abilities. Because Gerrard is a badass (just sayin')
*7/4 versus Gerrard's 3/4.
*First strike, with 7 versus a 3/4.
*Protection from legends. Yup.
*"Destroy target legend." LOL, you don't even need combat.
@atemu1234: IIRC she was DEFEATED (not killed) in battle by Gerrard, which is why she was executed for her failure by Crovax.
EDH-wise, this'd be an odd general to play with. You'd need a bunch of non-creature permanent removal, since most edh decks give their generals some protection.
Not only that, but Leyline of Singularity isn't playable in these colours. It is in Galina's, though...
I know what you mean. However, legend says that prior to Tsabo Tavoc getting beaten by Gerrard Capashen, good boy-gone-bad Karn, Silver Golem tore several of her limbs off, weakening her... But then, that doesn't make any sense either, because Karn, Silver Golem reads:
Whenever Karn, Silver Golem blocks or becomes blocked, it gets -4/+4 until end of turn.
So that would have left Karn as a 0/1, and Tsabo intact as a 7/4. But even that's not the case, as Tsabo has Protection from Legends, and two ways of killing Karn: Either in one fell swoop (
Actually, she can be killed by a lot of things in a EDH game (like the common battlefield wipes), but she can kill any other commander that is giving you trouble.