Selesnya theme has changed a little, it used to value smaller tokens but mass in number, populate on the other hand favors bigger tokens. There are more cards making small tokens than big ones at this point, so I find Trostani work best with the original theme than the new one (with logical supporting cards, of course).
Vakyoom
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(5 votes)
This set only has 4 cards that produce tokens larger than 3/3's. Theres a 4/4 trample rhino, a 5/5 trample wurm, an 8/8 vigilance and an X/X slime. Now only two of those cards are playable under normal circumstances. That means youre going to populate those 3/3 centaurs and 2/2 vigilant soldiers more often than not.
The difference between selesnya back then and selesnya now is that there are big creature options for a change. So many selesnya cards were wimpy and I for one welcome the change.
This is a legendary that is worth every penny. Both in dollar and CMC value. Lifegain perk, populate for a cheap activate and a 2/5 body make this 4 drop worth all of your costs. Having at least 2-3 in your decks is gonna be the way to go. And a staple in everything from lifegain to populate decks. 5/5
Lyoncet
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(12 votes)
You know how there's always a "Magic Number?" Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir had the magic number 4 toughness because of burn. The Titans, Wurmcoil Engine, and Consecrated Sphinx had the magic number 6 toughness because of Dismember. Well, to my knowledge, this is one of the few cards in Innistrad-Return to Ravvnica that hits the magic number 4 times:
When I first saw her, I thought of Rhys the Redeemed. Same colors, similar abilities. I think they would get along well with each other.
Goatllama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
CHRISTIAN THEMES, IMMA STOP PLAYING MAGIC NOW (I kid, I kid)! It is kind of interesting though. Three people, one Dryad.
LordRandomness
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@Xllinoc: I disagree. "Spells you cast have overload. The overload cost is equal to twice their mana cost" would have been utterly hilarious. Not necessarily a better ability set than the one he has, but hilarious.
Lotsofpoopy
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Pros like me know how amazing this legend really is. She creates tokens with her populate and you gain life from those populated tokens along with whatever else you cast. Sounds pretty strong to me.
Demento_Recraves
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
I like this card - I do - I just don't get why MARO was always stressing how she's three creatures and one creature at the same time when it doesn't really have a mechanical representation.
zomboss
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
FlickeringThragtusk with this and Rhox Faithmender on the field. Yeah!! 1 Cloudshift will gain you 22 lives and a 3/3. :D
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I'm going to make a Populate + Proliferate deck. It will be B/G/W, and will have Corpsejack Menace and Parallel Lives in it, AND Doubling Season, it will have infect and it will make people cry and I will love it and hug it and call it "George". :3
RevShad
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Life Gain for the win turn one: Forest, Essence Warden turn two: Plains, Suture Priest turn three: Plains, Rune-Tail Kitsune Ascendant turn four: Forest, Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice turn five: land, Ageless Entity you now have a 12/12 and possibly Rune-Tail flipped so your creatures don't take damage
or change Rune-Tail for Chalice of Life
and if it late game Phyrexian Processor makes tokens to Populate.
There are some games lifegain can't win. For everything else, there's Trostani.
RAV0004
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Why don't you just play Rhys the Redeemed as your general instead? They both do the same thing, but Rhys does it better, faster, and at a less color intensive cost.
Completely underwhelming.
lagg
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Don't underestimate the power to gain life and populate 2/2 knights, 3/3 centaurs, 3/3 beasts and the powerful 5/5 wurm tramplers. Detention Sphere won't be enough to stop this token crazyness, and Supreme Verdict will face Rootborn Defenses.. Terminus seems much better now.
SauceyCoffee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Tackman: 15 on the turn that you blink it, but you're getting -> 23 <- total life from the combo :D 16 from thragtusk entering... 3 from Her token... and 4 from Restoration Angel *I know that you know the total, but it's for others that want to see* ... Selesnya is WAY underrated.
I do hope that people take advantage of the fact that Serra Avatar is in standard right now...
shotoku64
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
The fat-pack booklet says that Trostani is a three-headed dryad and is the vessel that Mat'Selesnya communicates through. (Mat'Selesnya is the "mysterious consciousness they believe to be the manifestation of nature itself.")
Gcrudaplaneswalker
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@RAV0004 Then maybe you should run both Trostani and Rhys in the same deck? Yes, they both make tokens and are excellent beside one another. And Trostani gives you the lifegain.
Yeah that seems nice with Selesnya. I mean, besides being just about the most horrifyingly heretical thing you could do as a Vorthos. Selesnya breaking Mirrodin cards? That's like....Treebeard with a Machine Gun.
It simply is not done.
But neither is Walking Into Mordor, and we already did that, so what the hell....
Flying angels are like bread and butter, but flying, double-striking Elephants can share the fun too.
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I must've looked at this card a thousand times and not realised how cheap she is to cast. Probably due to being in the same guild as Chorus of the Conclave.
This changes things. Mmm.
Sootoo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card. The art, the flavor, just everything. Pretty under-rated with only getting a 3,5, atm. It´s not one of these cards, which makes everyone stand in awe, when they enter the battlefield, but to me, that´s actually rather a positive thing. And if you know how to properly build your deck around, it can win against any deck.
I hear people saying, that Rhys would be a better general... Well, Rhys definitely has his advantages too, but he mostly only produces little 1/1 or perhaps 2/2 tokens, while Trostani may be a little bit slower, but instead produces bigger tokens, most of the time (one of my favorite spells for Trostani is Wurmcalling for example). Even if you only produce 3/3 tokens, that´s still a whole new level, than just 2/2 tokens, and wayyy less vulnerable.
Apart from this, Rhys himself is just rediculously vulnerable too. One only has to play an Elesh Norn, and all of his beloved Elf tokens plus himself are most likely gone for a good while - lol. And there are maaany ppl who play Elesh Norn.
And I also think, that people pretty much underestimate the advantages you can get through lifegain, but apart from the obvious, there are many cards which really have a great synergie with lifegain.
@ NuckChorris Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage is great and all but it can be costly to use 6 mana for one 3/3 Centaur and it costs one more to populate then Trostani.
Personally i would rather get Trostani out and then use Call of the Conclave then you have the life gain and a cheaper populate. Sure the Guildmage costs GW less. but id prefer Trostani just for her better life expectancy with 5 defense she can block most things and keep on ticking.
MegaMachina
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I got a Golgari intro pack the other day. Get 2 booster packs with it. First pack, had this in it. Too bad, I already became set on a Golgari deck for now. Would have loved to use this card tbh.
Still, mythic rare for my first Magic pack in years? Outstanding :D
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So many great combos in commander. Phyrexian Processor Pay life for tokens, then get that life back. Every turn. Storm Herd Get tokens, double your life total. Ajani Goldmane See above. Mimic Vat Returns your dead creatures as tokens for cheap. Populate them and it's like they were never gone. Séance See above. Soul Foundry Same as above but without waiting for your favourite creature to die. Orochi Hatchery Sure, why not? Nacatl War-Pride Make tokens of tokens that make more tokens! That's all staying within her colors. Most of the cards are dirt cheap too. To keep the mana flowing use Citanul Hierophants. Don't forget untappers, buffs and multiple sources of populate! And for the love of god protect your commander!
Kelptic183
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can't be the only Vorthros that's annoyed she's not a 3/6 instead of a 2/5. If she was a 3/6, it would imply that each dryad is an even 1/2. As is, we have to assume two of them are 1/2 and one is a 0/1. Which one of you isn't holding up your end in combat, huh?
vardaris
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
I am surprised this card is rated that low. Solid body for 4 but that is the least of it. Life gaining ability will save you blockers and, in extension, creatures, while the populate on demend ability will boost yourcreature numbers to overwhelm your opponents. In limited every time it hits the battlefield it's a two round concede by the opponent. Very useful in other formats too.
Disadvantages? she needs a deck revolving around her. but hey... she is the leader of a whole guild, what did you expect?!
MTimao
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is amazing, every time she is in my Battlefield is almost a win! With Armada Wurm my GW Tokens deck gives me a lot of life and a lot of body to hit my enemies! A 5/5 for sure! Love it!
Roque14
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone else find it funny that the most powerful of the guild leaders (Trostani, Jarad, Rakdos) are also the cheapest ones?
Biff_Steel
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Trostani + Serra Avatar, You gain life equal to your life total and an obscenely large creature. Profits.
drtony828
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I had this on the battlefield during a game yesterday - she was keeping me alive by populating 8/8 Elemental tokens from my Grove of the Guardian against a nasty Vampire deck. At one point, though, I was down to 8 life. And lo and behold, I Miracled Entreat The Angels...6 Angel tokens and 24 life later, I had gone from the brink (literally one life) to 50 life in about 3 turns. Needless to say, I won that game.
JinChonRei
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
ok, so how is this not a 5 star card? in edh this thing is a beast. 4 mana for 2/5 body, that copies and gains you significant amounts of life. get out of here...
1) playing this then putting Conjurer's Closet onto the battle field. 2) Playing Serra Avatar doubling life at the end of each turn. 3) Draw storm herd get ready to play with 2000 life. 4) Confused look when Serra Avatar is returned to my hand 5) the look on my face with my friend Essence Backlash my Serra Avatar effectively reducing my life total from 2000 to 0 when he could of been dead turns ago......Priceless
GhostCounselor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Absolutely brutal to face against if you don't deal with it quickly in standard. COmbine it with Grove of the Guardian and Giant Adephage and you will be gaining a ton of life. Mixing it with Serra Avatar could surely create a lot of problems.
Kikatch
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have GWU (BANT) Agro deck with GW tokens and U for control cards like Detention Sphere on Standard and Trostani is very good in this deck, it is especially good at defeating agro players, and also some control players (especially Izzet), but it has got a little worse match-up against UW players.
Taudisban
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think people severely underestimate the powerhouse this card is in a good midrange deck, especially against aggro. Fights off Burning-Tree Emissary like a champ, and just generally puts you out of their range. Not even that hard to play with Avacyn's Pilgrim and Arbor Elf/Temple Garden as your mana dorks. Like the human clause on Falkenrath Aristocrat, the populate is something that is an added bonus rather than necessary to make the card good.
this card literally saved me from an overwhelming stampede one time when I was playing with my friend I had trostani, selesnya voice 2 kazandu tuskcaller out with one parallel lives and every turn I just pump out 4 3/3 elephant and gain 16 life
my friend was using his big green deck and had several massive +6/6 creature out, then he play overwhelming stampede, and swung at me for 30 something damage, yet I managed to hold out with ten lives remaining.
DoragonShinzui
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I like her mechanically, but stat wise...awkward. 2/5. Twooooo/Fiiiiive. ... Nope. Don't like it. Can't put my finger on it.
cajun_sunrise
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Populate/token mechanics usually take a few turns to generate enough creatures to do some serious damage to your opponent. Instead of using your creatures to defend your life total, you can use Trostani's lifegain ability to take the damage head-on. Pair with Mentor of the Meek, Parallel Lives, Captain of the Watch, Increasing Devotion and Cathar's Crusade. Win.
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
4/16/2013 1:25:28 PM {1){G}{W}{T}: Bang the bitches in the picture.
Edit: Damn! I thought that was a dude in the middle. Image: http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/75/86/7586d0338185fb949daabebaf2db8363.jpg?itok=ZFH-goTJ
WindMasterArceus
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Looked at the flavor text on a card from Dragon's Maze. My first thought:
"Her? Trostani's a girl?"
I seriously thought she was a male until I looked closer at the art.
TowerDefender
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combo with Builder's Blessing untapped creatures you control get +2 toughness. Am I right that this would be counted in Trostani's lifegain? Only downside is they are competing for the same spot Edit: Magical Christmas Land, Builder's Blessing, Trostani and Captain of the Watch = 17 life gain, or with Trostani's summoner = 18 life-gain, ha also see Collective Blessing
TheChort
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a fantastic card that has only gotten better with time. With new tournament-level token producing cards like Voice of Resurgence and Advent of the Wurm, her populate ability is all the more relevant. Although she's actually quite good even if you never use her populate ability; the life gain alone can be insurmountable if she isn't quickly dealt with.
Tamerlein
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A 2/5 body for four and two relevant abilities make her one of the best guild leaders. The double and make her a little bit difficult to cast, but once she is out there she is very powerful.
I once saw a guy who had Trostani and a Rhox Faithmender out then play another Faithmender, gaining twenty life for only four mana.
4.5/5
mpatt89
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I use Trostani, Selesnya's Voice as the Commander for my commander deck, and I discovered a wicked combo with Ajani Goldmane. When you use Ajani's avatar, creature token ability in tandem with both of Tostani's abilities you quickly amass an army of massive creature tokens as well as a huge life total.
IamjustnotCreative
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's like a Soul Sister on steroids!
Cordes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm pretty new to MtG and haven't tried most color combinations yet but so far I really like . This Card is one of my favorites because it works with so many other Cards. I started building a Deck around her for Standard and use her with Angelic Accord. Once you have your first Angel Token (for example by casting Call of the Conclave and attacking with your Trained Caracal you can start the combo. Populate Token, gain 4 life, get another Token at end of turn, get another 4 life. 2 Token with 4/4 and Flying + 8 life per turn for only seems pretty decent to me.
langile
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I REALLY like this card. Basically my whole deck is built around this and growing ranks. I got to 377 life in one game (but lost due to sphere of safetys) from this card.
NuclearRainboom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I think the best comeback I ever made to someone is when I played her as my commander and the guy I was against was all like: "Aww, why do you play her, she sucks d*ck!" and I said back without hesitation: "Well not as much as you do, and she has three heads."
@Nuclearrainboom: Great. Tell us more about your kindergarten adventures.
Rifts980
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Weird synergy with Phyrexian Processor. It's a colorless artifact too so it' even fit with EDH...
Wurmcoil
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't know what everyone's EDH meta is but in mine Trostani has a hidden ability :P It reads "If an opponent is to cast the card "Death by Dragons" in a multiplayer game, you're pretty much last on the charity list."
Comments (65)
But then again, it would be kind of weird for Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius to have overload.
The difference between selesnya back then and selesnya now is that there are big creature options for a change. So many selesnya cards were wimpy and I for one welcome the change.
This is a legendary that is worth every penny. Both in dollar and CMC value. Lifegain perk, populate for a cheap activate and a 2/5 body make this 4 drop worth all of your costs. Having at least 2-3 in your decks is gonna be the way to go. And a staple in everything from lifegain to populate decks. 5/5
>1 Color (Ultimate Price)
>3 CMC (Abrupt Decay)
>4 Toughness (Mizzium Mortars)
<5 Power (Selesnya Charm)
Just thought that was kind of cool.
Incidentally, Rakdos, Lord of Riots and Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius die to Selesnya Charm. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord can't be safe from both that and Mizzium Mortars. Poor Isperia, Supreme Judge dies to both of them. Azor's Elocutors dodges all of them, though.
1 Cloudshift will gain you 22 lives and a 3/3. :D
turn one: Forest, Essence Warden
turn two: Plains, Suture Priest
turn three: Plains, Rune-Tail Kitsune Ascendant
turn four: Forest, Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
turn five: land, Ageless Entity
you now have a 12/12 and possibly Rune-Tail flipped so your creatures don't take damage
or change Rune-Tail for Chalice of Life
and if it late game Phyrexian Processor makes tokens to Populate.
so i think i want two for my life gain
Playing Armada Wurm? 10 life.
Blinking Thragtusk with Restoration Angel? 15 life.
Seeing your opponent struggle to get you bellow 30 life? Priceless.
There are some games lifegain can't win. For everything else, there's Trostani.
Completely underwhelming.
Detention Sphere won't be enough to stop this token crazyness, and Supreme Verdict will face Rootborn Defenses..
Terminus seems much better now.
Yeah that seems nice with Selesnya. I mean, besides being just about the most horrifyingly heretical thing you could do as a Vorthos. Selesnya breaking Mirrodin cards? That's like....Treebeard with a Machine Gun.
It simply is not done.
But neither is Walking Into Mordor, and we already did that, so what the hell....
Treebeard, meet Optimus Prime! Optimus Prime, Treebeard!
And she led me to Entreat the Angels.
I like Ajani, Caller of the Pride and Loxodon Smiter.
Flying angels are like bread and butter, but flying, double-striking Elephants can share the fun too.
This changes things. Mmm.
I hear people saying, that Rhys would be a better general... Well, Rhys definitely has his advantages too, but he mostly only produces little 1/1 or perhaps 2/2 tokens, while Trostani may be a little bit slower, but instead produces bigger tokens, most of the time (one of my favorite spells for Trostani is Wurmcalling for example). Even if you only produce 3/3 tokens, that´s still a whole new level, than just 2/2 tokens, and wayyy less vulnerable.
Apart from this, Rhys himself is just rediculously vulnerable too. One only has to play an Elesh Norn, and all of his beloved Elf tokens plus himself are most likely gone for a good while - lol. And there are maaany ppl who play Elesh Norn.
And I also think, that people pretty much underestimate the advantages you can get through lifegain, but apart from the obvious, there are many cards which really have a great synergie with lifegain.
To flash in a Felidar Sovereign, for example, always comes good. And the Well of Lost Dreams is pretty much the best artifact draw-engine anyway, if you play Trostani as a general. Ageless Entity and Cradle of Vitality for more creature power also isn´t bad.
Personally i would rather get Trostani out and then use Call of the Conclave then you have the life gain and a cheaper populate. Sure the Guildmage costs GW less. but id prefer Trostani just for her better life expectancy with 5 defense she can block most things and keep on ticking.
Still, mythic rare for my first Magic pack in years? Outstanding :D
Phyrexian Processor Pay life for tokens, then get that life back. Every turn.
Storm Herd Get tokens, double your life total.
Ajani Goldmane See above.
Mimic Vat Returns your dead creatures as tokens for cheap. Populate them and it's like they were never gone.
Séance See above.
Soul Foundry Same as above but without waiting for your favourite creature to die.
Orochi Hatchery Sure, why not?
Nacatl War-Pride Make tokens of tokens that make more tokens!
That's all staying within her colors. Most of the cards are dirt cheap too.
To keep the mana flowing use Citanul Hierophants.
Don't forget untappers, buffs and multiple sources of populate! And for the love of god protect your commander!
In limited every time it hits the battlefield it's a two round concede by the opponent.
Very useful in other formats too.
Disadvantages? she needs a deck revolving around her. but hey... she is the leader of a whole guild, what did you expect?!
swing it with cards likeAvacyn, Angel of Hope,Serra Avatar, titan forge,loxodon smiter,Obstinate Baloth, mirrorworks,Rhys the Redeemed,armada wurm, Felidar Sovereign ,Ajani's Pridemate etc.
so many combos, so much punishment in casual.
Goes well with Spawnwrithe.
2) Playing Serra Avatar doubling life at the end of each turn.
3) Draw storm herd get ready to play with 2000 life.
4) Confused look when Serra Avatar is returned to my hand
5) the look on my face with my friend Essence Backlash my Serra Avatar effectively reducing my life total from 2000 to 0 when he could of been dead turns ago......Priceless
The only draw back is the Legendary clause.
Add in Rhox Faithmender and Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability for more fun (You gain 14, your opponent loses 16. Every turn.).
one time when I was playing with my friend I had trostani, selesnya voice 2 kazandu tuskcaller out with one parallel lives
and every turn I just pump out 4 3/3 elephant and gain 16 life
my friend was using his big green deck and had several massive +6/6 creature out, then he play overwhelming stampede, and swung at me for 30 something damage, yet I managed to hold out with ten lives remaining.
...
Nope. Don't like it. Can't put my finger on it.
{1){G}{W}{T}: Bang the bitches in the picture.
Edit: Damn! I thought that was a dude in the middle.
Image:
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/75/86/7586d0338185fb949daabebaf2db8363.jpg?itok=ZFH-goTJ
"Her? Trostani's a girl?"
I seriously thought she was a male until I looked closer at the art.
I once saw a guy who had Trostani and a Rhox Faithmender out then play another Faithmender, gaining twenty life for only four mana.
4.5/5
Needless to say I won with my patent pending "True Conviction/Serra Avatar/Conjuror's Closet" strategy.