Life gain decks really are making a comeback. Also, it's been a long time since seeing this card.
Trygon_Predator
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(8 votes)
Hooray for more Urza's block madness, now at the right rarity level!
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Hmmm, not too happy with this reprint, actually. I agree it has some mythicness in it, but I won't like drawing it.
Goes nicely with Rhox Faithmender, though. Any lifegain gives her +2X/+2X.
WarioMan
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The flavor text is somewhat redundant with the name of the card, but still, it's a solid beatstick if Akroma and Avacyn aren't your thing.
SkyknightXi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Totema: Going by his comment on Bloodbraid Elf, I'm thinking the former.
@Trygon Predator: ...Please, don't tell me you forgot that mythic didn't exist during the Urza's Saga block. What place did they HAVE besides rare?
blindthrall
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Had a friend pull 4 of these from promo packs. He asked me if wanted one. I said meh. He gave 3 back to the store owner.
wiseguy20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I thought about abusing this with conspiracy naming whatever is useful at the time, in a Kaalia deck.
Swing once with kaalia and kill someone with serra avatar? hmm yes please?
Regal_Unicorn
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Most people look at this and say "Meh, only good in a lifegain deck." While it won't be seeing any high end tourney play, don't underestimate this card. By turn seven, any white deck worth it's salt will have at least ten to fifteen life. A 15/15 beater is nothing to scoff at, the fact that you get it back when it dies is icing on the cake.
And yes, this is amazing in Commander. That alone makes it deserve 4/5 stars.
adrian.malacoda
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@Regal_Unicorn: That ability is generally considered a drawback. Large creatures like this are usually reanimated into play with a card such as Animate Dead. This stops any of that from happening. Desirable creatures like Emrakul and Progenitus have this same ability.
(If you really want to be pedantic about it, Progenitus' ability is actually slightly different in that it's a replacement effect and this one is a triggered ability)
CycoMiko
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I used to run this card in a W/G deck with Skyshroud Elf and Armadillo Cloak. I loved seeing the look on people's faces whenever I Cloaked the Avatar!
PanteraSword
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
TImmyforever: Are you kidding me? She has a fricking giant katana, or am i the only one who sees that? Screw serra, jenovas avatar.
Radagast
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Not bad, though it probably needs other cards to push it into the realm of deadly (evasion, trample, etc.) Obviously intended for Commander.
Firenzen
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Might work well in Soul sister/Martyr decks as a one-shotter with Brave the elements. Still pretty weak because of its high mana cost and required comboing to get through, also it has no protection itself. But maybe in a right deck has potential to be good.
4/5
Kelptic183
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Comes down the turn after True Conviction in standard :) Find a way to give it hast to quadruple your life total, even if blocked. If it's not blocked, you should just win, period.
don_miguel
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
no flying, no trample, no vigilance, no first strike, nothing. and it's a mythic. chump blocked forever.
mdbaldw
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Celestial Mantle anyone?
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
7 mana for a potential 20/20, imagine in a turbo fog deck with some ramp. Drop and FLING!
orisiti
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lol... Mind control + Artful Dodge.
Arachnos
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
A lifegain deck nowadays can go into several hundreds of life with a Beacon of Immortality or two. The idea of a 300/300 Avatar appeals to me, even though by that point you might more easily end the game with Test of Endurance or Felidar Sovereign.
Andyman119
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
got the alterante art card for duels of the planeswalkers 2013, went to one FNM, went 4-0
Gasket
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Essence Harvest
Lotsofpoopy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This guy is fantastic! I am a pro so I can make him huge!
SynergyShade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Using a lifegain deck, once you hit 40, draw this and...
...and then...too late. You get pulverized by your enemy's army of planeswalkers XD
I actually gave this thing a Loxodon Warhammer in a multiplayer game, and I had a Rhox Faithmender out at the same time. Needless to say, I ended an opponent a turn, ending the game in around a minute
Sironos
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Why did they waste a mythic slot on this? You are not going to play it in Standard or modern, and for the other formats, it already exists. Seems like a waste of a perfectly good mythic slot. Without any kind of evasion or abilities at all, this is underwhelming. Should have made a version with flying or something. This is a large vanilla creature, and I don't like it. Then again, I never liked lifegain decks, so just ignore me, I'm just venting my frustration.
Minesweeping
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Whoops, oversight. The double strike's only good when they have creatures with toughness > your life total, but if anything, that makes the combo cheaper because there are a LOT of ways to give something lifelink that don't cost 3{W}{W}{W}. The life multiplier cuts in half, from 2561 to 1281, but I'd say multiplying your life total by 1281 is still absurd enough.
BowbeforeZod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Haven't used her yet but am working on a deck built around the life gain ability. Oh Trostani, Where art thou?
So we have a medium level mythic IMO. Not terrible, but not game breaking. Not a whole lot more to really ask for out of a mythic.
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At 7+ life, its already on curve, though being a mostly-vanilla creature means that you really want 10+ life to make it worth the 7 mana.
However, throw in a decent lifelink/lifelink-esque card (like Loxodon Warhammer or Spirit Loop), and you're set for some very fast growth. Put it alongside Wall of Reverence, and you don't even need to attack to double your health each turn. Add in a Well of Dreams, and you have an insane amount of card advantage.
Lots of potential fun for a casual lifegain deck.
Asgard314
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I run a nice Rhox Faithmender lifelink deck with two of these in it. My favorite thing to have happen is Soulbonding a Nearhearth Pilgrim onto her to give her lifelink, enchant her with Call to Serve to give her flying, then give her a Ring of Thune for Vigilance. I once did this at a tournament with 125 life and one Faithmender on the field. My opponent managed to block it, and my life shot up by 350. Then he killed my Nearhearth, only to have me put out another Serra Avatar the very next turn. He blocked my next swing, and my next turn I hit him twice for 450.
Putting this in my Mono-Black suicide deck like a boss 4/5 Stars
Unseto
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
dude, just get a Loxodon Warhammer :) and if you want, add also a True Conviction so, let's say you're in 7 lives, attack once, and since Loxodon Warhammer and True Conviction life gain stack, and because of the double strike, with the first swing you'll be at 27 lives, now the avatar power is 30, and the second strike will gain you 60 lives... now you're in 87... in one attack xd... thats pretty funny... now if you're at 87 and attack again (the next turn), how many lives will you gain? :> This card is sooooo much fun in a lifegain deck :)
masterpierround
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Essence Backlash = win
WILLOW-THE-WHAT
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you start this can be a turn 1 killer!
Svamp, Dark Ritual, Entomb and Shallow Grave: 20/20 monster attacks :)
Blubicles
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Celestial Mantle and Unblockable. You might also want to try trample and doublestrike.
Dragonshoredreamz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really great card to play against.
Jedydier99
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Amazing with Vizkopa Guildmage, As you need 7 to pay for it you can give it lifelink and double your life in a turn, whilst making you're opponents lose that much life, in addition to the damage it deals.
Demonic_Math_Tutor
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Give it lifelink and double strike for maximum overkill.
Vastator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this may just tempt me enough to make my mono-black a black and white, but not quite there, unfortunately.
4/5 for being a good card, but too much a specialist and too rare to see good use.
MJ_Berry
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Playing a Trostani, Selesnya's voice EDH deck absolutely requires this card. You pull Trostani out, drop this card, then you can Conjurer's Closet it in and out of play until you have so much pillow fort you can't be killed barring Sorin Markov. If you're also running Rhox Faithmender you can probably get your opponents to scoop before you even have to do anything.
Comments (44)
Goes nicely with Rhox Faithmender, though. Any lifegain gives her +2X/+2X.
@Trygon Predator: ...Please, don't tell me you forgot that mythic didn't exist during the Urza's Saga block. What place did they HAVE besides rare?
Swing once with kaalia and kill someone with serra avatar? hmm yes please?
And yes, this is amazing in Commander. That alone makes it deserve 4/5 stars.
(If you really want to be pedantic about it, Progenitus' ability is actually slightly different in that it's a replacement effect and this one is a triggered ability)
4/5
...and then...too late. You get pulverized by your enemy's army of planeswalkers XD
out at the same time. Needless to say, I ended an opponent a turn, ending the game in around a minute
Without any kind of evasion or abilities at all, this is underwhelming. Should have made a version with flying or something. This is a large vanilla creature, and I don't like it. Then again, I never liked lifegain decks, so just ignore me, I'm just venting my frustration.
So we have a medium level mythic IMO. Not terrible, but not game breaking. Not a whole lot more to really ask for out of a mythic.
However, throw in a decent lifelink/lifelink-esque card (like Loxodon Warhammer or Spirit Loop), and you're set for some very fast growth. Put it alongside Wall of Reverence, and you don't even need to attack to double your health each turn. Add in a Well of Dreams, and you have an insane amount of card advantage.
Lots of potential fun for a casual lifegain deck.
Needless to say, I LOVE this card!
4/5 Stars
and if you want, add also a True Conviction
so, let's say you're in 7 lives, attack once, and since Loxodon Warhammer and True Conviction life gain stack, and because of the double strike, with the first swing you'll be at 27 lives, now the avatar power is 30, and the second strike will gain you 60 lives... now you're in 87... in one attack xd... thats pretty funny...
now if you're at 87 and attack again (the next turn), how many lives will you gain? :>
This card is sooooo much fun in a lifegain deck :)
Svamp, Dark Ritual, Entomb and Shallow Grave: 20/20 monster attacks :)
As you need 7 to pay for it you can give it lifelink and double your life in a turn, whilst making you're opponents lose that much life, in addition to the damage it deals.
4/5 for being a good card, but too much a specialist and too rare to see good use.