Pointed Discussion

The new art is really quite pretty, I like how the entire cycle now matches in art style.

Artwork cycle is complete, finally!

By far my favorite, as I love Orzhov. Thank you Chris Rahn for completing your cycle.

This is the only Mirrodin sword that's pointed down.

@ Totema: That's because it's the best, hands down.

*End bad joke*

This card is seriously awesome. Protection from removal of 2 of the most relevant colors, and a power/toughness boost. Oh yeah, and a triggered ability that could save you late-game. Needless to say, 5/5

Wish they had given this and Sword of Fire and Ice the mirran symbol, so they fit in with the rest even better. They did it with the guilded cards in MM anyway...

I started playing in Mirrodin block, but I never got to play with this card.

But no more! This was the first card I opened in a draft, and not only did I go 3-0, I went 6-0 in the sense I swept every game. Nuts by itself, and even more silly with Street Wraith, Mulldrifter, and other evoke creatures in the same draft pool!

Monster of a card and glad to have it in my collection.

There are two Swords that give Protection from Black.
Sword of Feast and Famine gives wildly more powerful triggered abilities than most of the rest of them- it gives direct card and mana advantage, very simple and plain to see, and feels almost as cheaty as Tinker.
But "Flying" is very nearly "Protection from Green" (it IS "Protection from Green Creatures" for 99% of purposes. Sigarda being a Giant Jerk of an Exception).

There are two swords that give Protection from White.
Sword of War and Peace gives almost amazingly OP effects, except it really is just overall "Win More"- it swings life points a whole lot after you've already got the Card Advantages and Disadvantages swinging in the directions you want them to.

Wrath of God and Doom Blade will find knockoffs of themselves, in both Black and White, in every deck running either color. Protection from Red isn't as relevant as you might think, since the tempo disadvantage of casting and equipping a Sword early could be enough to win it for the Red Deck, and against a Red Deck there shouldn't really be a late game. In Duels. In Multiplayer or other Casual games of all sorts, you'll have to deal with the occasional Dragon or Bonfire, but really those cards are hard to justify running over Angels, Demons, and Better Stuff in Black and White.

The "Best Sword?" Debate could go on for almost as long as the "Best Color?" Debate and is highly dependent on format and metagame, but "Best Sword to Default to" is Sword of Light and Shadow, because White and Black have the most "Answer Target/All X" Default Spells.

EDIT: Yeah, it doesn't actually Stop Wraths, but it's good against the Colors of Decks where Wrath appears. That's still worth a lot. Sword of War and Peace and Sword of Light and Shadow are two of the best Swords because you get the most Mileage out of their Protections. Very well worth enchanting a Sworded creature to give it Flying.
Sword of Feast and Famine is the only Sword that I am truly in awe of it's abilities. Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Body and Mind feel like 'fair, strong abilities', but Feast and Famine feels bahroken.

Say all you want about which sword is best, but it was flat-out funny to drop this against my opponent's Tidehollow Sculler.

The art on this version is beautiful. I like the most visible thing in the picture is the light half of the sword.

@DarthParallax
Wrath of God actually will still kill the equipped creature. Protection does not stop 'destroy' effects from killing them and it only prevents things that 'target' the creature. It also prevents damage from sources that it has protection from so protection from red is definitely still very strong (as long as they are not super aggro - ie mono red).

I also want to point out that this is one of the weaker swords. The life gain is kind of weak, and returning the creature is conditional (you have to have a dead creature). However, I still love this card and if you have a deck that makes a lot of creatures dead, it can be really good card advantage (since each time it goes, you get to choose which creature you want).

EDIT
I think people overestimate how important the colours of the protection are. The point of equipment is that if the equipped creature is killed, you can just throw it on a new creature. It doesn't even have to be a big creature. That's particularly the case with the swords which have so many bonus effects.

EDIT2
Finally got it in the mail :D This is undoubtedly the prettiest sword. Looks so good.
The main thing the protections do for the swords, is make it so your creature can't get blocked. You'll find very quickly that if you have this sword against a blue/green deck, it won't be doing very much for you. That's no the case for sword of fire and ice against a white/black deck since it will still cause a lot of damage if it gets through.

Looks alarmingly like Sword Of Feast And Famine; they're basically the same colours. Imagine picking up a sword, expecting it to heal you and resurrect your dead friend, but once you swing it at a bad guy instead it makes your enemy forget his mother and then all the rice fields spring up filled with vigour and bounty.

@DarthParallax

"But "Flying" is very nearly "Protection from Green" (it IS "Protection from Green Creatures" for 99% of purposes. Sigarda being a Giant Jerk of an Exception)."

I'm not sure if you are aware of how many green creatures have reach, or how many have flying. Or how many green spells say "destroy target creature with flying".

Flying is "Pro creatures without flying or reach".

Sometimes I think you just write giant posts about nothing or inaccurate facts.

Best sword in the game for protecting against removal.

Protection from White makes it immune to Path to Exile, Oblivion Ring, ect.
Protection from Black makes it immune to Go for the Throat, Dismember, ect.
+2/+2 could be enough toughness boost to bring out of lightning bolt range.

Some of the things that can still take out your creatures are Black Sun's Zenith or Wrath of God.

I have one from a Darksteel pack I opened in highschool. It's beat up pretty bad because I didn't use sleeves back then, I'd love one of the new art.

@ Havens.

And you say HE writes random inaccurate facts. Royal assassin doesn't have flying or reach, but can still kill a flyer. So flying is not pro creatures without flying or reach. Deadly recluse is green but kills flying. Reach is one of green's keywords. 75 green creatures have reach, and about 65 have flying. Creature wise, green is the best at removing flyers.

When I saw this spoiled, I fell to my knees and cried. Chris Rahn outdid himself

@Gcrudaplaneswalker
By the same token you should love Animar, Soul of Elements

@EdgarPoeAllen

I don't even think you read the comment. His entire point was that green has a lot of reach creatures...and you're an idiot if you think he actually thought flying was literally "protection from creatures without flying or reach"

This is one Sword that refuses to become a Plowshare.

I just sold my Sword Of Fire and Ice. I won't miss it. I'm all casual, not a tourney player that those cards promote.