A bit disappointing for whites 'god' but he is still pretty nuts
4/5 Stars
DritzD27
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
He may not have been what everyone was hoping for but between things like Precinct Captain, Phalanx Leader and Boros Reckoner this guy will be a big creature a whole lot of the time.
.Blaze.
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Would have liked for his creature making ability to cost 1 less. Still, its ok. One of the weaker Gods.
I'm pretty sure Heliod's going to be amazing. Along with Purphoros, Heliod is the easiest god to "activate" and the ability to make all your first- and double-strikers vigilant is amazing. Like the other gods, he plays best with his weapon and last I checked +1/+1 and vigilance were a sweet, sweet combination. Pooping out enchantment clerics surely isn't the most impressive effect, but white more than any other color is about cooperation. And Heliod cooperates very well with his followers.
NARFNra
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(5 votes)
Serra's Sanctum is a fun way to pay for clerics, if only because they help you get more back over time.
James_Kernaghan
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Maybe it's a strong card, I dunno. It'll be hard to gauge until I actually see it in action. But man, it's an absolutely boring design.
Kaizeischi
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Don't knock this guy 'till you've tried him! In U/W, holding counterspells/removal while this guy is on the field is wonderful. "Oh, you didn't cast a card because of my 4-8 open mana? Clerics! Clerics abound!"
Also, he's oddly easy to turn into a creature. I know people are saying G is the best for devotion, but this guy protects my field almost every time I playtest my U/W deck.
Fenix.
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(3 votes)
The weakest of the gods, that's for sure.
Zenzei
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(8 votes)
No wonder Heliod is the boss in Theros, he cheats on follower acquisition.
SyntheticDreamer
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Well, the art is nice and he makes enchantment creature tokens, but unfortunately he's surprisingly underwhelming. It'd be tolerable if Heliod himself had vigilance...
Purplerooster
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
God spelled backwards is Dog.
Dabok
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
He may be slightly weaker than the rest of the gods in terms of the abilities granted, but as it has been pointed out by some of you here, he's sort of easier to "activate" as a creature.
I mean, per se, it's not the case, but White Weenie has been one of the fastest aggro deck archetypes for a long time now (and still is). So if you put him in that kind of deck, he's almost always sure to be a creature, not only does he fill in the finisher spot but also has some buffs for your own crew and can bolster your army (for quite a cost, but if you're playing weenie right, you should've dumped your hand already by the time this card is out).
No, he is not the worst of the gods. I love how people underestimate powerful abilities like Vigilance, and he has one of the best activated abilities of the gods in a stalemate. Erebos draws cards, but at a price. The other 3 rely on creatures. This provides incremental board advantage, which will eventually win you the game.
j_mindfingerpainter
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@PurpleRooster: An irrelevant fact spelled backwards is an irrelevant fact.
Also all I can imagine is one of the Gods chump-blocking another, each equipped to Basilisk Collar...
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Continuing DarthParallax's Disney Mythics Song series: HERCULES :D
Back when the world was new The plane of Theros was down on its luck And everywhere gigantic brutes called Archons ran amok :O
It was a nasty place! There was a mess wherever you stepped Where chaos reigned and earthquakes and volcanoes never slept
And then along came Heliod He hurled his Spear of Sunlance He zapped! Locked those suckers in a VAULT They're Trapped! And on his own stopped Chaos in its tracks And that's the Gospel Truth The guy was too type A to just relax
And that's the Worlds first dish He tamed the globe while still in his youth Though honey, it may seem imposs'ble THAT'S THE GOSPEL TRUTH
On Nykthos life was neat and Smooth as sweet vermouth Though, honey, it may seem imposs'ble That's the gospel truth
(This ad paid for by the God of the Sun Foundation, and viewers like you! Remember, we need the Sun! Praise Heliod!)
FaceClaimer
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
OK. People, you REALLY need to stop underestimating vigilance.
blackmetalbear
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
*sigh* he is a bit less than what I expected. In standard he will do well, and I can maybe see him as a finisher in modern white weenies. He can crap out some odd tokens, but at instant speed you can't complain. Back in the day Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree saw play, and he is better than that ability-wise.
In Commander he will see little play. There is just better choices out there for a white tank. Mana for abilities though, all of the Gods are champs. People should stop being so hard on them, at the end of the day they all give a pretty good boost. I can just seen Spear of Heliod being used much more. I love Glorious Anthem.
TheShockinglyAnon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You guys do know that he turns Ajani's Chosen into a token engine, right?
Cloudchaser.Kestrel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
At worse he's a four mana Sera's blessing - with a sink for your extra mana. At best he's a 5/6 for four that buffs your Ethereal armor and Sphere of safety to insane degrees.
I'm also seeing something possible here with Oath of the ancient wood in a populate deck- I don't know that we've ever had enchantment tokens before. :D
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
After a board wipe, Heliod is the only God of the five who could bring back an army all by itself, that stands for something.
SirLibraryEater
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Everyone who says this is the worst god in the set is so wrong. This coming into standard at the same time as Ethereal Armor and Sphere of Safety makes exploiting them easy and fun for the whole family.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yes, I was rather disappointed too...
Similar to Nylea, God if the Hunt, I wish he made himself vigilant.
EDIT: Got, in a blue "Path of wisdom" pre-release pack, a booster containing a Celestial Archon as a normal rare and Heliod as a foil!!!
I liked him better, actually, than Purphoros, God of the Forge. While I never managed to activate the Cleric-producing ability (I always needed my mana to either cast significantly bigger and better creatures, or keep it open and then use it up for removal), the instant vigilance-for-everyone is awesome. Additionally, the one time I got the devotion fulfilled, I won immediately next turn.
thought_jar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If I was to run this, it would be so I could summon the god of the sun, not for strength. The art is great, best of the gods so far (first five).
carbondragon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Everyone keeps saying that he's not that good but think about this:
Creature-based control.
Heliod, Hundred Handed One, Aethering. Can you fathom how good an Aetherling would be if it had Vigilance? Yes, by the time you get Aetherling online, you should have the game wrapped up, but what if you've just spent nearly everything making him huge to take down a hunk of your opponent and then they drop a Haste dude and kill you. Would have been really nice if that Aetherling could block again, right? Opponents would never get through that enough to negate your Revelations.
Raexs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I find it kind of weird that the Gods themselves count toward their own devotion. That being said, these gods are all pretty ridic. As long as your have just four other colored mana-symbols, you've got yourself a huge indestructible beast with good abilities for an astonishingly low 4-mana investment. Heck. Even if you haven't met the devotion, all the gods are still worth playing as just enchantments, as they still have all the abilities. Turning into a burly wrecker is really just icing, in my opinion.
Lord_of_phyrexia
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Did anyone notice that he holds his spear behind his head?
Good card, but not even close to being the best of the gods. Vigilance is not to be underestimated I understand but I think it should have had something more... Divine feeling other than making some tokens. Still, it's not bad, 4/5
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@carbondragon You know you can flicker aetherling after you attack for just 1 mana so it is untapped on your opponent's turn right?
... and no, this isn't because I have one, its just that there are better white creatures out there.
but not bad ... if it was just an ordinary Rare.
(plus, Erebos is a 5/7)
TamiYamiyo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Heliod, the god of sky billiards!!!
Selesnya222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
hey every one just trade nylea for a foil heliod that's good right
Morrinkt
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
PRAISE THE SUN (GOD)
Dankirk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's like they made it an enchantment and a creature for a drawback/easy removal, but then completely forgot about it by mixing in indestructability...
Oxman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sooo. . . each God only adds one of its own color to it's devotion. Does anyone else feel like there might be a cycle in the next set of four drop creatures that would be able to activate the devotion all by their lonesome? Maybe demigods or clerics, something to that effect.
Shadowcaster3975
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Everyone, your attention please. Dawn elemental... that is all.
I wouldn't go so far as to say he's bad, more that he just needs some support around him to make him shine (no pun intended). As others have stated, he works really well to buff up things like Ethereal Armor, Sphere of Safety, Oath of the Ancient Wood, and Ajani's Chosen. Let's assume that you've got one copy of each of those cards out with Ethereal Armor on a weenie. A 1/1 for example. Put out a token, and all of a sudden that weenie is a 5/5 first strike, you've got a 2/2 cat creature, a 2/1 cleric, a counter to put on whatever you want, and your opponent has to pay 4 just to swing with one creature. Which you can surely block thanks to vigilance.All for four mana. FOUR! I think that considering the current standard environment, if his tokens were costed any less, he'd be absolutely busted. He isn't a self-sufficient engine like, say, Erebos or Thassa. But when has it ever been part of White's slice of the flavor pie to work alone?
David.O
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why is this card rated so low now? This card is pretty good when build around it 4.5/5
marek_m
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Whether you like vigilance or not, you have to admit that out of all the Gods, this one has the best synergy with the Standard's best creature Mutavault. His activated ability promotes creative deck building. A fun card to play 4/5.
"hey every one just trade nylea for a foil heliod that's good right" may be butt, not real great gramer punctuates!
sorry, I tend to be an a@#$ sometimes... also, Aura Shards
eskan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Heliod, the only god who actively denies his followers the ability to be Inspired. How did he even make it into the pantheon, seriously.
cyclicide
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Master Apothecary gives you 3 devotion and lets your vigilant Cleric tokens tap after swinging to prevent damage :)
TheWallinator74
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Prior to Journey Into Nyx, I would have said Heliod was kind of crappy. But now that Constellation is a thing, his ability to make Enchantment Creatures makes him plenty viable. Need some extra cards? Get an Eidolon of Blossoms. Enemy creatures too strong? Call in a Doomwake Giant. Want to nibble at your foe's life? Grim Guardian's got you back.
Ultimately though, he still suffers from the same drawbacks as Pharika, God of Affliction; they probably won't be super useful out of block. At least Heliod gives your dudes vigilance...
brits4breakfast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Gives your creatures vigilance and makes more creatures that also counts an enchantment? This card is definitely worth 4/5 easily. There are lots of options to use him, personally I am using him in a Sphere of Safety U/W deck.
Comments (54)
A bit disappointing for whites 'god' but he is still pretty nuts
4/5 Stars
Also, he's oddly easy to turn into a creature. I know people are saying G is the best for devotion, but this guy protects my field almost every time I playtest my U/W deck.
I mean, per se, it's not the case, but White Weenie has been one of the fastest aggro deck archetypes for a long time now (and still is). So if you put him in that kind of deck, he's almost always sure to be a creature, not only does he fill in the finisher spot but also has some buffs for your own crew and can bolster your army (for quite a cost, but if you're playing weenie right, you should've dumped your hand already by the time this card is out).
5/5 for me
Also all I can imagine is one of the Gods chump-blocking another, each equipped to Basilisk Collar...
Back when the world was new
The plane of Theros was down on its luck
And everywhere gigantic brutes
called Archons ran amok :O
It was a nasty place!
There was a mess
wherever you stepped
Where chaos reigned and
earthquakes and volcanoes never slept
And then along came Heliod
He hurled his Spear of Sunlance
He zapped!
Locked those suckers in a VAULT
They're Trapped!
And on his own stopped
Chaos in its tracks
And that's the Gospel Truth
The guy was too type A to just relax
And that's the Worlds first dish
He tamed the globe
while still in his youth
Though honey, it may seem imposs'ble
THAT'S THE GOSPEL TRUTH
On Nykthos life was neat and
Smooth as sweet vermouth
Though, honey, it may seem imposs'ble
That's the gospel truth
(This ad paid for by the God of the Sun Foundation, and viewers like you! Remember, we need the Sun! Praise Heliod!)
In Commander he will see little play. There is just better choices out there for a white tank. Mana for abilities though, all of the Gods are champs. People should stop being so hard on them, at the end of the day they all give a pretty good boost. I can just seen Spear of Heliod being used much more. I love Glorious Anthem.
buffs your Ethereal armor and Sphere of safety to insane degrees.
I'm also seeing something possible here with Oath of the ancient wood in a populate deck- I don't know that we've ever had enchantment tokens before. :D
Similar to Nylea, God if the Hunt, I wish he made himself vigilant.
But just for fun and games, maybe dig out your Cabal Archon or Starlit Sanctum
EDIT: Got, in a blue "Path of wisdom" pre-release pack, a booster containing a Celestial Archon as a normal rare and Heliod as a foil!!!
I liked him better, actually, than Purphoros, God of the Forge. While I never managed to activate the Cleric-producing ability (I always needed my mana to either cast significantly bigger and better creatures, or keep it open and then use it up for removal), the instant vigilance-for-everyone is awesome. Additionally, the one time I got the devotion fulfilled, I won immediately next turn.
Creature-based control.
Heliod, Hundred Handed One, Aethering. Can you fathom how good an Aetherling would be if it had Vigilance? Yes, by the time you get Aetherling online, you should have the game wrapped up, but what if you've just spent nearly everything making him huge to take down a hunk of your opponent and then they drop a Haste dude and kill you. Would have been really nice if that Aetherling could block again, right? Opponents would never get through that enough to negate your Revelations.
That being said, these gods are all pretty ridic.
As long as your have just four other colored mana-symbols, you've got yourself a huge indestructible beast with good abilities for an astonishingly low 4-mana investment.
Heck. Even if you haven't met the devotion, all the gods are still worth playing as just enchantments, as they still have all the abilities. Turning into a burly wrecker is really just icing, in my opinion.
You know you can flicker aetherling after you attack for just 1 mana so it is untapped on your opponent's turn right?
... and no, this isn't because I have one, its just that there are better white creatures out there.
but not bad ... if it was just an ordinary Rare.
(plus, Erebos is a 5/7)
-Swag_Crow
Indestructible? Whatever. Sac it now b*tch.
WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?!
As others have stated, he works really well to buff up things like Ethereal Armor, Sphere of Safety, Oath of the Ancient Wood, and Ajani's Chosen.
Let's assume that you've got one copy of each of those cards out with Ethereal Armor on a weenie. A 1/1 for example.
Put out a token, and all of a sudden that weenie is a 5/5 first strike, you've got a 2/2 cat creature, a 2/1 cleric, a counter to put on whatever you want, and your opponent has to pay 4 just to swing with one creature. Which you can surely block thanks to vigilance.All for four mana. FOUR!
I think that considering the current standard environment, if his tokens were costed any less, he'd be absolutely busted. He isn't a self-sufficient engine like, say, Erebos or Thassa. But when has it ever been part of White's slice of the flavor pie to work alone?
may be butt, not real great gramer punctuates!
sorry, I tend to be an a@#$ sometimes...
also, Aura Shards
Ultimately though, he still suffers from the same drawbacks as Pharika, God of Affliction; they probably won't be super useful out of block. At least Heliod gives your dudes vigilance...