"Heroic" is not a mechanism that works well with the flavour of hoplites. The point of hoplites is that they fight in phalanx formation (though you'd never know that from watching 300); they have large shields and long spears so that they can protect each other and stab the enemy from a distance. In this formation, the hoplites were equals, so a mechanism that caters to playing favourites just seems weird to me to put on an alleged hoplite.
This is a limited deck builder. Curve turn one Favored Hoplite into turn two Ordeal of Heliod. On your attack you have a turn two 3/4 with damage prevention. On turn three you have a 4/5 attacker that pops the ordeal and nets you ten life at no extra cost. That's a Hoplite that eats Rumbling Baloth a turn early with a minimum 10 point life swing.
Turn one, this guy. Turn two, any ordeal, swing. He's a 3/4. Turn 3, swing, trigger ordeal, he's a 4/5. You could even drop another ordeal on him turn 3 to make him a 6/7.
My personal favorite is Ordeal of Purphoros: Turn 1: Plains, This guy. Turn 2: Mountain, Ordeal of Purphoros, swing for 3. 3 Damage total. Turn 3: Swing for 4. Ordeal triggers for 3 further damage. 10 damage total.
Alternate turn 3, with a second Ordeal of Purphoros: Turn 3: Ordeal of Purphoros, swing for 6, both Ordeals trigger for 6 further damage. 15 damage total. On turn 3. And you have a 6/7 for them to deal with by their next turn or they die.
Epicelves
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey guys, I just asked the gods out. They LOVED me. Now i'm like a 2/3 or something. Guys? Dang it...i hate the gods sometimes wait i didn't me-CRAAACK. (New guy walks in.) Hey guys!
Thornhillforge
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@Tiggurix: Historically, you're exactly right. However, in stories like the Iliad and the Odyssey, you will find that while the rank-and-file soldiers worked as a unit, the individual 'heroes' tended to work on their own or with the help of the gods to win great personal glory. I think Theros is mostly based on the Trojan war in particular, so it kind of makes sense.
Keiya
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is favored by me for sure-- MPV for the prerelease. If not answered immediately, he kills really quickly.
Isospeedrix: Seeds of strength would be awesome, but it would only be a 5/6. Each -spell- cast that targets it triggers its heroic ability, not each time it is targeted by a spell.
Turn 3 if no blockers they're dead. If not you're Hoplite is a 6/7 beater
Timmyboy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fire two Ethereal Armors on him on turn two and you've got a pretty beefy wee card: a 6/7 with first strike.
Mappew
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@isospeedrix : I don't think heroic works that way. Seeds of strength is still just one spell, so if you targeted him all three times, heroic will still only trigger one time.
He'd become a 5/6 on turn 2 (with damage prevention that turn), which is still pretty impressive.
Seems like it would work well with this, especially for the cost. My new white Heroic/Astral Steel storm deck likes it at least.
spectre755
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
1/2 +1/+1 on spell-cast plus bonus indestructibility this turn
That's a lot of power in a one drop. These defintley are the cards you should run for a heroic deck of any color combo with white. I like using them with Warrior's Lesson early on
WHOCARESRAAAAA
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My friend, you made a mistake. You don't win on turn five with Favored Hoplite, you win on turn 3.
Step 1: Favored Hoplite Step 2: 2 Ethereal Armor, swing 7/8 first strike Step 3: Ajani, Caller of the Pride, swing with 7/8 first strike, flying, double strike.
I just love theros, and heroic cards. My brother loves using this guys, especially in white/green cheap buff decks!
Field_Marshal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This thing can be unstoppable if you have God's Willing ready at all times to save it from removal + give it +1/+1 and indestructibility.
The_Hittite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This gets very scary very fast in my G/W voltron deck. And as long as I keep lots of Gods Willing, Ranger's Guile and Alpha Authority around there's not a thing they can do about it.
sweetgab
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm kind of glad that Rancor isn't in Standard anymore. Imagine turn one Temple Garden, this, turn two double Rancor. If you go second against this opening, best case you kill it turn two but they break even on cards, non-best case you die.
Kanra777
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
4.5/5 Kills most one drops and can stand against basically any creature with that heroic trigger. Very Powerful for its cost when you consider how many helpful spells white has to target its creatures' with.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just one spell and its a 2/3 for . very efficient.
One of my favorite 1 drops and probably the best 1 drop in the Theros set if I do say so myself. Works well with God's Willing.
Araes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is ridiculous in Limited. With very little effort you can have a 2/3 or 3/4 that is invulnerable to damage every time it swings. Blue can be nasty using this in traps too with cards like triton tactics. In constructed as well we've still got madcap, the ordeals, and tons of other turn 2 buffs. Plus, if you get something like Hidden Stings off and they could be looking at a vigilant hoplite who's invulnerable and growing every turn.
AeroSigma
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ isospeedrix
Nope.
Heroic only triggers on a cast. You can get at most 1 heroic trigger per time you play a card for each creature, no matter how many times that creature is targeted. Seeds of Strength will only give you a 5/6 on T2. Or 3 3/4s on T3 if you have 2 more favored hoplites in your hand.
whitedefender
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is a sweet 1-drop. Yup, he's my favorite hoplite. (Along with Battlewise Hoplite)
Comments (32)
Another sweet 1 drop soldier! :)
Turn one, this guy. Turn two, any ordeal, swing. He's a 3/4. Turn 3, swing, trigger ordeal, he's a 4/5. You could even drop another ordeal on him turn 3 to make him a 6/7.
My personal favorite is Ordeal of Purphoros:
Turn 1: Plains, This guy.
Turn 2: Mountain, Ordeal of Purphoros, swing for 3. 3 Damage total.
Turn 3: Swing for 4. Ordeal triggers for 3 further damage. 10 damage total.
Alternate turn 3, with a second Ordeal of Purphoros:
Turn 3: Ordeal of Purphoros, swing for 6, both Ordeals trigger for 6 further damage. 15 damage total. On turn 3. And you have a 6/7 for them to deal with by their next turn or they die.
(New guy walks in.)
Hey guys!
Turn 2 Ordeal of Purphoros
Turn 3 Titan's Strength and Boros Charm
Turn 3 if no blockers they're dead. If not you're Hoplite is a 6/7 beater
He'd become a 5/6 on turn 2 (with damage prevention that turn), which is still pretty impressive.
Seeds of Strength is ONE spell targeting multiple times, so heroic only triggers once.
Seems like it would work well with this, especially for the cost. My new white Heroic/Astral Steel storm deck likes it at least.
+1/+1 on spell-cast plus bonus indestructibility this turn
That's a lot of power in a one drop. These defintley are the cards you should run for a heroic deck of any color combo with white. I like using them with Warrior's Lesson early on
Step 1: Favored Hoplite
Step 2: 2 Ethereal Armor, swing 7/8 first strike
Step 3: Ajani, Caller of the Pride, swing with 7/8 first strike, flying, double strike.
Game. Set. Match. Profit. Gin. Yahtzee. Checkmate.
Pray for no removal.
Kills most one drops and can stand against basically any creature with that heroic trigger. Very Powerful for its cost when you consider how many helpful spells white has to target its creatures' with.
Nope.
Heroic only triggers on a cast. You can get at most 1 heroic trigger per time you play a card for each creature, no matter how many times that creature is targeted. Seeds of Strength will only give you a 5/6 on T2. Or 3 3/4s on T3 if you have 2 more favored hoplites in your hand.