#Shield of Kaldra

[danco110]

“Fall back! Don’t let them near the artifacts of Kaldra!”

Over the roar of battle, the last paladin bellowed orders to the other Mirrans, who moved to form a loose semicircle facing outward from the massive helm, sword, and shield behind them. The Phyrexians charged forward, emboldened by their enemies’ loss of momentum, and clashed against the defenders’ shields like a tidal wave of metal.

“Let’s make the end memorable- Whoa!”

The paladin began to give some words of comfort, but was interrupted by an aqueous germ surging past his ankles and tripping him to the ground.

“Germ at your feet, commander,” smirked a nearby Auriok woman.

“Very funny,” growled the paladin as he clambered to his feet and pointed behind him. “Chase that thing down. Remember, it’s bad news if they get to those things back there.”

The Auriok gave a mocking salute and began falling back towards the artifacts, but slowed to a halt while still in the paladin’s view. Her playful expression had been replaced with a rather defeated frown, prompting the paladin to grit his teeth in anticipation.

“Not good news, I take it?”

“Er…no, sir.”

As if on cue, a massive rumble came from behind the defenders.

“…Well, we tried our best.”

The paladin turned, and could only stare up slack-jawed at the germ, which had grown to a massive size. What most caught the knight’s eye, however, were the artifacts of Kaldra, now hanging suspended from the germ’s liquid limbs and dripping with the same oil.

“Orders…sir?” murmured the Auriok woman.

“I…I, uh-”

A triumphant cry suddenly arose from the Phyrexians, their metallic screeches and groans clearly celebrating as the germ steadied its new form.

“If we surrender now…maybe they’ll make it quick.”

The paladin raised his voice, calling to the others.

“S-Surrender! It’s over!”

The Mirrans threw down their weapons - some eagerly, some reluctantly - and the Phyrexians returned their attention to the partisans. They swiftly approached, eager to welcome the survivors into the fold.

Just before the first of the Phyrexians could reach them, however, they were swatted away by the flat of a massive sword. Now, both Phyrexian and Mirran were stunned to see the Kaldra germ interposing itself between the two groups.

“Is this some kind of trick?” whispered the Auriok.

“I…don’t know.”

Several more Phyrexians approached, attempting to walk past the germ to reach the Mirrans. Again the creature lashed out, this time crushing two of its fellow compleat beneath its sword and shield, respectively. This garnered the others’ full attention.

The Phyrexians fell upon the titan, only to be swept away at every turn. The germ fought ferociously, shaking off those that attempted to climb its legs as it struck at those within reach. The sounds of violence shook the Mirrans from their shock, and the paladin gave them one last order.

“D-Defend it! It needs backup!”

This was enough to finally spur the Mirrans to action once more. They retrieved their weapons, and with a furious battle cry, rushed in to assist the Kaldra germ. The giant Phyrexian continued its relentless assault as fighting broke out around it, yet it caught not a single Mirran in its stomps or strikes.

“Er…thank…Thank you!”

The haggard paladin shouted upward at Kaldra’s helm. The armor rotated and angled down to face him, offering a single nod before resuming its offensive. Mustering his courage, the knight raised his blade, and rejoined the fray alongside the Phyrexian.

[The giant pyro scene from Endless Rust 2.]

[horademagic]

Escudo de Kaldra/ Shield of Kaldra

Artefato Lendário - Equipamento 

Custo de mana: 4 incolores e/ou de quaisquer cores

Equipar com 4 manas

Por que ela é interessante? Essa é simples: a criatura equipada fica indestrutível. Simples assim. E tem mais, se você tiver os equipamentos que completam esse "set" que são a espada e o Elmo de Kaldra, todos serão indestrutíveis também. Mas, pelo menos ele já garante sozinho que a criatura equipada fica indestrutível.

Preço da carta: em torno de 17,00 até 50,00

Indisponível em Português

"Essa carta tem algumas edições disponíveis, o preço pode variar a depender da edição que escolher adquirir"

Link: https://www.ligamagic.com.br/?view=cards%2Fsearch&card=Shield+of+kaldra&tipo=1

Até a próxima postagem, Ulli e Thiago

[reuxben]

Here’s our MTGinktober for “Armor,” starring Adriana, Captain of the Guard and Shield of Kaldra (promo version)! Suit up.    

Click this post’s Source link for this piece’s Making-Of.

More MTGinktober here.  

Daily art updates on Instagram and Twitter.  

Not normal,

Reuxben

[5ecardaday]

Artifact Rumble– The Kaldra Cycle

If you’d like to support what I do, find free pdf’s for my content, get insight into my design process, and get access to other exclusive homebrew content, feel free to check out my Patreon, whose link can be found on my page.

[markrosewater]

Hello Mark, do you think we will see any more cards like Shield of Kaldra or Eye of Ugin that hint about what is to come in future sets?

I do.

[bacejelerenvorthos]

The Lore of Modern Horizons 2: Kaldra Compleat

“On the metal plane of Mirrodin, Glissa Sunseeker collected three mighty artifacts which, when combined, summon the Kaldra Champion, a gigantic avatar composed of blue-white plasma. The Sword, Shield, and Helm of Kaldra were destroyed, along with the champion himself, when the Green Sun, a gigantic ball of mana, burst forth from Mirrodin's core.

Years later, Mirrodin succumbed to an infectious agent and became New Phyrexia. Nearly all the inhabitants were compleated, transformed into flesh-machine hybrid monsters, including Glissa herself.

Glissa was able to restore the Kaldra artifacts and grew a specialized germ creature in the flesh vats beneath the surface. Phyrexia's newest champion will either grow strong enough to rival the original Kaldra Champion in power, or it will be defeated and someone stronger will claim the artifacts. Glissa is content that, either way, Phyrexia will prevail and improve.”

Art by Vincent Proce

[gay-rat-homebrew]

Something a bit different, I’m a big fan of the lore of magic the gathering and was inspired by a new card Kaldra Compleat to design a dnd version. 

Kaldra Compleat

Large aberration 

Armor Class 19

Hit points 170

Speed 30 ft.

STR 21 (+5)

DEX 6 (+3)

CON 19 (+4)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 10 (+0)

CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws DEX +6

Damage Resistances poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical attacks.

Damage Immunities necrotic

Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception

Languages understands Common and Phyrexian but cannot speak it

Challenge 6

Helm of Kaldra. Kaldra compleat has advantage on initiative checks and four times a day can use a charge from the helm to add +2 to any ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.

Integrated Magic. Kaldra compleat’s attacks are magical and it has resistance to damage from spells. If kaldra compleat is hit with an attack that would reduce it to 0 hit points it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is from a critical hit. On a success, kaldra compleat drops to 1 hit point instead.

Living Weapon. When kaldra compleat dies it turns into a Helm of Kaldra, Shield of Kaldra, and Sword of Kaldra.

Actions

Multiattack. Kaldra compleat makes three melee attacks.

Sword of Kaldra. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit. 12 (1d8+8) slashing damage. If the attack is critical it deals an additional 24 (6d8) damage.

[darksteel-relic]

My philosophy on infinite combos is to only use them is all the pieces fit the deck. Sometimes they're intentional, sometimes they're happy accidents.

Here's an example of a combo I did not include. My Kangee, Aerie Keeper deck is pretty light on counterspells so Guile will just be a dead draw the majority of the time. Dovescape meanwhile actually undermines one of the deck's biggest strengths by giving my opponents airborne blockers and several bird tribal effects are symmetrical. It's cute, on theme combo but in practice Storm Crow does more for the deck than either of these.

This meanwhile is a combo in my Stonebrow deck where all the pieces work well in isolation of each other. Stonebrow's ability triggers each combat, so Breath of Fury can be terrifying even without an infinite combo and can quickly turn a strong boardstate into a game-ending boardstate. Spawnwrithe is just one of several cards that make Tokens on impact (Giant Adephage, Quartzood Crasher, Tana the Bloodsower, and Elder Garagaroth are others that can work with the combo), and the synergy with Stonebrow and extra bodies are always nice. Tuktuk Rubblefort is just a haste enabler, and I don't think I need to explain why those are useful (and again it's something the deck has redundancy with). All the pieces add to the deck on their own, but when they come together it can go infinite.

This meanwhile was just a happy accident for the Odric Lunarch Marshal soldier tribal deck I'm working on. Helm and Shield of Kaldra spread around some useful keywords, so I threw in sword of Kaldra because I may as well (Most of my decks get a card or two like Storm Crow or Charging Badger that aren't necessarily a perfect fit but tie into the deck's themes, Sword of Kaldra can be that card for this deck). Ashnod's Altar meanwhile helps out a lot on the Mana generation front, especially since the deck can make a lot of tokens and relies of artifacts to spread off color keyords and compensate for some of white's weaknesses. It was only after picking up the Kaldra piece that I even realized there was a combo.

[magic-and-multiverses]

Mirrodin Magic Items (Pt 3)

Art by Donato Giancola

Kaldra is a mysterious figure of Mirrodin’s past. Not much is known about him other than that he was a great warrior of some sort who left behind powerful artifacts bestowed with a remnant of his personality.

Sword of Kaldra

Weapon (scimitar), legendary (requires attunement by a creature of lawful alignment) The Sword of Kaldra is a representation of his might in battle and as such is unparalleled on all of Mirrodin in pure destructive power. The blade curves gracefully down into a hilt of beautifully wrought metal curling in on itself. You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.  Exile from Existence. When you hit a creature with an attack using this magic weapon, you may choose to force the target for make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they take 20d6 force damage. If they are reduced to 0 hit points from this, their body disintegrates into a fine dust. A creature destroyed this way can be restored to life only by a wish spell. This property can’t be used again until the next dawn. Reforged Will. While holding the Sword of Kaldra, you instinctively know where the Shield of Kaldra and Helm of Kaldra are so long as they are on the same plane of existence. Sentience. The Sword of Kaldra is a sentient lawful neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 14, a Wisdom of 12, and a Charisma of 18. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon can communicate with its wielder by vibrating slightly in their hand. It can also use this ability to distract its wielder in combat, giving them disadvantage. Personality.��The Sword of Kaldra is the most violent of the three weapons and seeks righteous bloodshed above almost anything else. If it sees a crime committed it feels it must punish the wrongdoer. What counts as a crime depends on the land the sword is in and it has an instinctual knowledge of what is against the law. The one thing the Sword of Kaldra views as a higher priority than this duty is reuniting with the Shield of Kaldra and Helm of Kaldra. If its wielder refuses to intervene with a crime, commits a crime themselves, or explicitly states they will not seek out the other two weapons of Kaldra, a conflict happens between it and its wielder.

Shield of Kaldra

Armor (shield), legendary (requires attunement by a creature of lawful nature) The Shield of Kaldra contains the portion of Kaldra dedicated to protecting the innocent. It’s form is made of plates of a metal akin to bronze fused together into an inseparable carapace. Impervious Defense. You can use your reaction to choose a damage type. Each creature within 120 feet wielding the Sword of Kaldra, Shield of Kaldra, or Helm of Kaldra gain immunity to that damage type until your next turn. You can not choose the same damage type twice in one day. Reforged Will.  While holding the Shield of Kaldra, you instinctively know where the Sword of Kaldra and Helm of Kaldra are so long as they are on the same plane of existence. Sentience. The Shield of Kaldra is a sentient lawful neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 18, and a Charisma of 14. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The shield can communicate with its wielder by reflecting images in its inner side to express its desires. Personality. The Shield of Kaldra believes it has a duty to protect all innocents. If any lawful character is in danger within the shield’s senses, it feels it must step in to help by any means possible. If its wielder refuses a conflict will arise. Similarly, the Shield of Kaldra wishes to be reunited with its other pieces and a conflict will occur if its wielder outright refuses to search for them.

Helm of Kaldra

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a creature of lawful nature) The Helm of Kaldra is a full helmet with elegantly curving horns and ridges swept back in a complex pattern. The face of the helmet is a simple V shape made of some kind of violet glass. Tactical Perfection. While wearing the Helm of Kaldra, you have advantage on initiative rolls and have an additional action on each of your turns. That action can only be used to take the Attack (one weapon attack only) or Help action. Reforged Will.  While wearing the Helm of Kaldra, you instinctively know where the Sword of Kaldra and Shield of Kaldra are so long as they are on the same plane of existence. Whole Once More. If you are attuned to all three weapons of Kaldra, their personalities fuse to become the Avatar of Kaldra. The Avatar of Kaldra is a lawful neutral being with an Intelligence of 18, a Wisdom of 18, and a Charisma of 18. The Avatar of Kaldra has preternatural knowledge of the biggest threat to Mirrodin and seeks to stop it above all else. If the wielder refuses to stop the threat, a conflict arises. If the Avatar of Kaldra wins the contest, it physically manifests and takes the sword, shield, and helm with it. Use the Marut stat block (MTF) without the justify ability for the Avatar of Kaldra. Sentience. The Shield of Kaldra is a sentient lawful neutral weapon with an Intelligence of 18, a Wisdom of 14, and a Charisma of 12. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The helm can communicate with its wielder telepathically and can speak, read, and understand Common. When near by the Sword of Kaldra and Shield of Kaldra, the helm can communicate with them telepathically and often speak for them out of convenience. Personality. The Helm of Kaldra is an imposing presence with confidence bordering on arrogance. This is mostly because the helm has great experience with combat in all forms and is rarely wrong. However, it only provides advice to its wielder when directly asked or if the wielder is in imminent peril because it believes that its wielder can only improve from experiencing failure. The helm refuses to answer questions about who Kaldra was and his true motives and making the weapons of Kaldra. Additionally, the helm is reluctant to share about its history after its creation. The helm wishes to reunite with the Sword of Kaldra and Shield of Kaldra above all else. It believes if the Avatar of Kaldra is not whole then Mirrodin is defenseless and it’s just a matter of time before it falls.

[hazoret]

A Mirrodin goblin who was born under the blue sun, but the stress of Phyrexia made her clan lose track of the solar calendar. She wasn't killed off as a result, and possesses intelligence as Slobad had. She believes that although Kaldra was destroyed, the pieces are still somewhere to be found. Her spark ignited when she found the Shield of Kaldra.

I admittedly don’t know much about the lore behind this but it sounds neat!

[kastumoem]

The Armory

Had someone in my local playgroup ask for my deck list for my mono-white Equipment Voltron Commander deck to work on an adapted list for their RW build so I thought “hey, I have some mutuals who play. I’ll share the list with them too” feel free to copy and refine for your playgroup (and maybe let me know how it does and any comments you may)

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/the-armory-03-12-13-1/

Cardlist also under the cut

1 Akroma's Memorial

1 Angelic Destiny

1 Archon of Justice

1 Argivian Archaeologist

1 Auriok Windwalker

1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope

1 Basilisk Collar

1 Blackblade Reforged

1 Brass Squire

1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos

1 Bruna, the Fading Light

1 Caged Sun

1 Champion's Helm

1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon

1 Deathrender

1 Emeria, The Sky Ruin

1 Etched Champion

1 Extraplanar Lens

1 Faith's Fetters

1 Felidar Sovereign

1 Gauntlet of Power

1 Gideon Jura

1 Gisela, the Broken Blade

1 Griffin Sentinel

1 Guardian of the Gateless

1 Hammer of Nazahn

1 Helm of Kaldra

1 Hundred-Handed One

1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

1 Kusari-Gama

1 Land Tax

1 Leonin Shikari

1 Lightning Greaves

1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence

1 Loxodon Warhammer

1 Mass Calcify

1 Masterwork of Ingenuity

1 Nim Deathmantle

1 Palace Guard

1 Pilgrim's Eye

1 Prison Term

1 Puresteel Paladin

1 Quietus Spike

1 Serra Ascendant

1 Shield of Kaldra

1 Sigarda's Aid

28 Snow-Covered Plains

1 Sol Ring

1 Solemn Simulacrum

1 Spidersilk Net

1 Spirit Mantle

1 Sram, Senior Edificer

1 Stoneforge Mystic

1 Stonehewer Giant

1 Sun Titan

1 Surestrike Trident

1 Swiftfoot Boots

1 Sword of Body and Mind

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

1 Sword of Kaldra

1 Sword of Light and Shadow

1 Sword of the Animist

1 Sword of Vengeance

1 Sword of War and Peace

1 Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang

1 Terminus

1 Umezawa's Jitte

1 Urza's Mine

1 Urza's Power Plant

1 Urza's Tower

1 Whispersilk Cloak

1 Wrath of God

[vorthosjay]

What do we know about Kaldra? For a character composed of three legendary cards (and three set symbols), they/it seems to be not mentioned anywhere else.

Kaldra is pretty briefly in the second Mirrodin novel, Darksteel. Glissa had the Kaldra Sword throughout the first novel without realizing it, and she’s given the helm in the second novel after fleeing from Memnarch’s forces, but Geth has the shield. They go in a quest to collect it (basically retreading the first novel) and summon the Kaldra avatar.Memnarch takes control of it, kills Bosh, and it’s never seen again.

[edh-a-to-z]

17 - Anax and Cymede

LORE:

Go tell the Spartans. It’s time to abuse the Heroic mechanic.

Anax and Cymede are the King and Queen of Akroas, AKA Theros version of Sparta. Except with less slavery and more noble warrior stuff.

From here:

Anax is a burly man in his late 40s, once a follower of Iroas. In his later years he has turned to Purphoros as he steers his people through the creation of a small empire. This shift is reflected in the trend in art now seen from Akroan artisans. Swords and armor are now decorated. Pottery, clothing, wall paintings, and weaving show ancient Akroan patterns and symbolism handed down for generations. To his people, Anax is a great leader to be followed without question. To other poleis, he is known as a skilled tactician and heartless killer.

Cymede worships Keranos primarily. She is a skilled warrior but a more powerful seer. Having herself been struck by lightning and given a glimpse of the future, Cymede is seen by some as being partly responsible for her husband's effectiveness as king. Cymede is beginning to become aware of the power of godly creatures such as nymphs. She has seen abstract glimpses of their power and feels the gods are bestowing gifts on the faithful. Because of this, the cult of Keranos is gaining a foothold in the Kolophon. Cymede has even had a special temple built on a distant mountain summit where the storms are particularly severe. During the storm season, she visits there, meditating on a silver platform.

THE CARD:

Though it takes a bit jumping through a hoop, Anax and Cymede offer something rather rare in Boros colors - Trample. 

The card is also pretty solid for a 3 drop - First Strike and Vigilance are great on a 3/2 three drop, and the aforementioned buff will be how we win.

BUILDS:

We want to abuse Anax and Cymede’s Heroic ability. For that, we need combat tricks, Auras that can be cast multiple times, and the ability to go wide. And we need them to stay alive. 

Luckily, we’re in Boros colors. We have plenty of cheap and effective combat tricks and auras that we couldn’t use elsewhere. We’ll have plenty of tokens, and we’ll use an equipment fetching tech to keep out commander alive.

This deck is also super budget. The basic version can be done for under $100 (probably lower, but I’m not in the mood for math), and can be easily upgraded.

BATTLE PLAN:

We want things that work like Heroic (Anax and Cymede plus the best of the Heroic cards).

Then we want things that target - multi targeting cards with Strive, Enchantments that can bounce to hand and target again, anything to activate heroic. Then, we need to make use of A&C’s ability - we need to go wide. Lots and lots of tokens to throw at the enemy, that get buffed and have trample.

Akroan Crusader, by Johann Bodin

First we want Akroan Crusader, Akroan Conscriptor, Akroan Line-Breaker, Dawnbringer Charioteers, Fabled Hero, Favored Hoplite, Hero of Iroas, Leonin Iconoclast, Phalanx Leader, Tethmos High Priest, and Vanguard of Brimaz are all great Heroic choices (most of the remaining just have some +1/+1 counter syngery, which is a little underwhelming).

We also want Mirrorwing Dragon and Zada, Hedron Grinder. We cast battle tricks and buffs on them, and they copy it for the whole team. 

EDIT: Whoops! Looks like I got that wrong, the copies Mirrorwing and Zada make won’t trigger Heroic for your whole team, as Heroic works on a casting trigger, not just being the target. They’re still amazing cards to play with since we’re running this many combat tricks, so try them out! Thanks for the catch, @imadrewid!

For spells we want two groups: reusable enchantments, and combat tricks that can target multiple creatures (alternatively, you can just do single targets with the desire to hit Anax and Cymede and nothing else).

I wish this card wasn’t 10 dollars. - R Angelic Destiny, by Jana Schirmer & Johannes Voss

Conviction, Crown of Flames, Flickering Ward, Ghitu Firebreathing, Mark of Fury, and Sun Clasp are all enchantments that can be cast more than once. They’re all super cheap, and if you have more money to burn, there’s Angelic Destiny and Eldrazi Conscription.

Next, we have the instants and sorceries. We want the best of the Strive cards, plus some fun combat tricks, preferably ones that replace themselves or hit multiple targets.

Ajani’s Presence, Desperate Stand, Launch the Fleet, Phalanx Formation, Rouse the Mob, and Twinflame are some of my favorite instants. Check here for some more ideas.

C’mon guys, we’re almost at Arbys! Launch the Fleet, by Karl Kopinski

Finally, we need an army. Any token generators, especially ones that make multiples or can do it repeatedly, are great choices. We already have Akroan Crusader and Vanguard of Brimaaz, and there’s Assemble the Legion, Hanweir Garrison (don’t forget Hanweir Battlements too!), Captain of the Watch, Hero of Bladehold, Monastery Mentor, and Sram’s Expertise. There are more, but these are my favorites.

THE REST:

If the deck has one weakness, it’s the Boros color’s aggro - weak draw. We can make up for this with a few cards.

We also want to protect Anax and Cymede - our deck is really designed around them not dying. So a basic equipment package is our go-to, so check this out here. Plus, anything that adds hexproof or indestructible are great choices. The Kaldra trio, Darksteel Plate, Mask of Avacyn, Swiftfoor Boots are great equipment.

On the enchantment side of things, try Shielded by Faith, Unquestioned Authority, Indestructible, Spirit Mantle, and Holy Mantle - a mix of Protection from Creatures and Indestructible works great on the battlefield. Add some enchantment tutors to speed things up.

“Alright peasants, this is a sword. Hold it like this” - Mentor Mentor of the Meek, by Jana Schirmer & Johannes Voss

We can draw with the White classic of Mentor of the Meek (given all the tokens we’ll be making). Plus Sram, Senior Artificer works great with our auras that jump around. Also to consider - Mesa Enchantress and Kore Spiritdancer for more draw.

There’s also spell doublers. Chandra, the Firebrand, Dual Casting, Primal Amulet/Wellspring do it on the cheap, and Dualcaster Mage, Fork, Reverberate, Howl of the Horde, Increasing Vengeace are more doublers, but need mana to fire off to make copies. Extra copies is extra heroic triggers. May or may not work with the deck.

There’s always classic Boros Legendaries like Aurelia, Blade of the Legion, Iroas, God of Victory, and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. I just love having these guys around, and they work in any Boros deck.

WEAKNESSES:

Heavy reliance on the board state leaves us vulnerable to Board Wipes, and Boros colors has a hard time recurring that.

”SCREW YOU, STUPID SWORD!!!” - That guy, probably Disenchant, by Andrew Goldhawk

Defensive measures likes Propaganda or Silent Arbiter hurt our efforts. We need to bring White’s responses of Disenchant, Oblivion Ring effects, and Return to Dust. Plus any artifacts that can do they same are also good.

We can’t wipe the board easily. While Mass Calcify can be an option, the presence of red cards in our deck, plus White creatures potentially being in other players decks, makes this card less reliable than I like. Alternatively, you can run Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Thalia’s Lancers (to tutor her), plus as many Board wipes as you want.

Boros also lags behind in ramp, so add in the normal - Boros Signet/Cluestone/Keyrune are great, as are basic fetches of Evolving Wild and Terramorphic Expanse. Knight of the White Orchid is great, Land Tax, Solemn Simulacrum, Burnished Heart, Weathered Wayfarer all pricey, all great.

Knight of the White Orchid, by Mark Zug

RATINGS:

Control: 4/10

You don’t have a lot of options outside of White’s Hate creatures and Board wipes, but you can’t use the latter whenever you want since you’re married to the board.

With the exception of the Avacyn + board wipes, you’re relying almost 100% on the board, aside from whatever white single target removal you run.

Aggro: 9/10

This deck rewards aggressive behavior, and does it great. With evasion and team buffs, Anax and Cymede go for the throat. The cards I reccommend are heavily influenced by this idea.

Combo Potential: 7/10

Depends what you mean my combo. There’s lots of potential here without insane levels of power. The commander itself has combo synergy, but doesn’t break the game. 

Overall Power: 4/10

While a decent choice for EDH, and great in Tiny Leaders, it’s a cEDH Tier 4 leader, and lags behind the pack in most respects. And Boros is the weakest EDH color pair.

Versatility: 6/10

There’s a lot of way to build it for a Boros deck. Not unlimited, but they’re there. Unfortunately they’re all limited to aggro versions.

Affordability: 10/10

This is one of the fiscally cheapest commanders I have covered. Easy manabase, easy mechanic to abuse, a lot of stuff at low rarities.

Overall Score: 40/60

A surprisingly respectable score. Anax and Cymede offer aggressive players a lot to work with, and a lot of room to work in. Plus, cards that work well with them are super-budget, or work excellent in other Boros aggro commander decks.

One of the 99: Decent

While it takes some buildaround to use Heroic, Anax and Cymede have a decent body for a creature, and can add a lot of value to an Aggro Boros build.

FINAL VERDICT: 

While a little small, with some work, they make a solid workhorse of a Boros commander. While not a powerhouse, they can hold their own against a lot of decks.

That’s it for now campers! Stay tuned for Angus Mackenzie, Bant god of turbofog decks!

[codexanathema]

S is for Shield of Kaldra

How can we use the Shield of Kaldra in #DnD?

Kaldra was an Avatar summoned by Glissa Sunseeker using the three so-called Kaldra artifacts. The Kaldra Champion helped Glissa to fight Memnarch’s constructs until Memnarch took control of it. It was destroyed when the green sun shot through the Radix. “I would never have believed that on a world with four suns there could exist a place so dark.” —Glissa Sunseeker Glissa was a Viridian Elf…

[mtgbracket]

Round of 2048 - Batch 20 results

1,035 Bracketeers voted in Batch 20, and 14.14m votes have now been cast.

Visual results are here and today’s results are:

Birds of Paradise defeats Mentor of the Meek with 87.19% of the vote Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre defeats Ethersworn Shieldmage with 87.03% of the vote Lion's Eye Diamond defeats Nature's Way with 85.45% of the vote Library of Alexandria defeats Assault Suit with 82.67% of the vote

Sidisi, Brood Tyrant defeats Disruptive Pitmage with 80.80% of the vote Eidolon of the Great Revel defeats Homeward Path with 80.04% of the vote Time Warp defeats Shadowborn Demon with 78.91% of the vote Dromoka's Command defeats Deceiver of Form with 78.61% of the vote

Force of Will defeats It That Betrays with 78.56% of the vote Helix Pinnacle defeats Altar of Bone with 78.07% of the vote Counterspell defeats Mirari's Wake with 76.61% of the vote Hypergenesis defeats Skullwinder with 75.51% of the vote

Toxic Deluge defeats Quirion Dryad with 73.56% of the vote Reliquary Tower defeats Twilight Mire with 71.95% of the vote Serra's Sanctum defeats Stranglehold with 69.48% of the vote Island defeats Drana, Liberator of Malakir with 68.35% of the vote

Sorin, Grim Nemesis defeats Lapse of Certainty with 67.88% of the vote Echoing Truth defeats Mortivore with 67.12% of the vote Horde of Notions defeats Shield of Kaldra with 66.99% of the vote Chromatic Sphere defeats Flamebreak with 66.21% of the vote

Smokestack defeats Krosan Tusker with 65.47% of the vote Grave Pact defeats Underworld Connections with 63.20% of the vote Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief defeats Ruhan of the Fomori with 60.89% of the vote Explosive Vegetation defeats Magister of Worth with 59.94% of the vote

Bane of Progress defeats Mana Maze with 59.58% of the vote Goblin Grenade defeats Lightning Angel with 57.09% of the vote Anticipate defeats Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore with 56.13% of the vote Overbeing of Myth defeats Diabolic Tutor with 55.08% of the vote

Telling Time defeats Plague Wind with 54.33% of the vote Blinding Angel defeats Momentous Fall with 51.88% of the vote Sultai Ascendancy defeats Sunscorch Regent with 51.68% of the vote Dragonlord Dromoka defeats Mirran Crusader with 51.12% of the vote

Full results to date can be seen here.

[markrosewater]

I've realized that one of the few things I am going to miss about the existence of blocks is the "cards that call forward specific card names that will later on be in the same limited environment" thing: Renowned Weaponsmith, Godpharaoh's Gift, Shield of Kaldra and the like. Will there ever be a way for things like this to show up again in some form or other?

We can still make call-forwards, but they won’t be in the same limited environment.