Magus of the Balance
Magus of the Balance
, , Sacrifice Magus of the Balance: Each player chooses a number of lands they control equal to the number of lands controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then sacrifices the rest. Players discard cards and sacrifice creatures the same way.
illus. Kev Walker # 5/307
Oracle Text
, , Sacrifice Magus of the Balance: Each player chooses a number of lands they control equal to the number of lands controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then sacrifices the rest. Players discard cards and sacrifice creatures the same way.
For example, let's look at Magus of the Disk. 4cmc, "1,T: Ability." Enters tapped. The reference to Nevinyrral's Disk is clear and feels good, in universe and during gameplay. Magus of the Balance tries to do this with Balance; and you're paying a whopping 7 total mana for this, in addition to the "I'm a creature now" drawback. Balance is banned in Legacy and also in Commander, and was always a powerful card, but when you add summoning sickness to it and a five-mana gateway, you just don't even come close to harnessing the same power that Balance provides when this lives through a turn.
I was unhappy in the same way with Magus of the Wheel, especially since Jace's Archivist was already a "Magus of the Windfall" that didn't sacrifice itself; Wheel of Fate already references Wheel of Fortune in a really nice way, as Restore Balance does for Balance.
In any case, I think I'd appreciate this card a lot more if not every creature version of an old, broken spell was a "Magus of the X." Why do these guys need to die to cast the only spell they've ever mastered? It doesn't feel right. You push buttons to evoke certain things that this guy can't apply to. How about "Justice of Balance?"
Yeah, I'm ranting incoherently. Nothing I say matters. But let me know if you guys feel the same.