MTG Salvation

Holy crap. This seems savage in older formats. If I'm reading it right, this basically locks down everything from moxes to Force of will to Cascade to elf Mana.

Keep in mind, she's still solid; you're just saying no Praetor's Counsel or Hurricane or the like.

She shuts down a lot of 'geddon strategies too.

Yea I guess you're right, I didn't catch the non-creature clause so maybe she won't be that good.

How does she lock down elf mana? (I mean, she arguably locks down elf mana into Hurricane, but elf mana into a hydra is fine.) Though you're right. She also nerfs affinity, convoke, and improvise. Interestingly enough, she does jack ***** about free spells.

The best hatebear since Gaddock Teeg. Calling it now.

Stops cascade
Stops tron decks from landing Karn
Stops chalice/explosives for 0
No as foretold
No suspend
Stops mana rocks and dorks
No cheerios
No force of will/daze/gush
No moxen/lotus/LED

Plus, the effect is asymmetrical...

She does stop mana rocks and dorks to some extent. Basically, if you want to use your dorks and rocks to accelerate into noncreature spells (or if you want to cast a noncreature spell post-Armageddon), you can't do that. But you can cast noncreature spells with your dorks and rocks if you have as many lands out (e.g., if you also want to pay mana into activated abilities or other spells, though be aware Arcane Laboratory and Rule of Law exist).

"Stops mana rocks and dorks": Not if they cost more than zero.
"Stops tron decks from landing Karn": well, it will not stop them, only slow them up for awhile...

Quote from Mallwan »

Deos 0 mana mean the same as no mana? There are cards that specifically say "cast without paying its mana cost" and on the other hand, cards that cost 0 mana are cast normally (i think by paying 0 mana) . I'm not sure here if that creature here stops 0 mana Artifacts.

It does. Just read it word by word, it says: "If no mana was spent", so either 0 mana costs or alternative costs that reduce it to 0 would be countered.

Moxes cost 0, and you're not allowed to pay more than that, so this gets those. For convoke, you can just pay the one actual mana to get around it. Affinity once it hits 0 that's it.

Deos 0 mana mean the same as no mana? There are cards that specifically say "cast without paying its mana cost" and on the other hand, cards that cost 0 mana are cast normally (i think by paying 0 mana) . I'm not sure here if that creature here stops 0 mana Artifacts.

Add in some Armageddon and Ravages of War in Commander and you've got another oppressive Azorius Commander that stops cEDH decks pretty solidly. I really like this card and hope that other brewers decide to tackle an Azorius Combo/Control/Stax list. I might do it...

Did someone say Jeskai Possibility Storm?

That's a hard lock, isn't it, unless they have uncounterable spells in their deck? They go to cast something, instead they exile it, search for a card that shares a type with it, and can choose to cast that for free, in which case it's countered, or not cast it at all, in which case it goes back on the bottom of the library with everything else exiled by Possibility Storm.

Ouch.

Quote from Kenaron316 »

Moxes cost 0, and you're not allowed to pay more than that, so this gets those. For convoke, you can just pay the one actual mana to get around it. Affinity once it hits 0 that's it.

Not quite true. If Sphere of Resistance (but not Rhystic Study) is involved, the mox costs 1, though affinity is more complicated, since you add, then subtract, then apply Trinisphere.

Trinisphere, of course, shuts down that ability entirely.

I don't even care about the card, I'm hyped for story implications

This too. I hope they get back to posting some plot relevant stories on the mothership. I fill like they're doing the equivalent of an Anime filler arc.

Place your bets, folks! How high will Lavinia climb? $25? $35? $50?

This is a very good card but the speculative price is absurd. It has limited application outside of Legacy and Vintage, and the supply of this card for those formats will far outstrip demand.

Say no to Force of Will. Then say no again.