MTG Salvation

2WB for yard hate and a conditional 1/1?
I suppose it's a 2/2 flier really... But maybe EDH and Modern has made me greedy.

Pretty much how I see it. Ghave, Guru of Spores might be able to use it, but only to further hose mirror matches, Sigarda, Host of Herons, and the like, and coincidentally saprolings are now 4/4. Or 7/7 flying angels on top of every tree in Magical Christmasland.

I can't think of a deck that just drops Norn. They either reanimate, cheat, or something else. So in fairness, Norn is a turn faster through Unburial Rites.

Though you have convinced me a BW token deck in casual or EDH could utilize this, but just as a weaker backup to other spells.

It's still Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite #2. Comes out a turn earlier even.

Not fully getting the flavor here... Why create spirits when you are absolving them??

They are absolved from their crimes against you. (If they are in your opponents graveyard, the flavor is they died in combat against you or attempting to harm you)

Maybe it's referencing the spirits that were contract bound to the Orzhov? Now they can go off and... uh... serve you?

Even if this had some sort of decent ETB effect, it'd still probably be too slow.

Oh look, more reason (beyond my love of J2E) to go Abzan with tokens.

Curse of Death's Hold saw play at 5 mana, and this has 2 very relevant pluses on that. (The buff and making 2/2 fliers)

It's like Crovax went and had a baby with other Crovax, and Lingering Souls and Night Soil got to name it and raise it