Think of your favorite creature with an enters trigger. Do you have it?
Now, what would happen if you could trigger it infinite times at instant speed? When a creature has both a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter, both are removed. So alongside a free sac outlet and a way to add a +1/+1 counter, Isilu creates the possibility for 0-mana infinite loops using any creature.
This will enable a lot of instant win infinite sacrifice combos with various fun ETB effects that usually couldn’t go infinite. There are also a lot of game winning locks. For example, on your end step, you could sacrificeFlickerwisp 20 times with a Metallic Mimic in play, exile all your opponents lands and permanents until they return tapped on the opponent’s end step, take your turn as normal, then do it again on your next end step, so the opponent is hard locked out of having permanents on their turn. Replace Flickerwisp with Smirking Spelljacker or Mystic Snake and your opponent can never cast another spell again. Agent of Treachery to steal everything, Charming Prince to gain infinite life and stack your deck, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah to make infinite cats, Quantum Riddler to draw infinite cards, etc. The combo kills might feel a little more fair to opponents, because of the one turn delay required to flip it to the Isilu side. This card is very-fun-but-difficult-to-pull-off Shennanigans on a stick.
Even if you’re not going infinite with the persist, you can still get great value in a deck full of creatures with ETB effects. At baseline, a 5/5 flying lifelink is a very solid body. The convoke ability on the front side turns all your creatures, including tokens, into hasty mana dorks, which is good in some situations where you have an expensive hand.
Everything else having persist is SPICY.
Think of your favorite creature with an enters trigger. Do you have it?
Now, what would happen if you could trigger it infinite times at instant speed? When a creature has both a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter, both are removed. So alongside a free sac outlet and a way to add a +1/+1 counter, Isilu creates the possibility for 0-mana infinite loops using any creature.
This will enable a lot of instant win infinite sacrifice combos with various fun ETB effects that usually couldn’t go infinite. There are also a lot of game winning locks. For example, on your end step, you could sacrifice Flickerwisp 20 times with a Metallic Mimic in play, exile all your opponents lands and permanents until they return tapped on the opponent’s end step, take your turn as normal, then do it again on your next end step, so the opponent is hard locked out of having permanents on their turn. Replace Flickerwisp with Smirking Spelljacker or Mystic Snake and your opponent can never cast another spell again. Agent of Treachery to steal everything, Charming Prince to gain infinite life and stack your deck, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah to make infinite cats, Quantum Riddler to draw infinite cards, etc. The combo kills might feel a little more fair to opponents, because of the one turn delay required to flip it to the Isilu side. This card is very-fun-but-difficult-to-pull-off Shennanigans on a stick.
Even if you’re not going infinite with the persist, you can still get great value in a deck full of creatures with ETB effects. At baseline, a 5/5 flying lifelink is a very solid body. The convoke ability on the front side turns all your creatures, including tokens, into hasty mana dorks, which is good in some situations where you have an expensive hand.
The art in this set rules!