Dream Trawler… Is Mike’s favorite card from Theros Beyond Death

Now that the whole set has been revealed, Mike has a slam dunk favorite card… And it’s this big sphinx!

• Flying, Lifelink
• Discard a card: Dream Trawler gains hexproof until end of turn. Tap it.

A large flyer with five toughness and lifelink is reminiscent of Baneslayer Angel. This card actually costs a little more (6 instead of 5 mana). But this one offers a little something extra: It doesn’t die to Doom Blade.

“Protect the Queen”

One of the most celebrated blue strategies of all time is “protect the queen”. Rather than using your permission to stop threats like a Draw-Go deck; or to force through your combo like Trix or High Tide… Protect the Queen seeks to use permission to defend a key creature.

Usually the creature — often a large flyer — will win the game in just a few swings. You don’t need enough permission to stop everything… Just enough to keep the creature alive for as long as it takes to win. Finite and finite.

There are two advantages for protecting this sphinx.

First, you can use any card to give Dream Trawler hexproof. You don’t need to draw into particular permission.

Secondly, and subtly, you can consistently attack. Because of its draw-aligned ability (and lifelink) Dream Trawler is better on offense than defense. The trick is, if the opponent lets you attack, your Dream Trawler will already be tapped. If they use removal mid-combat, you can discard without losing the damage.

Everything to Every One

Dream Trawler has a little something from all the great and iconic control finishers from over the years. Like evrything from Serra Angel on down, it’s a large flyer… Six mana instead of five, maybe, but similar.

While it doesn’t have vigilance, Dream Trawler’s lifelink allows it to play offense and defense simultaneously. Its hexproof makes protecting it easier.

But how about those other two lines?

• Whenever you draw a card, Dream Trawler gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
• Whenever Dream Trawler attacks, draw a card.

It’s got some power-buffing like Psychatog.

It draws cards when attacking like Ophidian.

But even more than its nostalgia; even more than its improvement on just dying to Doom Blade; Dream Trawler is an elegantly designed card. Come listen to Patrick’s breakdown on how this creature is a masterwork:

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Meet Thassa, Deep-Dwelling from Theros Beyond Death:

Let’s break down Thassa’s abilities…

Indestructible is great! Especially if you turn Thassa “on” with devotion to blue of five or greater, a 6/5 indestructible for four mana deserves a second look.

“3U: Tap another target creature” though…

Probably too much mana.

If you’re in for Thassa, you’re probably in for that exile ability.

Thassa, Deep-Dwelling as a “personal Howling Mine”

One of the most obvious ways to play Thassa, Deep-Dwelling is with a lot of 187 creatures. If you play any creatures with abilities that trigger when they enter the battlefield, Thassa represents an easy way to build card advantage over time.

It does what it does without any incremental mana requirements every turn.

If you just choose and play creatures that generate card advantage, this God will help you generate lots of card advantage! What about…

Thassa’s Oracle is a perfect MichaelJ card! Highly reminiscent of his beloved Omenspeaker, Thassa’s Oracle is even more on-brand with Thassa’s devotion to blue theme. It’s a card that can help you to set up your early game and blocks effectively for its casting cost. And, of course… Sometimes it just wins the game!

How about this Bird?

Arcanist’s Owl is a good “engine” card. Meaning, once it’s already on the battlefield, Thassa can profitably exile it for more and more card advantage. Not for nothing, but the Owl also increases your devotion to blue by four (despite being an artifact). Interestingly, because it is an artifact, it can be a good target for other deck manipulation. For example, Emry, Lurker of the Loch is an early game creature you might want to play. Emry is another nice setup spell, and a worthy exile target itself.

Both these cards make nice friends with Meteor Golem!

It’s not going to be easy to lose once you start “Blinking” Meteor Golems every turn.

Best of the Rest

• Which Elder Giant is best… And why?
• How do you counter the un-counter-able?
• Rating Interventions
• All the ways you might want to UNLEASH THE KRAKEN

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Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista deals infinite damage (and gains infinite life!)

As if we didn’t get enough out of Walking Ballista…

This combination is great because it can be played in not only Modern (and larger formats) but Pioneer!

The simple procedure:

• Play out Heliod, Sun-Crowned on three mana
• Play Walking Ballista for four mana (possibly the next turn) for a “2/2” Walking Ballista (two +1/+1 counters)
• On turn five you can use Heliod’s ability to give Walking Ballista lifelink, then remove a counter from the Ballista to get the party started! Remove a +1/+1 counter to deal a point of damage; lifelink means you’ll gain a point of life… Meaning you can put another +1/+1 counter on the Ballista.

This is awesome, of course; but you’ll have to be a little careful. For example you can’t go three-into-four cleanly. A 1/1 Walking Ballista will die before it can get the next counter.

That said, there are ways to be faster otherwise; for example…

Mortal’s Ardor saves you a ton of mana. For instance you can play Heliod on turn three and then a 1/1 Walking Ballista on turn four. Follow up with a Mortal’s Ardor for only one more mana and you will also make the Ballista a 2/2.

With this three-card combination you don’t have to use 1W and Heliod to turn on the Ballista. Mortal’s Ardor fulfills both size and lifelink requirements… Heliod’s job in this case is “just” to pay off infinite +1/+1 counters.

“Holy Tooth and Nail, Batman!”

-Mike

If You’re Interested in Another Color… Can we Interest You in Green?

Collected Company is a potential option because Heliod, Sun-Crowned is a creature card whether it’s a creature on the battlefield.

From the perspective of Collective Company, Heliod is priced to move. Walking Ballista, however, is not. But…

At least in Modern, Collected Company into Heliod and Spike Feeder doesn’t even require any more mana. Just remove a +1/+1 counter from Spike Feeder to gain two life, and Heliod will pay it back. You don’t kill the opponent outright, but gaining infinite life will usually win the game.

Builds including these cards can also exploit cards like Archangel of Thune for redundancy.

“Soul Sisters” Can Break Heliod, Sun-Crowned in a Variety of Formats

There are no shortage of Soul Warden effects.

In Theros Beyond Death alone, we’ve got…

If you’re on the Mono-White Beatdown train, you can just play Daxos and Walking Ballista in the same turn (which will trigger Daxos, and therefore Heliod, and therefore grow Walking Ballista) to again save mana.

The advantages of this build are many. Daxos and Heliod are highly synergistic coming from the whole “Devotion to White” angle. You probably have great fundamental expectation against decks like Mono-Red or Boros Burn. And a legitimate Plan B attack strategy.

While it lacks the infinite damage (and infinite life gain) of the Walking Ballista builds in Pioneer or Modern, a Standard deck can play these two cards together… With a great likelihood of actually turning Heliod into a monstrous 5/5 for three.

And lots, lots more…

Example:

… What’s better, Birth of Meletis or Wall of Omens?

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Is Klothys, God of Destiny Great at Attacking Graveyards?

… Kind of.

Mike starts his analysis this week talking about how this card might interact with the newly-revealed Elspeth; and the Escape mechanic in general.

Klothys, God of Destiny can only go after one card at a time, and the timing has to be right. This is not a “Tormod’s Crypt” sort of card, especially in larger formats.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t incredible.

“Put me down for five stars.”

-Patrick

Compare Klothys to Sulfuric Vortex…

Sulfuric Vortex sees regular play in Legacy.

Like Klothys, God of Destiny, Sulfuric Vortex costs three mana. But unlike Klothys, it can be destroyed. Moreover, both players take damage! Instead, here, the opponent loses two life while you gain two life!

Setting aside the life gain implications, that Drain Life-like ability — turn after turn — is an incredible deal for three mana. The trick to this card is that the “graveyard hate” aspect is not central to its general game play.

Setting Up Klothys, God of Destiny

Okay genius!

Doesn’t Klothys ask us to do something to get it online? Sulfuric Vortex can just sit in play, but Klothys actually has to gobble on non-land cards in some graveyard or other to get going.

What about just playing Magic?

Just play out your stuff. Play out a creature. The opponent will either kill it or your creature will get going. What about combat? Creatures killing one another put cards into one or both graveyards.

Or you can fuel it yourself! A Lava Spike deck might love this card. They burn the opponent and create fuel for Klothys.

Yet…

Klothys, God of Destiny is also great against Lava Spike decks! It is a persistent source of life gain. This is especially relevant where the opponent is putting cards into their own graveyard for Klothys to eat.

Corollary: Red Decks will be incentivized to play Grim Lavamancer more than ever (to exile cards from their own graveyards in response to Klothys doing it for you).

Oh, and sometimes Klothys, God of Destiny is a 4/5 indestructible creature

Seven devotion is a steep price, but you’ll get it online… sometimes.

Don’t look for Klothys to need to be a huge combat creature to contribute, though.

Plus! Grey Merchant of Asphodel and a handful of red and green fatties from Theros Beyond Death. Check it all out:

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Theros Beyond Death previews are already upon us!

Here come our thoughts about some of the most exciting spoilers to hit the Internet this week…

About that [-3] on Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis…

Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis is a curious Planeswalker. A Planeswalker with only “minus” abilities is not something we’re used to seeing… And Elspeth has three of them!

Patrick points out that — including the Escape — Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis actually has four abilities. This is where the [-3] comes in.

The [-3] allows you to put Elspeth into your graveyard any time you used the [-2] the previous turn. It’s not that gaining five life is so exciting… It’s that gaining five life without using any mana might be. This will bury Elspeth, allowing you to Escape her for 4WW. Depending on the disposition of your graveyard, you will be able to loop Elspeth casts over and over to produce tons of 1/1 tokens and grind down the opponent’s interaction.

Ahiok, Nightmare Muse is…

Ashiok, Nightmare Muse has some stiff competition. At a minimum, the five casting cost Planeswalker division includes Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God!

But that doesn’t invalidate Ashiok, Nightmare Muse entirely.

• For one thing 2/3 Nightmare creature tokens are an interesting asset in a world where other people are trafficking in 2/2 creatures.
• Ashiok can answer “anything” with his [-3] minus

“Probably better than Deathbellow War Cry.”

-Patrick

When do you want Athreos, Shroud-Veiled from Theros Beyond Death?

Hot take: Athreos is pretty expensive relative to its impact on the board at the point it resolves. While indestructible, Athreos might not be able to block!

However!

In a grindy matchup, Athreos might be completely unbeatable. If you give this card enough time (in a matchup where creatures, combat, and removal matter)… It’s going to be tough to beat.

Check out our First Look at Theros Beyond Death now!

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