It’s that time again, Magic players! Conner Morrison, your friendly neighborhood judge, here again with Cardwatch! This week, we’ll be looking into a card that has been seeing plenty of standard play, but that has also made a name for itself in formats like modern and legacy! Let’s get started.
Before I get to our card this week though, I want to mention that this will be my last cardwatch that will focus on a card in Journey into Nyx. Why? Because this Friday is the official Magic 2015 release date. Come see us on Friday and the weekend to get the new cards as soon as you can. I’ll save a more in-depth discussion for after the set is released, but there are some nice cards in there – get excited!
The card I’ll be looking at this week is Eidolon of the Great Revel. This rare from Journey into Nyx is a 2/2 for 2 red mana – it already has solid stats, as well as giving two to your devotion to red. That’s something that has become more relevant as cards like Disciple of Mogis have been seeing play. In addition, Eidolon deals 2 damage to a player whenever that player plays a cheap spell. At first, this makes a lot of newer players shy away from the card. Who wants to deal themselves damage? However, Eidolon of the Revel is deceptively powerful.
Lets step back for a moment and ask ourselves a question – I’ll explain why in a few. What is the difference between winning at 1 life, or winning at 30 life? The answer may surprise you: nothing! You don’t score any extra points for beating your opponent handily or in a close game – a win is a win. Even though your life total measures how close you are to death, it is a resource that you can use to win the game.
What does that mean for Eidolon of the Great Revel? It means that even if it hits you for 6 or 9 damage over the course of the game, if it hits your opponent for 8 (2 triggers plus an attack) or 10 (2 triggers, 2 attacks), it’s done its job admirably. Eidolon is a way to deal your opponent massive amounts of damage, all for a small investment of only 2 mana.
Eidolon has proven itself in multiple formats. It’s seen play in legacy, modern, and is even a common card in White/Red burn decks in standard. When I talked about Pharika last week, I was looking mostly at standard. She will probably be valuable for the next year or two, and then might drop after she rotates out of standard. Eidolon of the Great Revel, however, is played in modern and legacy. That means that if you open one, you can hold onto it for quite a long time and it will still retain its value.
Right now, Eidolon of the Great Revel is pretty easy to get your hands on because between draft events and sealed leagues, Journey into Nyx packs are being opened en masse. However, once Magic 2015 hits, it’s going to be tougher to get your hands on them. Get your Eidolons now and hold onto them – I think it’s a solid choice of card that has already proven itself in multiple formats.
Note on CardWatch:
CardWatch is a weekly column wherein our local Magic judge, Conner Morrison, talks about which cards to keep your eye on. This week: Eidolon of the Great Revel! Cardwatch and all content are TM & Copyright Bel Air Games and Conner Morrison.
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