This is the Firemane Avenger, and on first glance this looks really promising. Such a cool card and fits really nicely into my favourite colour combo in magic the gathering. Boros has always had a place in my gaming ever since I created a red/white deck with flanking as the main keyword theme. The boros garrison is a great land that gives 1 red and 1 white mana at the same time. Definitely going into a new red/white deck when gatecrash comes out in Feb.
There just something a bit special about a dual colour deck that can do quick damage and throw out some stonking great creatures, and Firemane Avenger is the perfect example of that. Being red and white its dealing direct player damage and healing its controller. It is really a outstanding example of what dual colour can do for your game.
The keyword is interesting. Battalion. The prospect of a battalion deck really gives me a card-on. When this set goes on sale I'll be picking up a booster box purely based on this keyword. I like it. Its fast, hard hitting and just about has the potential to devistate an opponent quick enough to make it a real choice at competitive play levels. Attacking with 3 creatures might mean it takes a few turns to kick in, but it's not unreasonable to imagine that lower level cards act quicker with reduced effects.
Looking to recent releases there is a lot of new keywords with each set, return to ravnica bringing in guild themed keywords, this being followed on into gatecrash with more guilds and more keywords potentially. It would be nice, though an idle minds dream, to see a return to older keywords that really sparked my deck building imagination. One word which stands out for me is flanking. This was great and what turned me into a predominantly red/white deck player. It would be great to get some feedback on what you'd like to see more of, or if you like having something new with every set.
Until next time
- Adam
