Welcome to another edition of the Daily Dose of Battle for Zendikar! Back in Rise of the Eldrazi we were introduced to the all mighty Eldrazi, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. More importantly though, we introduced to the adorable Eldrazi Spawn!
Eldrazi Spawn were 0/1 creatures that didn’t really do much offensively, but were able to help you ramp into the larger Eldrazi in the set. Well time has passed since we last met them, and they've grown up into Eldrazi Scion. Eldrazi Scion are 1/1 token creatures that have the same ability of “Sacrifice this creature: Add 1 to your mana pool.” These growing Eldrazi don’t just appear on their own, so let’s have a look at some of the creatures that will be making Eldrazi Scions in Battle for Zendikar.
First off, you get 7 power for 6-mana which is pretty solid. If you play it on turn 6, it gives you two of the Eldrazi Scions to ramp up into a larger Eldrazi. I like that it serves a dual purpose for not just the Eldrazi Scions you’ve created with Drowner of Hope, but all of them by allowing you to sacrifice one to tap a creature. Since most of the Eldrazi do not have trample, this could be used as a good way to get damage through to your opponent.
When compared to Drowner of Hope, Brood Butcher doesn’t seem as strong. You only get 4 power for 5-mana, thanks to the one Eldrazi Scion created. Where it excels is in its ability to kill creatures on an ongoing basis by sacrificing either your Eldrazi Scion or any other creatures you have. This seems like a good long-term game plan to control the battlefield and give you the advantage.
Blight Herder is a new type of card called an Eldrazi Processor. What they do is take advantage of cards owned by your opponent in exile, enabling an additional ability. In Blight Herder’s case it, allows you to put three of those amazing 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature tokens onto the battlefield. That is 7-power and 4 creatures on the battlefield for the price of 5-colorless mana. This can be a game changer. What this will also allow you to do is ramp the following turn up to 9-mana, allowing you to cast an even bigger Eldrazi. Look for this card to see some play in the near future for sure.
Now let’s have a look at a new card that doesn’t produce Eldrazi Scion itself, but will definitely take advantage of them. Here is Smothering Abomination!
First off, Smothering Abomination is a 4/3 Flyer for 4-mana. That’s a creature that puts a clock on your opponent. Like most cheap black creatures with flying (Abyssal Persecutor, Desecration Demon), it has a drawback, but if played correctly it can be an advantage! Each upkeep you have to sacrifice a creature, which of course will include Smothering Abomination if you don’t have any other creatures in play. However, thanks to all of the above listed cards and our friends the Eldrazi Scion, this could lead to some serious card advantage. Each creature you sacrifice will net an additional card. Something to remember about this card is that it doesn’t only trigger during your upkeep, but rather anytime you sacrifice a creature - such as Eldrazi Scion.
The kids have all grown up!
This has been another edition of the Daily Dose of Battle for Zendikar and I’m looking forward to talking about some more sweet preview action coming up tomorrow, see you then!
