Daily Dose of Magic Origins – Lady and the Ramp
Welcome to another edition of the Daily Dose here on Planeswalker week! So far we have previewed Gideon, Chandra, and Jace on the Daily Dose, and today we will be looking at the queen of ramp herself, Nissa, Vastwood Seer! Without further delay, let’s have a look at the legendary creature Nissa, Vastwood Seer.
Like Chandra, this is a three casting cost legendary creature, but that’s okay since its transformation ability will take the longest to activate. First off, unlike all of the other legendary creatures we have seen this week, Nissa doesn’t have an ability that can be used over again, just an “enters into battlefield” ability of searching your library for only a basic Forest, and putting into your hand. Nissa as a creature, has to be the weakest and also hardest of the planewalkers to transform into. First off, you only get a basic land, and it doesn’t come into play right away. Secondly, you need 7 land in play for Nissa to transform. There aren’t many ways to cheat in extra lands into play in Standard, so don’t expect to transform Nissa until turn 6 or 7, if you hit all of your land drops that is.
Despite Nissa, Vastwood Seer, being a disappointment in creature form, it makes up for it in planeswalker form. Let’s have a look at the transformation into Nissa, Sage Animist!
Wow, what a planeswalker! Let’s take a look at each ability.
First off, do you like card draw? Do you like the ability to put lands directly into play just like Courser of Kruphix? If so, this ability is for you! There has been a lot of comparisons, to a similar ability for creatures that Domri Rade had, but this is much better in my opinion. This allows you to always draw a card, independent of that card type. The bonus of allowing you to ramp is okay, since you will already have 7 mana in play. For me, this simplifies to read +1 Draw a card, if it’s a land instead put it into play. Very impressive first ability.
Secondly, if you are under some pressure, you can put into play a legendary 4/4 Elemental creature. Better than the typical 3/3 bear or 2/3 Nissa’s Chosen that has put into play from other Green planeswalkers. This is more in tune with Nissa, Worldwaker in making a 4/4 creature. True you can’t have multiple of them in play, but if needed you can attack with one, and then make a second one, sacrificing the one that already attacked.
If you do need multiple creatures in play, you can save up to Nissa’s ultimate ability, and make 6 of your plentiful lands turn into 6/6 creatures! It would have been nice if they had trample, but having six 6/6 creatures should help the tables turn in your favor.
So although Nissa, Vastwood Seer is one of the most difficulty DFCs to transform, once you do, you will get an instant payoff from the card draw that comes with Nissa, Sage Animist. Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to seeing you again when Planeswalker week continues tomorrow with the last of our Planeswalker’s Liliana!
