Mortals never cease to amaze. With so many unique play styles out there, the Arena can be a wild time. That’s where the Community Picks series comes in, where you get to show off the most powerful, loveable, special, or downright meme-worthy Trial of the Gods cards in your collection.
This week we have half of Team Stream Team (TST) stepping up, with Freedan (Twitter / Twitch) and cautionfun (Twitter / Twitch) going through the Trial of the Gods cards closest to their hearts.
Ludia’s Deception
Freedan: Ludia’s Deception caught my eye immediately, because of its unique design. Whereas cards like Starshard Bolt or Pyramid Warden are clearly valuable for their clearing potential and stats, the value of Ludia’s Deception is a bit more subtle. Just like the god of Deception herself! It can be held to destroy god ward, used early to disrupt an opponent’s opening hand, combined with cutthroat insight, or can be used to analyze your opponent’s hand for answers such as board wipes.
Proper use of Ludia’s Deception comes down to timing. Understanding the context in which it is being played, and why, can lead to some insane value. The knowledge that comes from reading your opponent’s hand alone is powerful. And, at worst, it can be used as a cheap cycle spell.
Pallas, Champion of Magic
Freedan: Among the most iconic champions of Trial of the Gods, in my opinion, is Pallas. The Champion of Magic has led to some of my most memorable games, thanks to his ability to delve any spell in the game. Imagine the surprise of my opponents when I steal their cards, as Magic! Or when I play Born Again as Magic, refilling a nearly empty hand.
Pallas is more than just fireworks and cheap thrills, however. With 4 health, and ward, it’s not too difficult to get him to stick on the board for a turn or two. His ever-scaling potential demands an answer, meaning Pallas acts almost like a frontline. And when he isn’t answered … well, watch out!
Aether Herald
cautionfun: One of my favorite cards so far from Trial of the Gods is Aether Herald. While it certainly isn’t the most powerful individual card, I think the Herald’s arrival helped unlock the entire Aether Magic archetype, which I have had a ton of fun piloting. Having access to two more properly statted Aethers helps the entire deck run smooth and consistently, and having 6 damage worth of burst from hand that is unaffected by ward on your opponent’s god can help to push Aether Magic over the finish line.
On top of Aether Herald’s overall utility, I think it has the perfect name. Against Magic, if your opponent drops a Shadow Scryer or Tracking Bolt or Starshard Bolt in the first few turns, it’s impossible to discern exactly what kind of Magic deck you’re playing against. But if your opponent drops an Aether Herald, you can surely take that as a sign of things to come: more Aethers, and more burst damage.
Student of Blades
cautionfun: I’m a big fan of the number 3, so something about a 3 mana 3/3 that gains me 3 favor each time its ability is activated just sits right with me :). I’m also a big fan of aggressive, wide boards that Student of Blades can certainly help me capitalize on. I haven’t been able to figure out a list that best takes advantage of her yet, but it’s certainly on my agenda. I think the potential synergy with other Trial of the Gods cards like Hydna, the Reef Raider sounds super promising, and the value derived from the extra favor generation can help sustain some low-cost creature based aggro decks. The fact that it’s a neutral card doesn’t exactly limit my available options either.
Past that, the card art may be my favorite in the entire set. The blue sky and stadium pairs so nicely with the blue rarity gem, the style and grace with which she wields those scimitars.. just an awesome aesthetic combination. Not to mention, she looks like one tough SoB (Student of Blades, of course..)
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Think you've got a pick that trumps any of these? Join our Discord and react to this message in #official-content, to join. Each week, two mortals will team up to show their top cards.
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