Urza's Avenger: The cost of versatility.

"The difficulty in life is the choice"

--George Moore, Bending of the Bough, Act IV.

Which will you choose?

Versatility is one of the most underappreciated, and often overlooked attributes in MtG. While common wisdom will tell you that being able to do one thing good and consistently will always be better than being able to do two good things situational. However, when the times strikes for one of those things to be solid, it really works out better. 

This is where I'm coming to with this. Urza's Avenger is a versatile, hard hitting machine, with a modest base 4/4 for 6. Sure, it's not as good as a number of other cards in the format, with that range, but versatility.

Art: Honestly, the art on this is easily it's best part. With magic still trying to have it's 'tome look', and with Amy Weber's literal blue print picture, it works amazing, like something out of the workshop of Da Vinci. The indecipherable writing and the banner on the side also make for the illusion, not to mention the various markers and sphere. Personally the art gets a 5/5.

Look at that detail

I found this cool comparison on coolstuffinc.com. (Source below)

Mechanics: The nitty gritty of why I wrote this article. Urza's Avenger comes from the old school thought that versatility should equal cost. A 4/4 for 6, even in 1994 was subpar (if not terrible), however few creatures have the possibility of so many abilities on them. With three being outright good mechanics, and banding being the O.K. mechanic. I've longely wondered about using it w/ equipment's and enchantments. A mere Giant Strength can turn this from a curiosity into a powerhouse, being able to be a 4/4 with first strike and trample, or banding and trample, or simply a 5/5 flyer (which is pretty nice).

Another interesting take is to utilize it in a Banding centric build as the champion creature, even if it's to just give him trample.

All and all, it's best to let dreams lie. It's playability is sadly 2.5/5. Even as an artifact, on it's own, their is a better cards to pick. Still, you should experiment with it, like I'm going to, and maybe I'll bump this a point. Stay tuned.




Flavor: While the idea of it being versatile at the cost of power is perfect, it's the meta-design of it I like. Mainly on how it compares to it's brother's counterpart, Shapeshifter. Both are creatures designed by each brother with versatility in mind, but they do it different. I will write an entire article about this, don't want to waste anything now.

It's flavor is a solid 4/5.

11.5/15. While the art and flavor of the card are certainly memorable, the card itself leaves much to be desired. Perfect for the occasional kitchen game, but not so perfect in a more competitive setting. I however, still love it.

If you have any stories to share about this bad boy, please do.

As Promised

Source: https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/jamesarnold-050814-art-heroes-amy-weber/