Blah Blah Mirran Crusader

Concerning:

Mirran Crusader :: Paladin en-Vec :: … In comparison to Mirran Crusader

I savagely stole this from the Star City Games Facebook page:

Mirran Crusader

So on the stats, this guy is pretty nutso. I mean compare him with Paladin en-Vec:

Paladin en-Vec

I have been hot and cold over Paladin en-Vec over the years. Generally I am not on the same side as the little White creatures, and I am basically never on the side of playing two power combat creatures for three mana… But back when Paladin en-Vec + Umezawa’s Jitte was “the best combo in Standard” (credit: Tsuyoshi Fujita) I did make Budget Boros, which was an influential and successful deck in its day.

Anyway, enough about me…

Mirran Crusader is almost a strict upgrade to Paladin en-Vec.

Both creatures have the same mana costs (1WW), the same brawlin’ stats (2/2), and Protection from Black. Paladin en-Vec has Protection from Red and Mirran Crusader replaces that with Protection from Green. Let’s table the color difference on those abilities for a moment and move onto the First Strike line.

The original has First Strike; Mirran Crusader matches with Double Strike… Which is like First Strike stapled onto regular-strike… Making Mirran Crusader a highly efficient four power attacker, especially when left unblocked.

Mirran Crusader may very well make for the most aggressive Double Strike creature ever (or at least since Boros Swiftblade)… If Paladin en-Vec + Umezawa’s Jitte was supposed to be the best combo in Standard back a few years ago, what does that mean for Mirran Crusader? This is a cat (err… Human Knight) who can tussle with a Primeval Titan and walk away. What happens when you slap Adventuring Gear on it? Does Mirran Crusader singlehandedly blank the entire Vampires deck?

I mean probably.

I think we can all agree that Mirran Crusader is a near-strict upgrade to an old favorite, and is even more wicked once you start making him bigger, especially up front.

Now let’s get back to the issue of Protection from Red versus Protection from Green. Protection from Green is not as good as Protection from Red. As in part of what made Paladin en-Vec so super duper is that you could put Umezawa’s Jitte on him and no one was going to Doom Blade or Lightning Bolt (or shall we say Terror or Shock) in response. When it comes to instant speed Red removal, Mirran Crusader is so wide open he might as well be that new Mel Gibson movie.

Don’t get me wrong; this should still be an excellent drop… It is just not a strict upgrade, and Red Decks will actually be happy to face it a lot of the time, despite the absurd number of high quality abilities.

Did you see what that guy did with three mana? Shock you! … I mean it. I MEANT THE MIRRAN CRUSADER. Die, Knight, die!

Snap Judgment Rating – Staple

LOVE
MIKE

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3 comments ↓

#1 Propagandist on 12.14.10 at 12:17 pm

The black one is almost unkillable. Can’t be hit by Doom Blade, Condemn, Journey to Nowhere, Burn, etc.

#2 MTGBattlefield on 12.14.10 at 5:44 pm

Blah Blah Mirran Crusader…

Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…

#3 Five With Flores » blah Blah BLAH Phyrexian Crusader on 12.17.10 at 10:52 am

[…] is a follow up  from the Mirran Crusader post earlier this week. If you have seen that card, you’ve probably also seen the bad guy […]

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