And it’s a fucking INSTANT? I can’t not see this getting play in every green deck…
It’s a good combat trick, but it’s still a combat trick. For most limited decks, any removal would be more playable. In constructed, only pump-based aggro decks and creature combo decks would want something like this. Blossoming Defense already exists for half the cost and most of this effect.
If we’re just talking defense, I like Tamiyo’s Safekeeping since it can protect any permanent for a turn, like a high value planeswalker or enchantment.
Big rules nerd here, and you may already know this but for anyone seeing this new tech who doesn’t: Tamiyos safekeeping (or other indestructible sources) won’t protect a planeswalker from losing loyalty counters to damage, or for dying to zero loyalty. The reason is although it can’t be destroyed (indestructible), it can still take damage, and taking damage is what removes loyalty counters. It’s why the various Gideons that turn into creatures both make him indestructible and prevent damage, to avoid this situation.
Ofc, Tamiyo’s does protect against “destroy target/all planeswalkers” type effects
Oh weird! I had no idea about that, thanks.
[[Giant Growth]] is +3/+3 at instant speed for 1.
So for 1 more you’re adding trample, hexproof, and indestructible. That’s a sweet deal. Hugely versatile.
As long as you’ve got the mana to spare, this seems like a clear upgrade.
Giant Growth isn’t that great, I’d usually rather have protection abilities like Indestructible or Hexproof, an aggro ability like Trample, or a [[Fog]] effect. Even if it costs more.
A lot of green combat tricks are more expensive Giant Growths that give you added value, and to my eye this is strictly better than a few of them, one of the most versatile save for [[Gaea’s Gift]], and one of the best.
Not every green deck wants combat tricks? But this is a pretty good one. I’ll definitely pick up a few.
For sure, Giant Growth isn’t amazing, but it’s the baseline by which I compare green combat tricks. That is to ask “How much more does it cost and what else does it give you?”
In this case, the answer 1 for three good abilities. Heck yeah.
I’m glad this is uncommon because the strictly worse this from LCI was plenty good enough.