"Greaves of War: Haste On Demand"

"Greaves of War: Haste On Demand"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Before the introduction of the sub type of Artifacts known as equipments , Red was the best color that had haste creatures. Creatures that could attack on the same turn that you summoned them. In terms of game play this meant that Red was painted in a corner and despite the sudden impact and explosiveness of Reds power to destroy opponents in quick successive attacks there was always a Terror , Swords to Plowshare or Unsummon that could hold any creature at bay. It was always expected of Red to have Burn and creatures always ready to explode when they hit the ground.

Now , with the appearance of 3 artifacts all the other colors could share in the fun and unpredictability that used to be the trump card of Red decks. I am here to compare the 3 artifacts that could currently make your creatures an instant threat once they appear on your side of the board.

The first artifact is the Lightning Greaves , the first artifact equipment of its kind. For 2 colorless mana any creature could gain haste and attack along side the creatures you already have in play. During its first appearance in Mirrodin the fact was abused by Leonin SkyHunters which attacked unopposed from the sky and dealing 2 damage each turn while more of its kind appeared. In more recent EDH times the Lightning Greaves is the best choice to protect EDH Commanders from spot removal. It is easy to cast and much easier to equip with a zero equipping cost. The only draw back for some is the shroud mechanic that virtually makes the creature it has equipped to untouchable. Your opponents and spells. The abilities your permanents control as well. Most of the time no one complains about it because some commanders are just content to merely stand there and effect the game state in other ways. Like Sigarda or Teysa , Orzhov Scion.

The second artifact that came out of a core set is the Swift foot boots which a lot of has said to be a less powered version of the awesome Lightning Greaves. For the same mana cost of 2  , creatures gain haste as well but this time the mechanic for protection is slightly different. Hexproof. It means that you could still affect your own equipped creature with your spells and permanent abilities like make it unblockable by attaching an Aura Enchantment on it or Pumping it with a Gigantic Growth. The cost for equipping it though is a lot bigger at 2 colorless mana. Some EDH deck builders consider the redundancy with Lightning Greaves as a blessing because some strategies involve giving haste to creatures like the Zirilan of the Claw EDH deck that allows you to summon Dragons and sacrifice them at the end of the turn , what would be the point of summoning dragons that would just stand there and do nothing then just die at the end of the turn right? so the answer is to let them swing in for massive damage before they are lost to you forever. 

The last Haste giving artifact comes from the Plane of Theros , the boots of the god of speed. The Fleetfeather sandals. Built much like the Swiftfoot boots at 2 mana casting cost and 2 mana equipping cost these Sandals were made as an ode to Mercury and well to speed things up in a standard environment like Theros where things are a bit slow. The Haste ability this time has an added Flying ability , Evasion is the name of the game and with monsters that are more ground based this Flight ability really is a much needed boost in attack. This also allows other creatures to connect more efficiently especially if dealing damage gives them an extra edge . like making a player sacrifice creatures or lands or even just allow you to draw more cards for advantage. 

Compared to the other 2 former artifacts Fleetfeather Sandals seems like a great liability because those attached to it have an increased risk of being stopped in its tracks but it does give you a third option in decks where Haste is the corner strategy. It is relatively easier  to track down since it is in the common slot and has more printed copies in circulation when compared to the other two.

So there you have it , The Greaves of War are at your disposal they don't just look good but are key components to your victory. Choose your gear wisely.