"Syndicate Trafficker:Always paying the price"

"Syndicate Trafficker:Always paying the price"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

"The price isn't negotiable , but I'm sure you'll agree it's fair."

While dealing with the Syndicate Trafficker it is always in your best interest to nod. Pay the 1 colorless mana and sacrifice an artifact for his services.

A 2 mana 3/1 creature with the said ability that could be played as an instant usually takes players off guard since you could pump it's power level while it is attacking and as long as you have mana and artifacts other players would be wary of targetting the Syndicate Trafficker with a burn or removal spell because it will just gain Indestructibility when you activate it's ability.

The same could be said when it is blocking. It is a good deterrent when your opponent does not want to lose any of his good creatures by attacking needlessly and getting clobbered by an indestructible blocker.

Syndicate Trafficker was a real workhorse for me in the Kaladesh PR last Sunday and I was glad that I was able to pull him in the pack. So always keep in mind that when you sacrifice artifacts to this creature it best have effects when it dies or goes to the graveyard. Effects like it lets you get another artifact from your graveyard to your hand. Or you draw a card or you fetch a basic land. There are a lot of artifacts that would be dying to work with the Syndicate Trafficker and then they literally die when you sacrifice them to it. Pity. One artifact creature in point is the Workshop assistant who provided me with some serious recursion action during the Kaladesh PR. When it dies I could get back a spent Metalspinners's Puzzleknot when I really want to dig through my deck or a once Destroyed Fleetwheel Cruiser who could deal some serious damage because of the fact that it becomes a creature with haste and trample when it comes into play when it enters the battlefield.Having my hands on these two artifacts because of the interaction with Syndicate trafficker allowed me to win games.

Syndicate Trafficker reminds me of a smaller , watered down  version of Falkenrath Aristocrat but by the look of things there might be a place for him in standard only he has a thing for artifacts and demands payment in advance. So until next time. Pay him. Feed him. And he will serve you well.