"Vraska , Golgari Queen: Back and still killing it."

"Vraska , Golgari Queen: Back and still killing it."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have always told my friends that i wanted a Vraska and I got me one in a fair trade as well as in the Jace Vs. Vraska Duel planeswalker deck that I bought later on. I have always tried to include the Gorgon in many of my builds and one particular ability I enjoyed is her ultimate ability of creating 3 tokens that could defeat a player with one damage.

I have tried various ways in making this happen but I am never able to pull it off.Mostly because I use Vraska as a tool to destroy something and my opponents make sure that I never get to use her another time.

but enough of the past and on to the future. Vraska used to be an assassin but now thanks to a deal with Nicol Bolas she is the new Golgari Queen! And as queen she brings something else to the table.

For 2 colorless mana and golgari colors you get a planeswalker who enters 4 loyalty counters on it. 

For her first ability(+2) she commands one of her subjects or something that she owns to be sacrificed. Any permanents will do from lands to planeswalkers but mostly like this will be Saprolings or a creature that wants to be in the graveyard and the Golgari are full or creatures who enjoy the grave. So what do you get for this sacrifice? You gain 1 life and draw a card! One life is nothing to sneeze at and drawing a card as well. A better and worse version of Costly Plunder on a stick.

Better because any permanent can be sacrificed , worse since you only get to draw 1 card.

For her 2nd ability (-3) You can destroy a non-land permanent that cost 3 mana or loss. Abrupt Decay on a stick!There are a lot of targets in the EDH setting that fits this. I must say that this is a lot weaker than her original Vraska form but this will do the trick in a pinch.

And the ability that I am most excited is her ultimate skill(-9). You get an emblem with Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player that player loses the game!"

As Queen she just made all of your creatures to be assassins that can do her bidding! And all they need to do is connect! And I had that image in my head of a lowly saproling just minding it's own business and then Vraska commands her to attack and instantly kills an opponent. That Slimefoot deck is looking more and more appealing now.

And with creatures like this one you increase your changes of killing at least one opponent. I like my new queen. Time for me to get one. 

"Vraska,Scheming Gorgon:Showing her deadly face again"

"Vraska,Scheming Gorgon:Showing her deadly face again"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

We all knew that Vraska was a baddie in this tale of Ixalan , that no matter what she feels for Jace she is still an agent of Bolas aka Lord Nicholas in this story. And it was only a matter of time before Vraska showed this side again and she did not disappoint.

As part of the planeswalker decks that come out in Rivals of Ixalan I am predicting that a lot of EDH players would welcome this new version of Vraska. So let us check out our mono black gorgon captain and why she might change things up in your token strategies.

So for 6 mana you get a planeswalker with 5 loyalty counters. Her first ability is a +2 which gives all of your creatures +1/0 until end of turn . much like Sorin's ability but without the life link, this means that before you plop her down with her enormous cost you must have played enough creatures to benefit from this first ability. If you have been been attacking constantly then putting her down might even end the life of your opponent.

Vraska seems like herself now with her gorgon touch and a -3 Loyalty 2nd skill that destroys a target creature. Not quite as strong as the original -3 destroy target non land permanent but hey you have to deal with what you are given.

However it is her last ability that is sure to make your opponents think of getting his or her creature sweeper from the library. My friend Janry runs a mean Hapatra , Vizier of Poisons deck. He can easily produce a lot of snakes , really fast. Now imagine using this skill with all those tokens in play. -10 Until end of turn creatures you control gain death touch and when they are able to damage an opponent that player loses the game.

So. She turns everyone into her assassins. In my opinion this is a better version from the Vraska of old but it still depends on how many creatures you have in play and their evasive abilities such as flying , unblockable , shadow or Land walk. If your critters have these evasiveness then it looks more and more like a win for you.

Now I have to prepare because the next EDH game I might be up to my neck in sneks and all of them have lethal sting.