"The Unluckiest Planeswalker: If Life Gives You Curses... Build Around Them."

"The Unluckiest Planeswalker: If Life Gives You Curses... Build Around Them."

by:

Virgilio F. De Leon Jr., MD

The Unluckiest Planeswalker has become something of an inside joke among Magic players. Over the years, he has been the subject of multiple cards—most notably a series of Aura cards in the form of Curses that seem to follow him no matter which plane he visits.

The running joke is that he somehow crossed the warlock Lynde, and that's where all of his misfortunes began. I mean, it probably says something when someone keeps a doll made in your likeness within arm's reach at all times.

Well, the poor guy is finally getting his own planeswalker card, and unsurprisingly, it continues the Aura theme.

First, he comes with the new Rule Breaker mechanic, allowing you to include Aura cards of any color identity in your deck, along with basic lands of any type.

That immediately points toward a five-color Aura deck, which sounds like a blast to build. At just three mana, the Unluckiest Planeswalker can even come down as early as turn two.

He starts providing value immediately with his first ability. His +1 adds one mana of any color, and if that mana is spent to cast an Aura spell, you create a 1/1 red Gremlin creature token.

That opens up some fun lines of play. You can cast a Curse or other negative Aura on an opposing creature—or even directly on an opponent—and still end up with a Gremlin on your side of the battlefield. Then you can suit up that Gremlin with a beneficial Aura that grants abilities or simply makes it bigger. Negative Auras for your opponents, positive Auras for your own creatures. I have to admit—that sounds like a lot of fun. Not bad at all for a +1 ability.

His second ability, a -3, is even more interesting. You discard your hand, then draw cards equal to twice the number of Auras you control. In a dedicated Aura or Curse deck, that number can get ridiculously high. It's an excellent way to refill your hand or dig for exactly what you need. Better yet, several cards can return Auras from your graveyard back to the battlefield, making the discard less of a drawback and more of an opportunity.

One interaction I found particularly amusing is that if you've somehow managed to "curse" yourself, you can later transfer those Curses to an opponent. That sounds both hilarious and incredibly satisfying.

Overall, I think this is a very interesting commander. It finally gives me a reason to dust off the pile of Aura cards I've accumulated over the years and see if they can all work together in one deck.

Now the only question is...

Can I actually pull it off?