January 16, 1998


The Card of the Day is...

Rod of Ruin

1a, 1b, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Uncommon
4 Artifact

"3, T: Rod of Ruin deals 1 damage to target creature or player."


A brief rundown of the card:

That's simple enough. Sort of a Prodigal Sorcerer for any color deck. Think to yourself, how often do you need to dispose of little creatures like Savannah Lions, Royal Assassins, all the pump knights, Spore Flower....how often would that be worth 3 mana to you? How often do you need something to get an edge on your opponent to break up a stalemate? Rod of Ruin might not be the cheapest means of "pinging" somebody/thing, but it is almost the safest around. Most of the pinging creatures are very frail--they have very low toughnesses and tend to attract cheap direct damage like magnets. A Rod of Ruin is not so menacing, by itself, to entice most opponents into "wasting" a Disenchant on it. Most opponents will think "Hmm, they are using artifacts, better save this Disenchant for something more hostile". That single point of damage can really add up. Sure, it is a little pricey, but if you find youself with extra mana--try the mean looking Rod of Ruin. Dare I say there are quite a few combos to use with the Rod of Ruin (and most "pingers" too). Here are some of my favorites: