Magic The Gathering: Theros Beyond Death has arrived, the newest expansion for the massively popular trading card game. This set takes us back to the plane of Theros, a land inspired by ancient Greek myth and culture, complete with gods, heroes, and an underworld teeming with monsters.
As with the Greek myths it takes direction from, Theros is a land of larger than life characters who can accomplish astounding feats. These figures are represented in Legendary cards, from the soldier fighting in wars to the Planeswalkers traversing the Multiverse. Let’s take a look at the 10 coolest new Legendary cards from Theros Beyond Death.
10 Haktos The Unscarred
Haktos the Unscarred is a bit of a glass cannon, matching his Greek counterpart Achilles. This red and white warrior costs only four mana and has six power, but only one toughness. He also has to attack every combat he can, making him vulnerable.
However, when Haktos the Unscarred enters the battlefield, he gets protection from every converted mana cost except two, three, or four (chosen at random). This makes him a powerful attacker with a single weakness that can be hard for opponents to work around.
9 Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Since we’re back in Theros, a lot of the gods from the plane return as Legendary Creatures, such as Heliod, Sun-Crowned. He doesn’t count as a Creature if your devotion to white is less than five, and he still has the indestructible keyword.
Heliod also gives one of your creatures a +1/+1 counter whenever you gain life, and has an activated ability to give a creature lifelink for a turn. In this way, he can help you bolster your army and stay alive while also attacking your foes.
8 Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
Like Heliod, Erebos is a god with indestructible, and he isn’t a Creature unless your devotion to black is five or greater. He also lets you pay two life whenever one of your Creatures dies to draw a card.
This plays right into his activated ability, which lets you sacrifice a Creature to give another Creature -2/-1 till end of turn. Combining this with the ability to draw cards, and you have a powerful engine that constantly parse through your deck and weakens your opponent at the same time.
7 Uro, Titan Of Nature’s Wrath
Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath makes use of the new escape mechanic, which lets you cast it from your graveyard if you pay its escape cost - two green and two blue mana, and exiling five cards from your graveyard. This is useful, as Uro sacrifices itself when played from your hand.
When Uro enters the battlefield or attacks, it lets you gain three life, draw a card, and put a land onto the battlefield. These effects are incredibly powerful and can be used just by playing from your hand or by paying the escape cost.
6 Polukranos, Unchained
Another creature that can escape, Polukranos, Unchained is a terrifying green and black hydra that has zero power and toughness but enters with six +1/+1 counters on it. This rises to 12 +1/+1 counters if you pay the escape cost.
Polukranos has the ability to prevent all damage it takes, instead just removing a number of +1/+1 counters equal to that damage. It also has an activated ability letting it fight another Creature. These abilities, combined with the escape power, make Polukranos an excellent way to control your enemy’s board.
5 Calix, Destiny’s Hand
Calix, Destiny’s Hand is a green and white Planeswalker new to this set, working with Enchantment cards. He enters with four loyalty, and his +1 ability peeks at the top four cards of your deck, putting an Enchantment card from them into your hand.
His -3 ability lets you exile a Creature or Enchantment until one of your own Enchantments leaves the battlefield, making for some excellent removal. Finally, his -7 returns all your Enchantments from the graveyard to the battlefield for a final push against your foe.
4 Klothys, God Of Destiny
Previously, the red and green god of Theros was represented by Xenagos, God of Revels, but he’s dead now, making way for Klothys, God of Destiny. Klothys is indestructible and isn’t a Creature unless your devotion to red and green is at least seven.
Klothys also lets you exile a card from a graveyard during your first main phase, granting you a red or green mana for a land, and dealing two damage to your opponents while giving you two life otherwise. This makes for some interesting interactions with the other graveyard focused cards in this set.
3 Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
As another dual-colored god, Athreos, Shroud-Veiled is indestructible and not a Creature unless your devotion to black and white is at least seven. He also lets you put coin counters on Creatures during your end step.
Coin counters don’t do much on their own, but Athreos’s second ability lets you gain control of them when they die or are exiled. This can be used to steal your opponent’s powerful Creatures, or it can protect your own board, making it harder to kill your own powerful damage dealers.
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
Another Planeswalker, Ashiok, Nightmare Muse is all about exiling your opponent’s cards. This blue and black Planeswalker enters with five loyalty, and their +1 gives you a 2/3 Nightmare Creature that exiles the top two cards of your opponents’ decks when it attacks or blocks.
Ashiok’s -3 sees you returning a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand, then exiling a card from their hand, which is some solid removal. The ultimate -7 ability lets you play up to three cards exiled by your opponents without paying their mana costs, which can quickly turn the tide in your favor.
1 Nyx Lotus
Compared to some of the other cards on this list, Nyx Lotus is a relatively straightforward card. It’s a simple Artifact that costs four generic mana and enters tapped, which can seem somewhat prohibitive, but its activated ability is more than worth the investment.
Nyx Lotus can tap for an amount of mana equal to your devotion to any color. This powerful effect has no real upper limit, depending on the number of permanents you play, and can be used in any deck, making it our pick for the coolest new Legendary card.
NEXT: Top Ten Strongest Demons in Magic: The Gathering
