Charm'd Part 1; Sultai and Abzan

The fang and the scale; the individual and the family

Starting Charm Week, we have the two B/G/x charms. Both are powerful, flexible, but narrow in their utility. The charms provide excellent power for their strict casting cost. These two in particular, however, I believe are the more focused and provide support than breaking the opponents back like the other charms.

The Sultai Charm has 'destroy' in its text twice so let's examine those first. The weakest effect by far, destroying a mono colored creature is not ideal in a format of Rhinos and Dragonlords. With Theros rotating out soon, and Zendikar introducing colorless creatures destroying a monocolored creature is going to be even more difficult now. It is not useless though as it currently hits the rare cycle of dragons, Stormbreath, and little guys like Rabblemaster and Seeker of the Way.

The second effect is devastating in the right circumstance. A built in naturalize makes Sultai Charm an excellent answer to the rampant artifacts and enchantments seeing play. It hits everything from Courser of Kruphix to Hangerback Walker to Hardened Scales.This sideboard effect is given the maindeck side effects to make it at least worth looking at when it comes to deck building.

Lastly, the Sultai Charm can power your graveyard through its powerful cycling effect.  A net zero gain for your hand, but +2 in the yard for delving makes Sultai charm at least worth tossing out even when both effects are dead.

Abzan Charm offers a permanent answer to many, but not all threats. It exiles greedy Hangerback Walkers and opposing Rhinos with ease, but faulters on two fronts. 1.) Unlike the Sultai Charm it can't hit the dreaded Stormbreath Dragon, and 2.) most likely, the exile effect won't matter on the player's turn 3. Abzan Charm fits awkwardly on its curve. 

Abzan Charm also does a sweet, instant-speed impression of Read the Bones. Not much to say here. Drawing cards is good and losing the two life shouldn't matter all that much with the type of deck you'd play this in.

Finally, a combat trick. Putting 2

+1/+1 counters wherever you please is incredibly strong. Hate Frost Walker? Kill it! Want to activate your outlast lord's flying or lifelink or whatever? Slap those suckers down. Win the mirror with a tide turning 6/7 Rhino? Go for it! The final effect is nothing to laugh at as I can attest. Putting a creature out of burn range or bigger than all but the biggest creatures is quite powerful.

So, which do I rank higher? Well, I hate to say it, but Abzan Charm is probably the winner by the narrowest stretch. While always reliant on something (3>power, 2 life, or having creatures on the battlefield), the amount of work Abzan Charm can do is amazing. Sultai Charm is narrow too, but it has a greter chance of needing to be recycled should is not be able to kill something. Being nothing but delve fuel doesn't make up for that.

    

Next time, I'll have Mardu and Jeskai duke it out over whose charm is better!