Act Of Heroism
Act Of Heroism is a great combat trick; not only does it untap your creature to allow it block, especially good if you've Exerted said creature, not only does it pump your creature but also makes it able to block up to two creatures and all of this for two mana. You always play this in limited as it could get your opponent or give you the extra power to finish the game.
Adorned Pouncer
Adorned Pouncer is going to be a limited all star as the Double Strike makes combat awkward and for just two mana. Add Eternalise into the equation and suddenly it becomes a much more aggressive creature and much harder to deal with. You should always play this in limited because you will get a lot of mileage out of Adorned Pouncer, unfortunately I think it might a little outside of constructed, even though it is good in combat the immediate impact is lacking.
Angel Of Condemnation
Four mana 3/3 flyers are very good in both limited and constructed, it's a decent clock with evasion and that's more than powerful enough to play. Being able to blink a creature back into play for three mana is a very good ability to be on that four mana 3/3, especially if you can use it to abuse an enter the battlefield trigger or even just to give a creature sudo Vigilance. The removal ability on Angel Of Condemnation is the kicker here although it comes with having to Exert it, but overall it gives you options which is always good. Great in limited but I don't think it will see constructed play as the immediate impact isn't very impactful.
Angel Of The God-Pharaoh
A pretty standard creature in this angel, a good late game play with evasion and if you have a little trouble getting to the six mana to cast it, you can just Cycle it away and dig for something more useful. You'll play it in limited all the time.
Aven Of Enduring Hope
A nice top end creature for limited, battles in air and gives you nice little bit of life gain to put you out of harms way or maybe even keep you in the game.
Crested Sunmare
We got cat tribal and now maybe we're getting horse tribal too. Created Sunmare may look gimmicky at first glance, but when evaluating the card I would say it becomes quite decent. To start with, five mana for a 5/5 is fantastically on curve and it gives all your other horses Indestructible. But the kicker here is the second ability, "at the beginning of each end step, if you gained life this turn put a 5/5 Horse token into play." The end of each turn, not just yours. If you gained life, from any source, even just gaining one life will give you a 5/5, now Indestructible horse and what more value could you ask from your new equine friend. I would love to see Crested Sunmare make it into constructed but I fear it's slightly too expensive, however it will be a bomb in limited and could take over a game quite easily.
Dauntless Aven
Another great card for those Exert creatures you have, It is a bit fragile but it does have evasion which is a plus and it helps out your other creatures with evading blockers.
Desert's Hold
I love this card, it feels like a slightly smaller Faith's Fetters in tone. It keeps a creature at bay and could net you some life if you control a Desert, or have one in your graveyard, and you probably will in this limited environment. You should be playing this in limited almost all the time and its easy to splash as well so there isn't really any excuse.
Disposable Mummy
Disposable Mummy is a good blocker able to clog up the ground and lets you exile a card from your opponents graveyard, ideally a creature with Embalm or Eternalise. It won't be high on your list of playables in limited but does it job nicely.
Djeru, With Eyes Open
Djeru is a very flavorful card; his devotion allows you to tutor up a planeswalker and also lets him protect it slightly. I think its only going to be played in limited and casual but when it does get played in those formats it will result in a powerful effect especially if you can gear your deck more towards abusing it, but on the whole he's a five mana 4/3 with Vigilance which is going to be the real reason you play this half the time.
Djeru's Renunciation
Another good limited trick for white, Djeru's Renunciation gives you the opportunity to tap two opposing creatures, stemming the damage or maybe just clearing the path for the finishing attack. Oh and it cycles if you don't need it or are trying to dig for a land in the early game.
Dutiful Servants
Pretty standard, big butt creature that will stop a lot of creatures in their tracks in limited.
Gideon's Defeat
Gideon's Defeat is the first in the cycle of Defeats, all of which are colour specific in their effect. Exiling an attacking or blocking white creature for one mama seems pretty strong and it is, unfortunately it's also very very narrow. It's a lot better in limited, specifically draft, where you can evaluate it based on how many white creatures you've seen going around, but it comes a cropper there as well as you are ideally one of the white drafters at that table if you've picked it up and that means you should have some white creatures yourself making it less likely to hit. As it stands now, Gideon's Defeat isn't particularly good in constructed either, it could hit a Gideon and you'd be super happy with that five life or not. Other than that however there aren't many white creatures being played for it to viably be main decked and even sideboarded, and there are just street removal spells that do cost a little more but have a wider range of landing.
God-Pharaoh's Faithful
A great creature for those, lets face it, messy limited decks where you just can't decide what colour you want to play and end up playing three or more. God-Pharaohs Faithful comes down early and nets you life throughout the game. It also blocks really well able to soak up a fair bit of damage before heading to the graveyard. I could see God-Pharaohs Faithful making it's way into constructed but probably as a sideboard card in a control or midrange deck just in case burn or very aggressive decks pick up speed.
Hour of Revelation
A strict upgrade to Planar Cleansing of M14, Hour of Revelation could see a fair by of play in constructed, not because it could cost three white instead of six but because it deals with planes walkers. It may seem like a commitment to play a six mana Wrath but usually these effects only hit creatures so paying the extra mana to be able to deal with planes walkers, enchantments and artifacts could be the tipping point for this card. In limited it's easily playable but limited traditionally is a faster format so the chances of you getting to six and getting your value are slimmer, more often than not getting a couple of their creatures and maybe one or two of yours.
Mummy Paramount
Another addition to zombie tribal, Mummy Paramount is actually a zombie that is properly on curve. Most of the time zombies have additional power and lose the ability to block or can recur from the graveyard, Mummy Paramount is just a simple 2/2 for two. It does have a decent ability as well, especially in a zombie deck dropping Mummy Paramount on turn two and then zombie after zombie each turn, it could really take over in an attacking sense.
Oketra's Avenger
Oketra's Avenger will make blocking hard for your opponent. It is very fragile, but the minute it attacks it stops being fragile and could start to take sizeable chunks out of your opponents life total. It will be every other turn however but having this guy in multiples alternating attacks could be a very good offense.
Oketra's Last Mercy
Another cycle in Hour Of Devastation, cards that skip the untap of your lands the following turn, Oketra's Last Mercy could be playable in constructed in a U/W control deck aiming to play this in the late game. Yes, the skipping of untapping your lands could be bit of a detriment but going back up to twenty could buy you some time to get back on track. Personally I'm not a fan of these cards as they are such a turn commitment, worse case scenario taking up two of your turns, but I could see an argument for this one as it pretty much lets you restart. In limited it will be pretty sweet to be able to take a lot more damage knowing you can nullify all the hard work your opponent has done but even then it seems weak.
Overwhelming Splendor
Only the third white curse in magic sets, if you count the commander sets, Overwhelming Splendor is most reminiscent of Humility from Tempest. However, where Humility affected both players, for the low price of double the cost, Overwhelming Splendor only affects the targeted player and comes with the addition of nullifying any activated abilities on permanents that player controls, not counting mana or loyalty abilities because otherwise it would break planeswalkers. Play-ability speaking, I don't think this is going to make it anywhere. To much for constructed and for limited no matter how big of an effect making all your opponents creatures into vanilla 1/1s is. I think Overwhelming Splendor is a commander card, a place where the games are slower and players can help other players get to eight mana.
Sandblast
Sandblast was last seen in Fate Reforged, a set that was populated with fairly large creatures. Obviously it's reprinting in Hour Of Devastation is to keep all the larger creatures in check, but a little more thematic with the deserts and all. It's a fantastic removal spell for white decks in limited and is easy to splash.
Saving Grace
This is a neat little aura. It's cheap, which is nice to start with, has Flash and, even though it might be at the risk of a creature, becomes a fog for you and all you're creatures making Saving Grace quite a good combat trick. It does give the enchanted creature a toughness boost, but I feel that most of the time it won't be relevant, unless the attacking creatures have Trample, as the enchanted creature will probably die anyway.
Solemnity
As tied into the -1/-1 counters theme of Amonkhet this card may seem, I get the feeling it's been designed more for modern. Back in New Phyrexia there was a card called Melira, Sylvok Outcast that stopped -1/-1 counters being placed on creatures you control and stopped you gaining infect counters, Solemnity is all that and more just without the 2/2 body attached, so I can see this making it's way into modern very easily for white decks. In limited this could go a bit wrong for you sometimes; you might have a lot of creatures that make you put -1/-1 counters on either themselves or other creatures you control and stopping that is great, but your opponent could also have a fair few and at that point you're helping them, which you don't want to do. Also note that this doesn't stop counters being placed on planeswalkers, otherwise it would be a permanent vindicate for every one.
Solitary Camel
I love aggressive white creatures, especially on the low end of the mana curve. Just having a desert, which in these sets you probably will have one, either in play or your graveyard, Solitary Camel gains Lifelink. This is pretty powerful as every successful attack is essentially a six point life swing. This card has been pushed as it's a common as well so getting multiple Solitary Camels will be easy and very handy.
Steadfast Sentinel
Four mana for a 2/3 vigilance is fine, it just screams defensive creature. Give that creature Eternalise for six mana, exiling it from your graveyard to create a 4/4 token version of that creature, and it gets slightly better, adds extra value, but it's still a bit meh. I wouldn't be unhappy to play this in limited but I'm sure we'll come across better four drops. Obviously nothing in constructed.
Steward of Solidarity
I love this type of card; a two drop 2/2 with an effect, It's on curve and if needed could just be used as a Grizzly Bear. It also comes with an ability that makes more guys just for tapping it allowing you to go wide if you want to, just by tapping it. Now it does Exert so you lose the ability to do it the next turn but it replaces itself in board presence, so if you have time to activate this once or twice in the early game you're going to be sitting pretty in terms of what's on the board. I don't think it will make it into constructed but it's definitely a thought.
Sunscourge Champion
Sunscourge Champion is a great creature for getting you to the late game; it comes down early and immediately gains your two life and then can soak up an attack or two before you can Eternalise it and gain another four life, yes you have to discard a card on top of paying four mana to Eternalise it but that's a low cost to get you another turn and a 4/4 creature.
Unconventional Tactics
Who needs combat tricks when you can just give your creature flying and bash. Unconventional Tactics is an amazing card, +3/+3 and flying for three mana. If you stop there that would be really playable but being able to recur it when you play a zombie, which you will probably have a zombie or two, is incredible. This could really do some work in limited and very easily end a game.
Vizier of the True
Vizier of the True is a very aggressive creature, it sits in the four drop slot in limited very nicely and if left unchecked or unopposed, by more than one creature at least, it could take chunks out of your opponent quite quickly. Depending on how the deck works, I would probably play this over Steadfast Sentinel easily.
That brings us to the end of our look at all the white cards in Hour Of Devastation, coming up tomorrow are all the blue cards so stay tuned to Game Changers.
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