Single Card Strategies This Month's Card: Lure This green enchantment can be placed upon any creature for the cost of 2 green mana and 1 colorless. Once in effect, all creatures which the Lure-bearing creature faces on the attack are required to block, drawn by its irresistible pull. The uses of this spell are many. Since the earliest wars between the Magi, Lure has been placed upon the Thicket Basilisk to create a killing machine of monstrous proportions. Absolutely every creature capable of blocking the Basilisk will be slain in this manner, and there is precious little one can do to avoid the effect. The Necromancers have an equally effective combination in placing the Lure upon the Infernal Medusa, with the additional benefit of having the combination immune to the effects of Terror. In more specific cases, the combination of Lure and the Abomination may also prove useful. Though walls may be immune to the Medusa and Basilisk, they enjoy no such benefit against the Abomination. The Lure is not, however, limited to use as a creator of creature-sweeping combinations. Any color can make effective use of the Lure, depending on the situation. Placing the Lure on a Regenerating creature before an attack can cause a great deal of consternation on the part of an opponent. Lure on a Drudge Skeleton can be devastating when the Drudge Skeleton is attacking alongside several Murk Dwellers. The death of the creature is meaningless: it can simply regenerate, maintaining the Lure. On the attack, one can also place the Lure on a creature of rather insignificant proportions. Anything from Mons's Goblin Raiders to a Samite Healer will do. Once the blockers have been declared, and your horde of creatures is on the march, use the Maze of Ith to untap the Lured creature. Your creature will be ready for use again the next turn, while your armies crash into the undefended Mage. One can also 'jury-rig' the Thicket Basilisk/Lure combination by applying the enchantment Venom to a suitable creature, and then applying the Lure. In this manner, one can mimic the ability of the Basilisk without actually having to bring one into play. Another method which one can use to foul the defence of an opponent is through the careful use of the Aisling Leprechaun. Place a Lure on the Leprechaun, and then use a 'Lace to change the colour of the spell from Green. At this point, apply a Green Ward. Once this has been completed, you have a 1/1 creature which, on the attack, turns all defenders into Green creatures, incapable of harming the Leprechaun. If placed early on in a duel, Lure can greatly increase the destructive potential of creatures such as the Sengir Vampire. When there is little opposition, a Lured Vampire can slowly feast until it is at a stage where nothing short of a Swords to Plowshares will end its rampage. Note that the Khabal Ghoul can benefit greatly from the end results of a Lured creature's rampage. A Lured Basilisk can send close to half a dozen creatures to the graveyard with ease, pumping the Ghoul to horrific levels. In the same vein, a creature who posses the ability of Rampage, such as the Wolverine Pack, can be highly destructive when the Lure is placed upon them. The power levels they can achieve will virtually ensure the destruction of any creatures they face. Dealing with a Lure is somewhat more problematic. Any spell which deals with Enchantments will serve adequately enough, but if these are unavailable, problems can arise. Combinations such as the Lure and Infernal Medusa, or the Thicket Basilisk can be dealt with by placing Flight or Fear on the Lured creature. The damage they inflict upon you when they get through is more than likely preferable to the damage they could cause to your defensive line. Along the same lines, if you possess Dwarven Warriors, they can be used to make your opponent's Lured creature unblockable (providing the power hasn't been boosted as above). Failing this, any spell which will tap creatures during your opponent's turn could be used to save your creatures. More Up My Sleeve edited by David Williams The World of Card Games by David Williams. Single Card Strategies: This Month's Card: Lure by Jeff Scott Franzman. Strategy for Powermad Control Freaks: Tips for Trident's On the Edge by Greg Stolze. Back to Shadis #17 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com