CardsplainThe Eagles Are Coming!
(You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Choose target creature you own. If this spell was kicked, instead choose any number of target creatures you own. Return each chosen creature to your hand. At the beginning of the next upkeep, create a 4/4 white Bird Soldier creature with for each creature returned to your hand this way.
Grade B+ Grade from the win rate
Win rate when drawn 59.9% +3.7 vs average 9,517 games
Win rates and picks
- 57.1% 19,812 games
- Average pick ()
- 2.1
By deck
- Draw Two 62.2% 5,030 games
- Dwarves & Equipment 57.9% 2,958 games
Win rates from , 323,114 games. This card is compared with the set average (56.2%).
Reviews
The Eagles Are Coming! is an incredibly weird and unique design. For 6 mana, you can your whole board and make an army of 4/4 eagles, which sounds pretty incredible. Even just bouncing one creature and getting a 4/4 for just 2 mana sounds good, but there's a significant drawback. Without any creatures on the board, or no, this card doesn't do anything. While many games of Limited end up in some sort of board stall and you have to figure out how to break through, others become a battle of attrition in which all of your creatures trade off or otherwise die, and you struggle to keep even one creature on the board. I do like this , but its power might be limited by the deck you play against.
However, white has the best rares of any color by a substantial degree.An Unexpected Party, Fíli, Kíli, The Eagles Are Coming!, The Queen of Dale, Bard's Company, Dáin's Company… need I go on?
The Eagles Are Coming! has slightly underperformed my expectations, although it's still pretty strong. The main catches are: * Bird Soldiers will never have “”; the best you can do is main phase it. * The mode costs , which you won't always have on turn 6. * If your opponent has , you may just have to “cash it in” for a 4/4 at an inconvenient moment. I'd still happily P1P1 this card though, because I should have plenty of time to draft some cheap creatures for it. Stuff with “enters” value like Patient Instructor and Stony-Voiced Goblins is as good as it gets. You could also try to play a 1-drop or two to enable a “Turn-2 4/4 flier” line. One last cool thing about Eagles: It says “own”, not “control”. This gives it killer synergy with Bilbo, Luckwearer, letting you steal your creature back from your opponentwhile making a 4/4 Bird Soldier!
The Eagles Are Coming!: Scary late game card in board stalls. It also lets your opponent you in response to , so be careful of .
How to draft it
Roles in each deck
Dwarves & Equipment Combat trick
The Eagles Are Coming! returns a creature you own to your hand and gives you a 4/4 Bird Soldier at the beginning of the next upkeep, or does that for any number of your creatures when kicked for more. Draw Two gets far more from the rare (62.2%), because here your own attacker costs a turn and strips its , so it ranks below your core .
How to play it
Learn the Dwarves & Equipment deckSave a creature from , or one with a good enters ability: Dori makes another , Dáin Ironfoot another Axe, Dáin's Company another look. Cast on the opponent's turn, the Bird arrives in your upkeep and can't attack until your next turn. Cast in your main phase, it arrives in their upkeep, can block, and attacks a full turn sooner.
Draw Two Finisher
Return a creature you own to your hand, and at the beginning of the next upkeep a 4/4 white Bird Soldier with arrives. Recast Patient Instructor, Long Lake Nuisance or Bilbo Baggins, Burglar afterwards and you get its or draw again on top of the Bird. Cast in response to , it saves the target as well.
How to play it
Learn the Draw Two deckYour own main phase is the best time. The Bird arrives in the opponent's upkeep, blocks that turn and attacks on yours. Cast at their end step, it arrives in your upkeep and can't attack until your following turn. Late in the game, the (4 more mana) returns any number of your creatures for that many Birds.