Today’s topic once again revolves around the thought of generating strategic 2-for-1 advantages.

But wait, you, perceptive reader might say, didn’t you already mention this angle as recently as last week?

To which I might reply sheepishly that yes, it’s a bit of a rehash.

Also, thanks for reading!

Also also, as I even mention in that piece, it’s a pretty good maneuver in general, let alone in Magic: the Gathering. Compounded effects often create compounding advantage.

Also also also, this cops to a particular editorial secret: not every card breakdown section in this series is written sequentially. During the worst of the pandemic months I was going week-to-week based solely on what had my attention in the moment, but in comparatively more ‘normal’ times there’s usually a couple different spotlights in the hopper and they can get jostled around. So while the underlying inspiration behind the card focuses are absolutely similar, they were drafted out weeks apart from one another.

But it does illustrate a quirk of human thinking: we can get fixated. We tend to notice this within ourselves more when it happens on matters of great or dire importance. Issues that are directly impacting our daily lives in some manner. Topics and issues that pull our focus and force us to commit active thought towards them. When it’s done in a positive manner, such as studying for a test or ensuring a home improvement project gets finished on time, we think of that as being dedicated or persistent. Usually though, active fixation on certain things – regardless of whether we want to or have to – brings with it a host of less desirable connotations, including anxiety, stress, dread, indecision, and good old ennui. We all have issues in our lives, and it’s inevitable that we are faced with those that consume much of our attention in some fashion.

Less noticeable are more minor fixations we don’t notice as easily, either because we don’t perceive the pattern or it’s literally an unconscious thought. These are the equivalencies of absent-mindedly choosing the same song playlist when you’re doing a particular task or reading a stack of content on a singular subject over a relatively short period of time solely out of interest. Or in my case having recurring notions about a particular gaming strategy, apparently. That’s where my head was in April, it seems: conjuring ways to gain a distinct upper hand in Magic without solely relying on card power and overt aggression.

What makes this quirk distinct is that these particular unconscious patterns of repetition in question are short-lived. It may be there for hours, days, even weeks depending on the frequency in which it can be exercised. But it does dissipate. Which is admittedly different than cases when it becomes uncontrollable, leading to obsessiveness, addiction, and other neurosis. Which are an entirely different matter.

All of which is a lengthy roundabout way of saying that, yes, the thought was clearly in the back of my mind for much of the last month as the frequency of my EDH gameplay slowly creeps back to pre-pandemic levels, and it manifested itself in multiple card picks, albeit from different angles.

It happens. So let’s jump right to it.

Today we have: Ethereal Absolution

Name: Ethereal Absolution

Edition: Ravnica Allegiance

Rarity: Rare

Focus: Creature Buff / Creature Debuff / Token Generation

Highlights: This card in particular manifested in my mind as a result of a recent deck building discussion during a Commander game when someone was playing a new non-tribal, creature-based deck that was primarily White. Some general questions about style and methodology ensued, along with questions about cards they included to aid them in their efforts. It was on that line of thinking where the inevitable question arose from another: “did you include
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite?“

The answer from the deck’s owner was, no, it did not. For me, it was the expected answer. The other player was aghast with confusion, as if the deck’s owner had made some kind of massive faux pas. (He didn’t.) For one, as was quickly pointed out, they didn’t own an Elesh Norn. And two, they didn’t want to spend $20 or more for a copy of one. The fact that the question was asked, however, just shows the ubiquitous nature of modern deck building and the ceaseless prattle about color staples.

Welcome to my hill. Yes, I will die on it.

Elesh Norn is a brutally efficient card that can singlehandedly swing board position in a Commander game just by being in play. It’s a massive 4-power shift in your favor and locks out any creature of toughness 2 or smaller from even existing on the battlefield. It’s a fantastic card, truly. I even have one in a Bant-colored deck – primarily as an anti-token maneuver as the deck is susceptible to swarm tactics. Elesh is splashy and powerful…but what’s the point if it’s in every deck capable of running it? It’s less fun for the format and less creative from a deck crafting perspective. Endless usage also incrementally ups the overall speed and power of Commander towards levels inconducive to the spirit of the format.

Above all, though, it only reinforces the idea that Magic, even a multiplayer casual format like Commander, can only be played and won by spending money. Criticisms of Magic as a pay-to-win game have been around for decades. They persist because if the game isn’t careful it can absolutely be true, particularly among players and competitive formats whose focus is solely on winning. Commander shouldn’t be subject to that trend. Ever.

Enter Ethereal Absolution, a Black / White enchantment that you can usually get for about $1. And in many cases it can pack nearly as much of a punch at a fraction of the cost while subsisting very much on its own identity.

For six mana, one mana cheaper than its Phyrexian cousin, Ethereal Absolution is an enchantment that upends the status quo as soon as it enters the battlefield. It can feel a little like a stapled-together card initially, given that White has long had access to static buffs for your own creatures and Black has long had spells to give -1/-1 to your opponents. However, Black’s debuffs are almost always temporary. Its permanent stat reducers are rare and limited to things such as a specific creature type (e.g. Plague Engineer), abilities (Smog Elemental), player (Curse of Death’s Hold), or it indiscriminately hurts all creatures including your own (Kaervek, the Spiteful, Night of Souls’ Betrayal). Ethereal Absolution is a unique instance of a permanent one-sided debuff in Black. The only other card – of any color – in the game that comes close to that kind of permanent effect is, indeed, Elesh Norn. It’s a permanent Zealous Persecution. So it’s in pretty solid company in terms of merit. Sure, it is limited to decks running both of its colors at a minimum, but its cost makes it easy to cast regardless.

The combination of these two static effects is a 2-power board swing in your favor. Even with the most modest example, consider that each of your 3/3s is now a 4/4 and each of your opponent’s 3/3s are now 2/2s. This can have a staggering effect across the battlefield, giving you a clear size advantage on either side of combat while also making it that much harder for your opponent’s smaller utility creatures creatures to stay alive.

It also serves as a death knell for all 1/1 creatures, namely tokens, and can just shut down token decks entirely unless that player has other cards boosting its toughness to stay alive or gets rid of the enchantment.

Depending on your play group, the fact that it is an enchantment also gives it slightly more protection on the battlefield than Elesh too, as creature-based removal is typically more plentiful on average than enchantment removal. But in both cases the board imbalance in generates still will likely make it a target if your opponent has the opportunity. It may not sit there for rounds on end without someone attempting to answer it, so make use of it while you have it.

Finally, there is its oft-overlooked activated ability. It states that for four mana, at any time, you can exile a card from an opponent’s graveyard. That alone can be useful in selectively removing cards an opponent may want to retrieve later, especially if they have reanimation tricks. Moreover, if the card you exile is a creature, Ethereal Absolution generates a 1/1 flyer – which immediately becomes a 2/2 flyer thanks to its own effects. Four mana to dismantle card recursion and get a 2/2 with flying in the process? As a bonus afterthought ability? While still giving you that 2:1 advantage? Heck yeah.

Let’s see Elesh do that.

Keep an eye out for us to be regularly featuring other more accessible-but-worth-it Commander cards going forward. In the meantime, we’ll keep the light on for you.

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