This Costs 8? It Must Be Awesome!

T-Minus 7 until my 100th blog. Enjoy the celebration.

I remember the first starter deck I ever got, way back in 1994. Like all Fourth Edition starters it came with three random rares. And they were random, we didn’t have precons until Tempest, I believe. Anyway, I remember my rares:

Living Lands
2GG
Enchantment
All Forests become 1/1 creatures. They still count as lands.

Kormus Bell
4
Artifact
All Swamps become 1/1 creatures. They still count as lands.

Aladdin’s Ring
8
Artifact
8, T: Aladdin’s Ring deals 4 damage to target creature or player.

I’m surprised I’m still playing.

I don’t believe I ever played Living Lands or Kormus Bell in a deck. I was always worried about someone killing off my newly animated basics. I couldn’t use them to attack or block, obviously—how would I cast spells?!

The only one I used was Aladdin’s Ring, which was, and still can be, I think (why not?) a bomb. It was especially swingy because I also included Animate Artifact in my blue deck. (Back then, decks were labeled by color, not by contents, goal, or some stupid Internet writer’s made up name).

As it turned out, 8/8 was pretty much the biggest kid on the block. Aladdin’s apparently humongous Ring could hang back to block, then deal four damage at the end of turn. Of course he didn’t for me, because I wasn’t that sophisticated. No, sir. Attack, attack, attack until you’re dead! I don’t need to have the best defender and utility creature on the field!

It was so good, I traded for another Animate Artifact later on.

Just please don’t destroy my artifact.

Or my enchantment.

Or my creature.

Nothing quite like having your huge beater be the most fragile card on the field. Please, two-for-one my guy! Please?

Oh, you killed it. I bet if I had Aladdin’s Lamp you wouldn’t be able to. That would be 10/10.