Arashi, the Sky Asunder MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Arashi, the Sky Asunder provides strategic value by offering versatility in managing the battlefield. When channelled, it allows you to target and potentially remove multiple threats simultaneously, which can translate to a significant card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Arashi doesn’t directly increase your mana pool, its channel ability represents a form of resource acceleration in terms of board control. Efficiently utilizing mana to disrupt an opponent’s aerial presence can be just as potent as gaining additional mana.

Instant Speed: The channel ability of Arashi can be activated at instant speed, granting you the flexibility to answer threats during your opponent’s turn. This can lead to advantageous exchanges and surprise interactions, which are core components of maintaining the upper hand in a game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Arashi, the Sky Asunder requires you to have specific cards in hand to utilize its channel ability effectively. Without an adequate hand, you might be at a strategic disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Arashi has a mana cost that is exclusively green, which means it fits primarily into mono-green or green-centric multicolored decks, potentially limiting its versatility in a broad range of deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Dependent on a considerable investment of five mana, Arashi might not be the most mana-efficient creature when considering its base power and abilities. This can be particularly challenging in faster-paced games where tempo is crucial.

Reasons to Include Arashi, the Sky Asunder in Your Collection

Versatility: Arashi, the Sky Asunder offers flexible damage options, able to target both flying creatures and, through its channel ability, adapt to broader needs on the battlefield. This adaptability makes it suitable for various deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: The card’s channel ability acts as a synergistic piece within decks that capitalize on spell casting or graveyard strategies, offering a repeated use mechanic that can be exploited with the right setup.

Meta-Relevance: With numerous decks relying on creatures with flying to dominate, Arashi provides an answer to those threats while being relevant in matches where controlling the skies can dictate the pace and outcome of the game.

How to beat

Arashi, the Sky Asunder presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Renowned for its capacity to control the skies, Arashi’s strength lies in its channel ability, allowing you to knock flying creatures right out of the air. Yet for every formidable card, there is a strategy to counteract it.

One effective strategy is utilizing instant-speed removal spells when Arashi is on the stack, thus never allowing your opponent the chance to use its channel ability. Cards such as Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization can dispatch Arashi without triggering its channel ability, eliminating the threat before it even hits the board.

Furthermore, spell-based protection can turn the tide against Arashi. Counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent Arashi’s channel ability from taking effect, maintaining aerial dominance. Shifting the game towards ground combat also diminishes Arashi’s value, as its channeling is focused on creatures with flying.

In essence, while Arashi is a formidable force when it controls the skies, there are multiple avenues to mitigate its impact. Managing it effectively requires a blend of removal, counter measures, and combat strategy adjustments to ensure this force of nature doesn’t sweep you off your feet.