Ashaya, Soul of the Wild MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ashaya, Soul of the Wild’s unique ability to turn all your creatures into Forest lands not only provides an impressive board presence but also synergizes with landfall and other land-based strategies, effectively increasing your card utility and potential plays each turn.

Resource Acceleration: With this card on the battlefield, the ability to transform your creatures into additional lands greatly accelerates your mana resources. This allows for casting high-cost spells much earlier in the game, providing a significant advantage over opponents.

Instant Speed: Ashaya herself might not have instant speed, but the instantaneous nature of her ability means that any creature entering the battlefield under your control becomes a land with no delay. This can be pivotal during complex plays and interactions where timing and sequence are essential, enabling you to harness Ashaya’s power the very moment you introduce another creature to the mix.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ashaya, Soul of the Wild does not directly have a discard requirement; however, it can put a player in a tight spot if they’re facing hand disruption strategies. This makes it crucial to have enough cards in hand to deal with potential threats that aim to deplete resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Ashaya, Soul of the Wild’s need for three green mana can be challenging in multi-colored decks. This restricts her playability primarily to mono-green or decks heavy in green mana, possibly excluding her from various color combinations where she could shine.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a five mana cost, in formats where speed is crucial, it might be difficult to cast Ashaya in a timely manner. Combos and synergies that require Ashaya can be problematic to establish, as opponents have ample time to prepare or counter before she hits the battlefield.

Reasons to Include Ashaya, Soul of the Wild in Your Collection

Versatility: Ashaya, Soul of the Wild offers a unique layer of flexibility to green decks. Its ability to turn all your creatures into Forests can open the door to numerous mana acceleration tactics and can be pivotal in landfall strategies.

Combo Potential: The sheer combo possibilities with Ashaya are impressive. For instance, with cards like Quirion Ranger, you can untap creatures for extra mana or leverage landfall triggers repeatedly, creating high-impact plays that can shift the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: Given its natural resilience to nonland removals and the prevalent use of creature-based strategies, Ashaya fits well within the current meta. This includes being a solid counter to strategies that target nonland permanents, making it a robust inclusion against many of today’s popular deck archetypes.

How to beat

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild is a formidable card that can be a game-changer in Magic: The Gathering, turning your creatures into a powerhouse of Forest lands. However, as with any strong card, there are strategies to counter it. Targeted removal spells bypass Ashaya’s conversion of creatures to lands, so cards like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can effectively remove Ashaya from the board without worrying about your opponent’s creatures getting land benefits. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, are also effective since they clear all creatures regardless of their type, neutralizing the advantage Ashaya provides. Enchantment-based removal like Imprisoned in the Moon or Detention Sphere also work wonders by sidestepping Ashaya’s creature-land dynamics. It’s critical to remember that destroying Ashaya returns the board to its previous state, so timing your removal spells after your opponent has overextended can swing the game in your favor.

Moreover, graveyard manipulation with spells like Tormod’s Crypt can be useful since Ashaya’s strength partly comes from the sheer number of creatures played. Interrupting the synergy by limiting graveyard recursion tools helps keep Ashaya’s impact to a minimum. By carefully choosing when and how to play removal or disruption, players can effectively counter the presence of Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, in their opponent’s lineup.