Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar MTG Card
2021-04-23 - Number 149
2021-04-23 - Number 323
2002-06-24 - Number 90294
2021-04-23 - Number 26
2021-04-23 - Number 26s
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Warlock |
| Abilities | Double strike,Magecraft |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
Double strike Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, return target nonlegendary creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
"Join me for the dawn of a new age."
Cards like Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar
When it comes to multifaceted commanders in Magic: The Gathering, Extus, Oriq Overlord holds a unique position. Its closest counterparts share either its creature or sorcery characteristics. For instance, Kess, Dissident Mage grants the ability to cast an instant or sorcery from your graveyard each turn, aligning with Extus’s backside ability, Awaken the Blood Avatar, which is a sorcery. While Kess emphasizes repeated casting potential, Extus leverages a single, explosive sorcery that demands a sacrifice for a substantial demon summoning effect.
A comparably versatile card is Gyrus, Waker of Corpses, which—like Extus—balances an impactful creature side with a potent ability that interacts with the graveyard. Gyrus reanimates creatures for combat, providing ongoing value, albeit with different strategic applications than Extus. Finally, we see parallels with Brion Stoutarm, who provides a robust creature body along with a built-in ability to fling creatures at opponents, thus embodying the sacrifice for potential gain aspect intrinsic to Extus’s design.
In summary, while there are other cards that share individual attributes with Extus, Oriq Overlord, none mirror its dual-natured design exactly, positioning Extus as a compelling choice for players who appreciate flexible strategy and the inherent value of a two-in-one card.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Extus, Oriq Overlord’s ability to return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand when you cast a sorcery spell provides an ongoing way to recoup resources and maintain card advantage. This is particularly potent in formats where players are likely to exchange resources regularly.
Resource Acceleration: With Extus, your spells can indirectly accelerate your resource pool. By retrieving high-impact creature cards from the graveyard, you’re effectively getting more use out of each individual card, which can be a form of acceleration since it allows you to deploy more threats without depleting your hand. This can lead to overwhelming your opponent’s resources over time.
Instant Speed: While Extus itself may not have an instant speed ability, it supports an instant-speed strategy by providing you with the flexibility to use your graveyard as a resource during any phase of the game. This enables you to react to your opponent’s actions with more information, making your plays more efficient and effective.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when casting Extus, Oriq Overlord is the necessity to pitch another card from your hand. This could potentially set you back, especially when playing a tight game where every card in hand counts towards your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Extus has a very particular mana cost, needing both black and red to cast. This specificity can be restrictive, often making Extus less flexible in deck building. Players need to ensure they have a mana base that can consistently produce both types of mana, which may not always be ideal or possible.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Another aspect to consider is Extus’s overall mana cost. With a total cost of four mana, which includes two color-specific, it’s on the higher side compared to other options that might provide similar utility or impact on the game for a lower cost. This can slow down your tempo and make it harder to maintain pressure on your opponents.
Reasons to Include Extus, Oriq Overlord in Your Collection
Versatility: Extus, Oriq Overlord showcases flexibility as it can seamlessly transition between being a powerful commander and an impactful inclusion in 60-card decks. Its ability to recur spells or creatures from the graveyard allows it to adapt to various in-game situations, catering to a range of play styles.
Combo Potential: With its capability to return an instant or sorcery from the graveyard to your hand whenever a creature you control leaves the battlefield, Extus enables numerous combo avenues. This can create significant advantages by reusing high-impact spells, amplifying the threat level in combo-oriented decks.
Meta-Relevance: Given the rise in graveyard-based strategies and spell-slinger decks, Extus finds a place in the contemporary competitive scene. Its resurrection effect can help outpace control decks and provide recurring value against aggro opponents, making it a card well-suited for current and evolving metas.
How to beat Extus, Oriq Overlord
Extus, Oriq Overlord presents a unique challenge in the world of MTG due to its dual-faced nature and the ability to recur creatures from your graveyard with Awaken the Blood Avatar. One strategy to counter this card involves utilising instant-speed removal to disrupt the synergy before sacrifices are made for its sorcery benefit. Graveyard denial cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can also be highly effective in curbing Extus’s reanimation capability, hindering its potential to get ahead in the game.
Targeted discard spells such as Thoughtseize or Duress can be used to remove Extus from the hand before it can impact the board. Additionally, countering key spells that are meant to be recurred with Extus can reduce the card’s value drastically. Consider cards like Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto as part of your countermeasures. Efficient mana management and keeping up removal threats when Extus or its second face, Awaken the Blood Avatar, hits the field can secure a positional advantage in the match.
Remaining vigilant and proactive ensures Extus does not dominate the match. By implementing these strategies, players can effectively maneuver around the challenges posed by Extus, Oriq Overlord and come out victorious.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven: School of Mages, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar and other MTG cards:
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Printings
The Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Chase Stone.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 90294 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Chase Stone | ||
| 2 | 2021-04-23 | Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | 149 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Chase Stone | |
| 3 | 2021-04-23 | Strixhaven: School of Mages | STX | 323 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Chase Stone | |
| 4 | Strixhaven Art Series | ASTX | 26 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Chase Stone | ||
| 5 | Strixhaven Art Series | ASTX | 26s | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Chase Stone |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-16 | As Awaken the Blood Avatar resolves, first the next opponent in turn order (or, if it’s an opponent’s turn, the opponent whose turn it is) chooses a creature they control, then each other opponent in turn order does the same knowing the choices made before them. Then all the chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time. |
| 2021-04-16 | Awaken the Blood Avatar’s first ability can’t reduce its cost below . However, you can sacrifice any number of creatures, even if they won’t reduce its cost any further. |
| 2021-04-16 | Each magecraft ability has a different effect, although they all have the same trigger condition, whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell. |
| 2021-04-16 | For example, if you control Archmage Emeritus and cast an instant or sorcery spell, Archmage Emeritus’s magecraft ability will trigger and you will draw a card. |
| 2021-04-16 | If an effect creates a copy of an instant or sorcery spell, this will also cause the magecraft ability to trigger. |
| 2021-04-16 | If an effect creates multiple copies of an instant or sorcery spell, magecraft abilities trigger once for each copy created by the effect. |
| 2021-04-16 | Include any additional costs to cast Awaken the Blood Avatar before applying its own cost reduction. For example, if Extus is your commander, and an additional cost of applies from the “commander tax,” you may cast Awaken the Blood Avatar by sacrificing four creatures and paying . |
| 2021-04-16 | Returning a nonlegendary creature card is not optional. If there is at least one in your graveyard, you must target it with the magecraft ability. |
| 2021-04-16 | Some effects instruct you to copy an instant or sorcery card in a zone other than the stack. These copies do not cause magecraft abilities to trigger. However, most effects that do this also allow you to cast the copy, and casting the copy will cause magecraft abilities to trigger. |
| 2021-04-16 | The Blood Avatar will be awakened even if no player has creatures to sacrifice when it resolves. |