Illuna, Apex of Wishes MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Illuna Apex of Wishes comes into play with a potent trigger that exiles cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland permanent card. This ability doesn’t just fill your hand with options but potentially puts a powerful permanent directly onto the battlefield, skipping traditional casting costs and accelerating your game advantage.

Resource Acceleration: What sets Illuna apart is the ability to not just play creatures, but to pull them from your deck and put them into play. This kind of “cheat” onto the battlefield is akin to resource acceleration because you are effectively bypassing the mana cost of the permanent you put onto the battlefield, which can far exceed the mana you spent on casting Illuna.

Instant Speed: While Illuna itself doesn’t have an instant speed ability, the cards you can put into play through its effect can include instants or creatures with flash. This adds a level of unpredictability and surprise to your plays, allowing you to adapt swiftly in dynamic game states and potentially turning the tide at critical moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Illuna Apex of Wishes provides a powerful Mutate ability, triggering it demands a significant sacrifice. Players must be ready to discard other valuable creatures in their deck, which could deplete their hand and crucial resources in the process.

Specific Mana Cost: Illuna’s casting cost is specific and demanding, requiring a combination of red, blue, and green mana. This locks the card firmly into Temur decks and can pose a challenge when mana bases are not fully optimized or a player’s draw is poor, thus limiting Illuna’s versatility in a broader range of deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of six, including three colored mana, Illuna falls into the higher end of the mana curve. In fast-paced games, the cost might be too steep before stabilizing the board, making it challenging to leverage Illuna’s full potential when tempo is crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Illuna, Apex of Wishes is a dynamic card that can adapt to a multitude of strategies. With flying and trample, this creature can be a versatile threat in both aggressive and controlling decks alike. Its mutate ability allows for various unexpected plays and synergies, adapting to the evolving battlefield with ease.

Combo Potential: Illuna’s mutate mechanic opens the door for numerous combo opportunities. Upon mutation, you get to look at the top cards of your library and put a nonland permanent card with a lesser converted mana cost onto the battlefield. This powerful effect can work in tandem with numerous other cards to potentially swing the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame fluctuates, Illuna remains a relevant choice, especially in formats that value high-impact creatures. It can rise as a counter to decks that aren’t prepared to deal with its recurring value generation and its ability to end games quickly if left unchecked.

How to beat

Illuna, Apex of Wishes is a formidable presence on the battlefield, presenting a unique challenge with its mutate ability and the potential to cascade into powerful permanents. One effective tactic to counteract Illuna is to focus on preemptive measures like counterspells to prevent it from hitting the board in the first place. Countering the initial mutate spell can save you from the flurry of value it generates.

Another strategy is to utilize removal spells that can exile Illuna, bypassing the recursion that often accompanies creatures in this power bracket. Board wipe effects that cleanse the field regardless of creatures’ size are also a potent solution, dealing with Illuna and any other threats in one fell swoop. Instant-speed removal is particularly crucial as it allows you to respond to the mutate trigger and prevent the free permanent from being put onto the battlefield.

Lastly, playing around Illuna involves a keen sense of timing and resource management. By restraining its ability to generate card advantage and maintaining answers for key moments, you can navigate the storm and emerge victorious against this apex predator of Ikoria.

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