Eidolon of the Great Revel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment Creature — Spirit
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Eidolon chips away at opponents’ life total by punishing low-cost spell casting.
  2. Indirectly boosts game tempo by applying pressure and disrupting plays.
  3. Not suited for all deck types due to specific mana needs and higher cost.

Text of card

Whenever a player casts a spell with converted mana cost 3 or less, Eidolon of the Great Revel deals 2 damage to that player.

Xenagos reveled while Theros burned.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Eidolon of the Great Revel is a powerhouse in formats where low-cost spells are prevalent. By dealing 2 damage every time an opponent casts a spell with mana value 3 or less, Eidolon can effectively chip away at the opponent’s life total. While not drawing cards directly, the Eidolon often forces the opponent to deal with it, which can lead to a virtual card advantage as they spend resources removing it or lose card efficiency playing around the passive damage.

Resource Acceleration: While Eidolon of the Great Revel isn’t a traditional resource accelerator, it can indirectly speed up your game plan. By applying pressure early on and forcing opponents to either take damage or not play spells, the Eidolon can lead to a tempo advantage. This makes it easier to control the game and potentially close it out before the opponent stabilizes their resources.

Instant Speed Interaction: Although Eidolon itself is not an instant, it interacts favorably with instant-speed spells you might play. By disrupting the opponent’s early game, Eidolon often slows them down enough that your instant-speed interactions become more effective. The pressure it maintains may coerce opponents into making suboptimal plays to avoid the incremental damage, giving you an upper hand during the critical early turns of a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Eidolon of the Great Revel doesn’t have an inherent discard requirement, its ability can inadvertently force you to discard cards. If you’re playing a deck with many low-cost spells, each one becomes a liability, potentially depleting your hand faster than you might like.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s reliance on double red mana makes it a less flexible choice for decks that aren’t heavily red-centric. If your mana base isn’t well-tuned to produce red mana efficiently, you might find yourself unable to cast Eidolon when you need it the most.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two red mana, Eidolon of the Great Revel sits at a higher spectrum for an aggressive strategy that relies on casting many spells quickly. This makes it a less than ideal option for ultra-aggressive decks that value lower-cost creatures that can be cast earlier in the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Eidolon of the Great Revel is a powerhouse in decks that aim to disrupt opponents’ strategies, fitting well into red-based aggressive and burn decks that can capitalize on its symmetrical effect.

Combo Potential: This card shines in setups that revolve around dealing damage, as it can easily be combined with other burn spells to quickly deplete an opponent’s life total, proving to be a relentless force in any damage-centric combo.

Meta-Relevance: In environments dominated by low-cost spells, Eidolon of the Great Revel becomes a crucial inclusion, taxing opponents for each spell they cast and effectively shaping the pace of the game to your advantage.


How to Beat

Eidolon of the Great Revel is a staple card in red aggressive decks, known for its ability to deal damage whenever a player casts a spell with a converted mana cost of three or less. This ability can be a double-edged sword, dealing equal damage to the opponent and the spell’s caster.

To strategize against this powerful card, consider using spells that have four or greater mana costs, avoiding its damage trigger altogether. Another tactic is to employ instant-speed removal spells to dispatch Eidolon before it can significantly impact your life total. For those running creature-heavy decks, investing in creatures with lifelink could offset the damage dealt by Eidolon, maintaining a balance between your offense and your life preservation. Finally, playing patiently and building up your board before removing the Eidolon can minimize the damage taken and clear the way to swing in with less risk to your own life total.

Ultimately, playing around Eidolon of the Great Revel requires a mix of tactical spell casting and timing to ensure you come out ahead while navigating around its punishing effect. Understanding the meta and deck construction can also influence how you mitigate the influence of this powerful enchantment creature in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

The Eidolon of the Great Revel serves as a cornerstone in strategic MTG play, especially in metagames rich with low-cost spells. Whether you’re chipping away at your opponent’s life or forcing them into difficult decisions, this card offers a blend of offense and defense. Deck synergy, proper mana management, and understanding of the current metagame are critical when wielding this powerful enchantment creature. Enhance your collection and gameplay strategy by incorporating Eidolon to impose a relentless tax on your adversaries’ spells, tipping the game in your favor. Dive deeper into strategy and card analysis with BurnMana to master your matches.


Cards like Eidolon of the Great Revel

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Eidolon of the Great Revel stands as a notable force in decks focused on punishing players for casting low-cost spells. This creature can be compared to cards like Pyrostatic Pillar, which shares the Eidolon’s propensity to deal damage whenever a player casts a spell with a converted mana cost of three or less. Unlike the Pillar, Eidolon brings a physical presence to the battlefield, meaning it can attack and block, providing tactical advantages beyond its spell-damaging ability.

Another counterpart is Harsh Mentor, which inflicts pain on opponents for activating abilities of artifacts, creatures, or lands that aren’t mana abilities. While Harsh Mentor has a broader reach in terms of what triggers its damage, it doesn’t directly challenge low mana cost spells like Eidolon of the Great Revel does. Then there’s Scab-Clan Berserker, which shares a resemblance with its Renown mechanic and damage-dealing upon casting noncreature spells, although it’s more selective and requires the creature to be renowned to have the effect.

Despite the similarities, Eidolon of the Great Revel’s consistent damage output against a wide swath of the spell library makes it a uniquely formidable presence on the battlefield, securing its place in decks that thrive on disrupting opponents’ early game plays.

Pyrostatic Pillar - MTG Card versions
Harsh Mentor - MTG Card versions
Scab-Clan Berserker - MTG Card versions
Pyrostatic Pillar - Scourge (SCG)
Harsh Mentor - Amonkhet (AKH)
Scab-Clan Berserker - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Eidolon of the Great Revel by color, type and mana cost

Power Surge - MTG Card versions
Raging River - MTG Card versions
Smoke - MTG Card versions
Goblin Kites - MTG Card versions
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Emblem of the Warmind - MTG Card versions
Goblin War Paint - MTG Card versions
Power Surge - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Raging River - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Smoke - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Goblin Kites - Fallen Empires (FEM)
The Brute - Renaissance (REN)
Giant Strength - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Lightning Reflexes - Mirage (MIR)
Goblin Festival - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Scald - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Cave Sense - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Flowstone Surge - Nemesis (NEM)
Maniacal Rage - Conflux (CON)
Battle Strain - Odyssey (ODY)
Goblin Bombardment - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Underworld Breach - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Lightning Rift - Onslaught (ONS)
Fractured Loyalty - Mirrodin (MRD)
Fire Whip - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Emblem of the Warmind - Future Sight (FUT)
Goblin War Paint - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eidolon of the Great Revel MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx and Masters 25, 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 Eidolon of the Great Revel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Eidolon of the Great Revel Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2014-05-02 and 2022-12-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-05-02Journey into NyxJOU 942003normalblackCyril Van Der Haegen
22018-03-16Masters 25A25 1282015normalblackCyril Van Der Haegen
32019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 4222015normalborderlessYuko Shimizu
42020-09-26The ListPLST JOU-942003normalblackCyril Van Der Haegen
52022-12-13Explorer Anthology 2EA2 122015normalblackCyril Van Der Haegen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eidolon of the Great Revel has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Eidolon of the Great Revel card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2018-03-16 Casting Eidolon of the Great Revel doesn't cause its own ability to trigger. It must be on the battlefield when the spell is cast for its ability to trigger.
2018-03-16 The amount of mana spent to cast a spell doesn't change its mana value. For example, a card cast with its morph ability has a mana value of 0 even though was paid.
2018-03-16 The mana value of a spell with in its mana cost includes the value chosen for X.

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