Ashling the Pilgrim Avatar MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Vanguard
Released	2003-01-01
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Online Avatars
Set code	PMOA
Number	73
Frame	2015
Layout	Vanguard
Border	Black
Illustred by	UDON

Key Takeaways

Ashling’s built-in board wipe provides card advantage and can dictate game flow through explosive power.
Investing mana incrementally in Ashling allows for strategic flexibility and resource management.
Despite its power, Ashling requires careful play to avoid resource depletion and maintain a strong board state.

Text of card

: Ashling the Pilgrim deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ashling the Pilgrim can be repeatedly pumped to grow bigger each turn, providing a solid body that can become a threat on its own. With the potential to deal damage to multiple targets simultaneously, Ashling serves as a built-in board wipe, clearing the way for accumulating card advantage without needing to commit additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: This fiery avatar isn’t directly linked to resource acceleration in the traditional sense of ramping mana. However, the efficiency in using Ashling can free up mana for other spells or abilities. By investing only a single red mana at a time to grow her power, you keep your mana pool flexible for other strategic plays throughout the game.

Instant Speed: Ashling’s ability may not be at instant speed, but it holds the strategic advantage of instant-speed-like response. You can pump her during the end step just before your turn, leaving opponents unsure of when you’ll unleash her full power, forcing them to play around an impending explosion that can be detonated at your discretion.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the case of piloting an Ashling the Pilgrim deck, players must be mindful of hand resources. Unlike other commanders that provide value or card advantage, Ashling can necessitate holding onto spells to avoid being left without adequate responses or threats, thereby leading to potential resource depletion.

Specific Mana Cost: Ashling the Pilgrim comes with a strict color identity, costing double red mana which can be restrictive. This locks the deck into heavier red mana requirements, making it potentially challenging to incorporate cards from other colors and limiting deck diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Activating Ashling’s ability comes at an incremental and eventually substantial mana investment. Initially affordable, repeatedly using the ability can quickly escalate in cost compared to other mana sinks in the format, which could provide a greater impact or versatility for the same or lower cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ashling the Pilgrim offers unique flexibility as an Avatar card, fitting neatly into commander decks that thrive on volatility and incremental advantage. With an activation ability that allows for board control and direct damage, it provides options for both defensive and aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations, particularly with gear that increases its survivability or damage output. Each activation of Ashling’s ability scales up, turning it into a ticking time bomb that, when paired with the right setup, can decimate opponents’ creatures or even direct a game-winning blow.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capability to sweep away numerous creatures at once, Ashling the Pilgrim holds its ground in metas with creature-heavy decks. Moreover, as an Avatar, it holds allure for thematic collectors or players looking to explore a more lore-driven deck construction. In an elemental-centric deck, its synergy can be surprisingly potent against a range of competitive decks.

How to beat

Ashling the Pilgrim is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that offers a flexible and potentially explosive strategy for red deck enthusiasts. As a commander, Ashling can control the pace of the game by threatening a board-wide wipe through its ability to place +1/+1 counters and eventually deal damage to each creature and each player.

To counter Ashling the Pilgrim, efficient removal spells are key. Instant speed answers like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can exile Ashling before the detonation. Strategic timing is crucial; removing Ashling in response to the activation of its third ability prevents the damage from affecting the board. It’s also beneficial to manage your life total and the board state, keeping a lower creature count to minimize potential damage and maximize your ability to recover post-wipe. Decks with access to blue can counter Ashling’s activated abilities directly with spells like Stifle or Tale’s End, providing an additional layer of defense against its explosive capacity.

Ultimately, playing against Ashling the Pilgrim isn’t just about removing the threat, but also about adapting your own strategy to anticipate and withstand the eruptions this avatar is known for.

Cards like Ashling the Pilgrim Avatar

Ashling the Pilgrim stands out in the realm of red commanders in Magic: The Gathering. This card echoes the volatility of red with its ability to explode, dealing damage to each creature and each player. An analogous card would be Heartless Hidetsugu, which also carries the potential to deal significant damage to each player, although it follows a different mechanic based on players’ life totals.

Equally noteworthy is Brion Stoutarm, a card that offers a different approach to utilizing creatures. While Ashling the Pilgrim can become a threat on its own, Brion Stoutarm flings creatures at opponents for a direct impact upon the game. Another close counterpart is Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, providing value through creating creature copies, which contrasts with Ashling’s self-growing destructive force. In comparison, Kiki-Jiki focuses on battlefield manipulation over direct damage.

In examining these cards alongside Ashling the Pilgrim, each presents unique strategic advantages within the MTG landscape. Ashling’s self-sacrificial explosion commands a significant presence in games, showcasing a singular blend of risk and power that is hard to match.

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ashling the Pilgrim Avatar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Avatars, 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 Ashling the Pilgrim Avatar and other MTG cards: