Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem MTG Card
| Type | Emblem — Ajani |
| Released | 2018-07-13 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Core Set 2019 |
| Set code | M19 |
| Number | 15 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Emblem |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Victor Adame Minguez |
Key Takeaways
- Emblem provides significant card advantage by returning small creatures to the battlefield each turn.
- It enables resource acceleration and strategic gameplay through mana-efficient plays.
- Flash-empowered instant-speed interactions can pivot the game dynamics unexpectedly.
Text of card
At the beginning of your end step, create three 1/1 white Cat creature tokens with lifelink.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants—when his emblem is in play, provides continuous card advantage by returning creature cards with mana value two or less from your graveyard to the battlefield every turn.
Resource Acceleration: This emblem indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by recurring low-cost creatures, effectively saving the mana you would spend on casting them from your hand and allowing you to deploy more threats or hold mana for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While the emblem itself isn’t a spell, the creatures returned with it can include those with flash, enabling instant-speed interactions and surprising your opponents during their turn, which can significantly shift the game’s pace to your advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While having Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants in play can be a boon, creating his emblem often requires careful planning and potential sacrifices. Players must have Ajani on the battlefield for several turns, protecting him long enough to activate his ultimate ability, which can be a challenging feat if you’re facing a deck with abundant removal options.
Specific Mana Cost: Ajani’s loyalty ability that leads to the emblem has a strict color commitment, demanding both white and green mana. This can pose a limitation for decks that are not specifically tailored to accommodate the mana base required to play and sustain Ajani, which narrows the range of decks in which he can be an efficient fit.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Fully utilizing Ajani to the point of earning his emblem represents a significant mana investment. Even though the benefits of having Ajani’s emblem are substantial, the initial four mana required to cast him can be a steep cost, especially in formats where tempo and mana efficiency are critical, as there might be other lower-cost planeswalkers or cards with more immediate impacts on the game.
Reasons to Include Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem in Your Collection
Versatility: This emblem isn’t bound to any one strategy and can strengthen various types of decks. It works exceptionally well in decks that aim to establish a firm board presence with creatures, enhancing their survivability and impact.
Combo Potential: Leveraging this emblem’s ability to give your creatures a power boost can synergize with numerous combos. It opens up possibilities for enhanced damage, triggering life gain upon combat damage, or even achieving unexpected instant wins with the right interactions on the board.
Meta-Relevance: Given the emblem’s creature-centric benefits, it becomes a crucial asset in a meta that favors creature-based tactics. Its significance grows in environments where outlasting and overpowering opponents with superior creatures is the key to victory.
How to beat
Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants is a powerful planeswalker card that can quickly turn the tide of a game in Magic: The Gathering. One of its ultimate abilities is the creation of an emblem that strengthens your creatures significantly. Removing this emblem is not an option, but there are strategies to undermine its impact. Direct damage spells and board wipes can effectively reset the game’s state, bypassing the emblem’s enhancement of creatures on the battlefield.
Control decks have a myriad of tools to combat Ajani’s emblem, including cards that counter or prevent abilities from activating. A well-timed ‘Negate’ or ‘Disallow’ could interrupt Ajani’s crucial loyalty abilities before the emblem even comes into play. Alternatively, focusing on maintaining a clear board with ‘Supreme Verdict’ or ‘Wrath of God’ can render the emblem’s effects moot. Also, leveraging exile effects with cards like ‘Path to Exile’ keeps individual creatures from benefiting from the emblem’s power. Key is to stay ahead of Ajani’s game plan and limit the planeswalker’s influence as much as possible.
In essence, while Ajani’s emblem presents a formidable challenge, an adept player with a strategic removal suite and counterspells can navigate the battlefield to victory, neutralizing the advantage it provides to the opponent’s creatures.
Cards like Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem
In the vast arsenal of Magic: The Gathering planeswalker emblems, Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants’s emblem holds a unique position. It is akin to other emblems like Elspeth, Knight-Errant’s offering an indelible power boost; however, Ajani’s emblem grants a consistent lifegain feature, enhancing creature survivability. Unlike cards such as Gideon of the Trials which offer a protective emblem that prevents players from losing the game, Ajani’s emblem focuses on offensive capability and consistent advantage through its creature buff.
Examining another parallel, Sorin, Solemn Visitor’s emblem also enhances creatures, granting them lifelink. However, while Sorin’s emblem impacts the board immediately, creating a potentially game-winning swing with the right build-up, Ajani’s emblem requires player investment over time to accumulate its full benefit, steadily sculpting an overwhelming board presence.
In understanding the strategic applications and long-term benefits of emblems in Magic: The Gathering, Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants’s emblem stands out for its perpetual creature strengthening, making it more than just an emblem, but a cornerstone for decks aiming for enduring dominance on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019, 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 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants Emblem and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
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- MTG Mint Card
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- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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