We last saw Ajani Goldmane way back in part 8, as the red/white Ajani Vengeant. The third version of this planeswalker returns to his mono-white roots, and brings an army of cats with him!
Ajani, Caller of the Pride costs three mana to cast, two of which must be white. He enters the battlefield with 4 loyalty counters and has three abilities.
The relatively low mana cost means you should be able to get this Ajani out early, and start building up his loyalty quickly. HIs loyalty is already a pretty good four, considering his mana cost, and you need to get to eight to activate his inal ability, but it’s worth it as you will see.
Ajani’s first ability adds a loyalty counter and puts a +1/+1 counter on a target creature. Of course in a multiplayer game this doesn’t have to be one of your creatures, but the best target would be one of your creatures that has lifelink. You’ll find out why.
The second ability costs three loyalty counters. A hefty price but you can use it the turn you cast Ajani, Caller of the Pride and still have him available in your next turn. This ability gives double strike and flying to a target creature. A powerful combo, doubling the hitting power of your attacker, and giving it the ability to fly past an opponent’s defences.
The final ability is the one you have been waiting for. For the cost of eight loyalty counters, you put x 2/2 white cat creature token onto the battlefield, where x is your life total. That should make everyone sit up and take notice! 10 life would give you 20 power worth of creatures, 20 life gives you 40, and so on. An army summoned and ready to attack… next turn.
Verdict: Marginal. Ajani, Caller of the Pride has three useful abilitties, but this plaeswalkers is best lending assistance to an existing white deck of yours. A deck built around this Ajani will do okay, but his best use is as a supporting card.
Connections:
Like Ajani, Caller of the Pride? You may also like [Elspeth, Knight-Errant] [Elspeth, Sun’s Champion] [Sorin, Lord of Innistrad]
Don’t like Ajani? You may prefer [Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker] [Jace, Memory Adept] [Liliana of the Dark Realms]
