Blinding Angel
Blinding Angel was a popular card that can frequently cause opponents to skip combat phases. For those without answers to a simple 2/4 flyer, they may never have the chance to attack again! With the release of M12 today there is now a new creature that causes opponents to skip combat just when it arrives on the battlefield.
When Stonehorn Dignitary shows up at your opponent’s doorstep they must attend to him instead of going to war for a turn. On its own he can save you from a threat that is looming over the horizon, perhaps from a spell you know is going to be played on the rebound like a Distortion Strike
Distortion Strike that would get the last few points of damage through with no chance to block. This guy is one part of a new, defense-focused strategy that protects you along with cards like Grand Abolisher
Grand Abolisher and Personal Sanctuary
Personal Sanctuary.
This guy has a great ability, but it only happens once: when he enters play. To really make use of his ability you should have ways of playing him multiple times. Venser
Venser,The Sojourner is, naturally, the best choice in standard to keep the dignitaries coming around each turn. This will have your opponent skipping combat just as many times as Blinding Angel would do attacking each turn. It isn’t just Venser that can keep this guy coming back though. Mimic Vat
Mimic Vat and Splinter Twin
Splinter Twin are both available in standard to create copies of the dignitary at least once a turn.
If you can get this guy out multiple times in a turn then the effect just keeps getting better. This ability is cumulative so if you play two Stonehorn Dignitaries, they have to skip their next combat, then skip their next combat again. It doesn’t matter if it takes multiple turns, they will be skipping however many combat phases as you play this rhino! If you can put this guy into play every turn, they will need to give themselves extra combat phases just to have a chance to attack!
I’m certainly seeing this guy as a nice addition against decks that rely on beating face with creatures. At common he is sure to be easy to use in any number of decks. Do you have any decks that would be able to take advantage of Stonehorn Dignitary?
