Warp is one of the most interesting mechanics from Edge of Eternities and is quickly having a big impact on Constructed. Quantum Riddler has unexpectedly become a Modern staple in Esper Phelia decks, and Pinnacle Emissary is an awesome inclusion in Modern Affinity. Having the luxury of playing these cards early for their Warp costs is the difference between them being constructed playable and draft chaff.
One extremely underrated Warp card that is now starting to get the recognition it deserves is Nova Hellkite. Nova Hellkite isn’t as synergistic or abusable as the other two cards we’ve named. However, it hits hard, it’s flexible, and has a surprisingly strong triggered ability. Aggro players rejoice!
Nova Hellkite in Mono-Red Aggro
Nova sees most of its play in Standard Red aggro decks. Following the recent bans and rotation, there’s a lot more room for innovation in red aggro. This Dragon serves as a powerful piece of top-end that threatens to deal a ton of damage in short order.
At first, it may seem a bit unnatural to play a full playset of a five-drop in an otherwise assertive red shell. However, the Warp ability on this card adds a ton of value to a deck with so much reach built into it. In many games, if you don’t have Screaming Nemesis lined up, playing Nova Hellkite on turn three to send four damage to your opponent’s dome can be worthwhile.
Between your other Haste creatures, burn spells, and Sunspine Lynx, every bit of damage adds up. In the case of the decklist above which made it to the top four of a Magic Online Standard Challenge, there’s a whopping 25 lands that make hard-casting Nova Hellkite very easy.
Nova Hellkite is at its best either against slower decks like Azorius control or decks with one-toughness creatures, like Dimir midrange. Versus control decks, Nova Hellkite is a great follow-up to opposing board wipes and can fly right past Beza, the Bounding Spring.
Meanwhile, when facing Dimir midrange, Nova Hellkite successfully picks off Deep-Cavern Bat and Floodpits Drowner. In some cases, Warping Nova Hellkite can also let you kill Kaito, Bane of Nightmares at four loyalty. By Warping Nova Hellkite and then casting it for five mana later, you can enable multiple attacks before your opponent even has the opportunity to use Tragic Trajectory.
This doesn’t even take into account Nova Hellkite’s value against Llanowar Elves or Stormchaser’s Talent tokens if your opponent is tapped out. There’s a lot of creatures this card can pick off while bashing your opponent’s face, which only adds to the value of the big Dragon.
Other Archetypes
Beyond classic red aggro and “big red” style strategies, there are a few other decks that have made use of Nova Hellkite thus far. The first is a really sweet archetype: mono-red Dragons. Mono-red Dragons isn’t a top-tier deck by any stretch, but getting to enable Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant is nice.
Sarkhan’s Treasure production makes it more likely you’ll cast Nova Hellkite ahead of schedule. With Nova Hellkite, Taurean Mauler, and Twinmaw Stormbrood in the mix, you should be able to Behold a Dragon most games when you play Sarkhan.
Nova Hellkite has also shown up in the sideboard of Izzet Cauldron and Rakdos Lizards decklists. In both cases, Nova Hellkite doesn’t fit the main theme of each deck. This really goes to show just how powerful Nova Hellkite is when your life total isn’t under immediate duress or you have some solid one-toughness creatures to ping.
Make sure to respect Nova Hellkite moving forward. If you don’t, you risk getting run over before you even know what hits you.
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