The release date for MTG Fallout is less than a month away. Unsurprisingly, more spoilers are beginning to make their way out of the woodworks. Back in October, we were given a glimpse at some of the cool cards that would be featured in the MTG Fallout Commander decks. This includes the all-powerful combo piece Nuka-Cola Vending Machine as well as the versatile removal spell V.A.T.S..
While a ton of new spoilers are set to be previewed next week, one intriguing card was surprisingly spoiled today. As a Selesnya Aura, this card fits perfectly into the Dogmeat, Ever Loyal Commander deck. With an incredibly cool design, we’ve got a nice one on our hands. Let’s start by taking a brief look at what makes this card such a flavorful inclusion.
An Awesome Perk Throwback
The MTG Fallout card that was spoiled today is none other than Almost Perfect. Almost Perfect has a very powerful effect. Not only does it likely provide a massive power and toughness boost to a Creature you control, but it gives that Creature Indestructible in the process. Being able to protect your Commander and threaten a quick kill via Commander damage at the same time makes Almost Perfect a nice double-edged sword.
“The perk makes you a 9 out of 10″
Kyleometers
Perhaps the coolest aspect of Almost Perfect, though, is how it directly pays homage to Fallout 3. In Fallout 3, players can gain perks throughout the course of the game, essentially providing buffs in various forms to your character. While many perks can be gained by simply progressing in levels, the perk that the card Almost Perfect is referencing (also named Almost Perfect in Fallout 3) was specifically available in the “Broken Steel” add-on. These add-ons acted as downloadable content, though the “Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition” released on October 13, 2009 featured all five add-ons for all platforms.
The Almost Perfect perk is incredibly powerful, boosting all of your SPECIAL stats to a whopping 9 out of 10. In this case, SPECIAL is an acronym focusing on the seven different attributes that your Fallout 3 character has (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, luck). A “perfect” score for each attribute is a 10, hence why the Almost Perfect perk makes all of your attributes 9 out of 10 across the board.
This brings us back to the MTG card Almost Perfect. This card gives the Enchanted Creature base power and toughness 9/10, directly referencing the 9 out of 10 SPECIAL stat boost associated with the Almost Perfect perk. While some players may question at first glance why this card is an Aura instead of an Equipment, even though the artwork showcases a full suit of armor, it does make sense that the card would be an Enchantment. After all, the perk itself simply changes the stats of your attributes, not the armor you’re wearing. In this sense, Almost Perfect is indeed a Perfect flavor win!
Read More: MTG Designer Reassures Players In-Universe Releases Still Exist
An Inclusion for Dogmeat and Beyond
Now that we’ve covered the flavor aspect of Almost Perfect, it’s important to go over the card from an MTG gameplay perspective. Almost Perfect serves an important purpose in the Dogmeat Commander deck. By giving the Enchanted Creature Indestructible, it gives you free rein to attack with it and start accruing Junk tokens.
Obviously, Enchanting Dogmeat is a great place to start, helping protect your Commander from removal and start dealing huge chunks of Commander damage. However, one important distinction between Almost Perfect and most other Creature-buffing Auras is that Almost Perfect specifically modifies the Creature’s base power and toughness. This means that in order to gain the biggest bonus from Almost Perfect, you ideally want to Enchant a small Creature, preferably one with evasion.
For instance, beyond just a Dogmeat Commander deck, Almost Perfect works well in an EDH deck built around Danitha, New Benalia’s Light. If you can land Almost Perfect, you can start attacking freely for huge chunks of damage, knowing your opponent can’t chump block out of it. Esper Sentinel is among the absolute best targets for Almost Perfect, presumably providing a flow of card advantage for the foreseeable future given the power boost.
Read More: MTG Fallout Product Spikes $100 Thanks to Supply Issues!?
Cheating Almost Perfect into Play
The main concern, of course, is the potential to get blown out by a removal spell with Almost Perfect on the stack. Not only would you lose your Creature, but you’d end up wasting your powerful Aura and six mana. Luckily, there are a number of ways to cheat big, flashy Auras into play on the cheap, especially with Dogmeat in the mix.
One unique thing that Dogmeat does that most other strong generals focused on an Aura and/or Equipment theme don’t do is fill your graveyard. Obviously, when Dogmeat enters the battlefield, you can put one of the Auras or Equipment you milled over into your hand. However, other Auras and Equipment you mill over can still be put to great use.
Cards like Retether and Replenish, for instance, can bring back a slew of Auras at once. Even Storm Herald can potentially provide one massive attack, even if the Auras do get exiled at the end of your turn. Because cards like Storm Herald return a bunch of Auras at once without forcing you to choose a target, unless your opponents can remove all of your Creatures in response to the trigger, you will get to suit up something guaranteed and bash for a ton of damage.
Similarly, cards like Nomad Mythmaker work quite well with Almost Perfect in your graveyard. Whatever you decide to attach Almost Perfect to becomes a major threat, but you don’t need to target one of your Creatures Creature when you activate Nomad Mythmaker’s ability.
There are also cards like Vault 101: Birthday Party that allow you to cheat powerful Auras into play that work well in conjunction with Almost Perfect. Vault 101: Birthday Party not only lets you put Almost Perfect into play for free with Chapters II and III, but it even generates a small Creature token that you can attach Almost Perfect to when necessary. Ultimately, Almost Perfect is a neat flavorful addition to the MTG Fallout set, but it certainly has some strong usage when built around.
Read More: Sheldon Menery Immortalized With Incredible Secret Lair Drop
