So far, Duskmourn looks like an extremely exciting set. There are tons of very powerful spoilers that should have a major impact on Standard moving forward. In addition to new cards, this also includes incredible reprints, like Pyroclasm.
As it turns out, Pyroclasm isn’t the only amazing reprint coming back to Standard, either. Ethereal Armor is also making a triumphant return. Ethereal Armor is an absolute powerhouse in the right setting, potentially offering an enormous buff to one of your creatures. As good as Ethereal Armor is, though, the lack of support for an enchantment-themed deck in Standard may be difficult to overcome.
Where Ethereal Armor Shines
- Mana Value: W
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Return to Ravnica, Time Spiral Remastered, Wilds of Eldraine Commander, Duskmourn
- Card Text: Enchant creature. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control and has first strike.
Ethereal Armor has shown up in a multitude of different formats over the years. In Pauper, Ethereal Armor is a staple of Selesnya Bogles shells. Alongside threats with Hexproof, like Slippery Bogle and Gladecover Scout, the goal is to suit up your creatures with lots of auras. The more enchantments you play, the bigger the buff Ethereal Armor provides.
Similarly, Ethereal Armor has showcased its power from time to time in Pioneer in conjunction with Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice. Ethereal Armor even used to be a top option for Bogles decks in Modern back in the day. In this way, it would make sense that Ethereal Armor would be poised for a massive showing in a format like Standard with a weaker card pool on average.
The problem is that a huge percentage of the enchantment and aura support rotated out of Standard with the release of Bloomburrow. Creatures like Generous Visitor, Kami of Transience, and Katilda, Dawnheart Martyr that reward you for filling your deck with enchantments are all gone from the format. This begs the question: how does one go about building a deck to maximize Ethereal Armor?
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Potential Support Cards
- Mana Value: 1GW
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- MTG Set: March of the Machine: The Aftermath
- Card Text: Constellation- Whenever Calix, Guided by Fate or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Whenever Calix or an enchanted creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may create a token that’s a copy of a nonlegendary enchantment you control, Do this only once each turn.
The key to making Ethereal Armor work is to fill your deck with enchantments and the remaining cards in Standard that provide a benefit each time you play an enchantment. For instance, Calix, Guided by Fate provides a strong incentive to stick to an enchantment theme. With access to cheap auras like Ethereal Armor, Calix can quickly distribute counters to your squad. There aren’t a ton of other elite auras in the format right now, but Audacity fits the bill.
From there, enchantments like Innkeeper’s Talent that continuously grow your threats even further could be very useful. Add in some protection spells, including Royal Treatment (which notably increases your enchantment count thanks to the Role token produced), and you’re in business. Shardmage’s Rescue seems like an awesome new addition to fulfill this duty, too.
It’s also quite possible that there’s enough additional enchantment support in Duskmourn to allow players to go a different route. With an emphasis on Rooms and enchantment creatures, it wouldn’t surprise me if more enchantment support gets spoiled. Perhaps players will opt to focus on the Boros colors, pairing Ethereal Armor with potent Valiant threats like Heartfire Hero.
The fact is, Ethereal Armor is too powerful to ignore. Only time will tell if the release of Duskmourn gives rise to a dedicated enchantment deck or not. For now, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any new spoilers that could give Ethereal Armor more bang for its buck.
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