Ordeal of Heliod is one of the newest "Theros" spoilers revealed today Sept. 11, 2013 from Wizards of the Coast's upcoming expert "Magic: The Gathering" expansion set in an article by Marshall Sutcliffe on DailyMtg.com. Ordeal of Heliod joins Ordeal of Purphoros as part of a five card common bestow cycle of creatures in the set alongside Ordeal of Thassa, Ordeal of Erebos, and Ordeal of Nylea. Let's take a quick look at each of the four new auras.
Ordeal of Heliod - 1W
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then if it has three or more +1/+1 counters on it, sacrifice Ordeal of Heliod.
When you sacrifice Ordeal of Heliod, you gain 10 life.
Life gain can be important if you're trying to outrace another aggro deck, and an extra ten may make a large difference in the outcoome of a duel. Ordeal of Heliod's sacrifice effect will trigger Archangel of Thune, enable your Path of Bravery, and create a 4/4 Angel creature token with flying from Angelic Accord.
Ordeal of Thassa - 1U
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then if it has three or more +1/+1 counters on it, sacrifice Ordeal of Thassa.
When you sacrifice Ordeal of Thassa, draw two cards.
Ordeal of Thassa can grant you card advantage at a cheap cost. Two cards and permanently granting a creature +3/+3 for just two mana (even if it's conditional and you need to attack three times to get the draw) is a bargain. Ordeal of Thassa can be abused with Simic evolve cards that can move around +1/+1 counters, allowing you to gain extra mileage out of the card before you're forced to sacrifice it (although you'll probably want to sacrifice it asap to get the card advantage).
Ordeal of Erebos - 1B
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then if it has three or more +1/+1 counters on it, sacrifice Ordeal of Erebos.
When you sacrifice Ordeal of Erebos, target player discards two cards.
Ordeal of Erebos is argueably the least impressive card of the cycle. There's no guarantee your opponent will even be holding any cards in their hand by the time this enchantment goes off unless you're able to enchant this aura onto an aggressive one drop creature like Tormented Hero or Rakdos Cackler.
Ordeal of Nylea - 1G
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then if it has three or more +1/+1 counters on it, sacrifice Ordeal of Nylea.
When you sacrifice Ordeal of Nylea, search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Ramping your mana base allows you to cast bigger creatuers and larger threats while also slightly imporving the chances of drawing a business spell instead of a land over the course of your game. Should Ordeal of Nylea come down early it could make a big impact. Like Ordeal of Thassa, Ordeal of Nylea is potentially stronger simply because it's on color with evolve creatures that can take advantage of those +1/+1 counters.
Ordeal of Heliod, Ordeal of Thassa, Ordeal of Erebos, and Ordeal of Nylea play well with Heroic creatures like Akroan Crusader and Fabled Hero. There's no doubt they'll see play in limited due to their cheap casting costs and potential for large upside, and perhaps even in some constructed decks too.
How will you use Ordeal of Heliod, Ordeal of Thassa, Ordeal of Erebos, and Ordeal of Nylea?
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