Ulamog, the Defiler joins Kozilek, the Broken Reality and Emrakul, the World Anew as Modern Horizons 3’s remake of the iconic Eldrazi titans.
Even before taking its impressive combat capabilities into account, Ulamog, the Defiler entering play will be a nightmare for opponents. Exiling half a library of your choice can deprive players of their best options before they ever have chance to draw into them, without the hope of returning them to play through easy graveyard recursion.
While opponents will want to get Ulamog, the Defiler off the field as soon as possible, most will baulk at its incredibly punishing ward ability. Having to sacrifice two permanents in order to merely target Ulamog is a cost few players will happily pay. And that’s on top of all the sacrificing the Annihilator ability might force on them.
Ulamog, the Defiler has the potential to rack up the highest Annihilator score of any Eldrazi in MTG, outstripping Emrakul, the Aeons Torn’s previous record of Annihilator 6.
If other players are packing huge mana value cards, or if you intentionally exile your own high-value titans, it’s possible to force your opponents to sacrifice ten permanents or more every time Ulamog, the Defiler attacks.
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Given that Land destruction is such a taboo strategy among MTG players, particularly in casual formats like Commanders, Ulamog, the Defiler is likely to cause a stir when the Eldrazi Incursion deck releases as part of Modern Horizons 3.
Many MTG players are already expressing fear and/or awe of Ulamog, the Defiler. Reddit user Show-Me-Your-Moves said: “I was gonna say 7/7 is pretty damn small, then I kept reading.”
Another user responded with “Yeah, my eyebrows kept raising as I read each line of the card.”
While Kozilek and Emrakuls’ return to MTG seemed to signal a more balanced direction for the Eldrazi Titans in Modern Horizons 3, Ulamog the Defiler proves that Wizards can still fit a huge amount of power into this archetype.