Spoiler Highlight: Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant in Standard, Pioneer & Modern

Among the dozens of cards revealed that cost five or more mana, or that are just bonus sheets from the Final Fantasy set, some cards have emerged that have caught the attention of players in competitive Magic formats. This time, the highlight was Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant and the potential of its two-sided abilities in Standard, Pioneer and Modern.

Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant // Phoenix, Warden of Fire

Tierlist

No Rank

Grade it yourself

-Rank SRank ARank BRank CRank DRank ERank F

Ebay.com

Cardkingdom

TCG Player

Info

*This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated

For a decent cost and a relevant body, Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant can replace other less efficient enablers in archetypes that need a discard outlet and can benefit from the other side of Dominant: Phoenix, Warden of Fire has a decent body, Lifelink to hold Aggro decks and offers a powerful mix of clock and recursion that guarantees up to a three-for-one if ran alongside low-cost creatures.

Creatures with looting effects have been on the rise this season due to Abhorrent Oculus decks, which are currently mainly in the Jeskai combination () and have received support from Tersa Lightshatter in Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

Except when you are the beatdown and need to play aggressively to avoid a combo-kill, Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant is probably better than Tersa in this archetype.

Same mana value, same ETB abilities. What sets both apart is the exchange of immediate impact on the board for a more efficient late game effect, and the extra toughness that makes a difference in combat math or against removal.

While five mana is a relatively high cost, a 4/4 body with Flying and Lifelink is more effective, especially when combined with the damage from Rising Flames in the first two chapters. If we get to Chapter 3, Joshua becomes a powerful recursion tool, able to return both Abhorrent Oculus, Fear of Missing Out, and Marauding Mako in the same turn, while also returning to play and allowing to discard up to three cards (two from Josha, one from FoMo), turning Mako into a 4/4 — or he can even return two Oculus to the battlefield at once.

Monument to Endurance has been showing up in Standard, and the deck's card combination currently involves interactions between Recommission or Helping Hand with Phyrexian Dragon Engine. One problem with this version in Standard is how it lacks good payoffs for the strategy: apart from the combination above, you don't have many cards that care about the graveyard. Joshua addresses this problem with his ability to reanimate creatures. However, are there enough good creatures to compensate for five mana and two turns today?

Joshua's second ability requires a high mana investment and will hardly be worth it if the board is not properly balanced. Added to Sheltered by Ghosts — commonly played in these lists —, perhaps Tersa Lightshatter is a better option for Monument decks.

On the other hand, it is possible to reconfigure the deck: play more payoffs, pull the game closer to Midrange, and even benefit from Joshua's extra toughness to play Sheltered by Ghosts on him with the security of not being answered by Torch the Tower or Lightning Strike, and a 4/4 Lifelinker and Ward will make a difference unless the opponent has already burned you with Screaming Nemesis.

Despite not having the ideal type, the new card might deserve a place in Boros Mice or Boros Aggro decks that have slightly higher mana costs. It seems like a bad option at first, but with Urabrask’s Forge rotating, these archetypes will need other cards for longer games, and Joshua offers a good hand filtering and recursion tool in the same slot, along with a decent body.

Monument to Endurance also stars in one of the most famous archetypes in Pioneer today, but unlike the Standard version, the archetype has cards that create way more solid synergies.

No matter how you look at it, Joshua doesn't compare to Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. The enchantment offers two bodies, ramp, and the ability to combo with Fear of Missing Out for just , while Joshua requires and an extra turn to reanimate three creatures if he isn't destroyed in the process.

The Dominant of Fire might find a place as a one-of or two-of in Greasefang, Okiba Boss lists in Mardu combos. These lists naturally run, in addition to the key card, creatures like Bloodtithe Harvester and Fear of Missing Out who offer additional value beyond serving as combo fodder and help prolong fair games to a point where we can consider transforming Joshua.

However, there aren't many slots for him in the list. As mentioned before, Joshua is no match for Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and of all the cards that make up the Mardu Greasefang shell today, the only viable slots are probably the one or two-of Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger — in which case it will depend on whether the Greasefang player wants another discard outlet with a late-game effect, or a late-game bomb that interacts with Overlord of the Balemurk to feed the graveyard.

Boros Energy is still the best deck in the format, featuring a core of cheap creatures that, if returned with Joshua, Phoenix’s Dominant, create a board state that is absurdly difficult to deal with, especially since they will snowball multiple triggers — Joshua virtually wins the game the moment he returns to his original form. But the competition for this three-mana slot is already incredibly fierce:

Most lists play a mix between two Seasoned Pyromancer or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and four Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury.

Joshua, as explained to Pioneer, doesn’t compare to Fable and is probably a worse card than Seasoned Pyromancer for interactions with Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride and Goblin Bombardment, whose combo between them is common for controlling the opponent’s board. The new card doesn't offer these synergies, and while it can survive Lightning Bolt and force more resources against Galvanic Discharge, the risk of paying at sorcery speed only to be answered by removal is too risky a cost.

As if that weren't enough, Joshua competes for cards in the graveyard with Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury. It's natural for the MH3 titan to feed on creatures destroyed throughout the game, just as plays involving sacrificing creatures with Goblin Bombardment to speed up Escape are a viable line in a few matchups.

Despite the potential to virtually win the game — including matches that would otherwise be lost — it doesn't seem like Joshua has enough to deserve the slots of Seasoned Pyromancer and much less Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury in the current Boros Energy setup, mainly because he requires too many turns and too much mana for the matchups where his effects would actually matter.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!