The Onslaught block is one of the most powerful and well liked blocks in the game of Magic the Gathering. It is a famous set of cards that has many cards still used in play today. Focusing on tribal warfare, these sets pack a lot of punch and introduce many new exciting abilities…

Onslaught – 2002

Personally, Onslaught is my favorite set of all time. It focuses on tribal warfare that takes combat and combat tricks to a whole new level. Each color has its respective creature types and powers. Never before have creatures been so dependant on each other. Onslaught also introduced some exciting new powers to the game. Creatures with Morph can be played face down on the table as a 2/2 creature. With their identity hidden from your opponent they make for some very strong combat tricks! At any time a cost may be payed to flip the creature face up hand change it from a 2/2 to whatever it really is! Cycling was brought back from the Urza Block and now cards can one again be discarded for new ones. The key word “Fear” was also implicated in this set to replace the term”Cannot be blocked except by black and/or artifact creatures. Several Cycles of cards also existed in the set, such as the “Chain” cycle (spells that copy themselves if your opponents choose) and a cycle of “Lords” that allow you to tap creatures you control of a certain type for a very powerful effect.

Definitely the strongest cycle of cards in the set though, is a cycle of cards similar to the original dual lands. They sell for well over 10 dollars a piece and are regarded as some of the strongest cards in the game. Other standout cards in the set such as Visara the Dreadful and Goblin Piledriver come to mind as well. As a whole though, this is one of the first sets where the commons can be just as good as the rares! Cards are so intertwined that any card can be a game winner!

Strongest Cards in the Set

The Fetch Lands

Runners up : Exalted Angel, Visara the Dreadful, & Goblin Piledriver

Legions – 2003

Legions is the baddest set yet! The first (and only) set to be 100% creatures, it adds the umph to the tribal strategy from Onslaught. Slivers are back and two more abilities are introduced to the game: Amplify and Provoke. Amplify puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature for each creature you reveal from your hand with the same type as you play it, making for some big, low costing creatures! Provoke untaps an opponents creature and gives them no choice in who blocks the attacker! Legions also unveiled two of the strongest Legendary creatures in the game (and definitely the most famous): Phage the Untouchable and Akroma, Angel of Wrath. Legions also contains the larges creature ever printed: a 13/13!!

Picking the best card out of the most offensive set is tough. The final pick is one of the most offensive cards of all time, and surprisingly it is white! This angel doesn’t mess around and delivers a huge attack without tapping! Can’t find one from the Legions set? (or dont have the $12 dollars for a single card?) She has recently been re-printed in the Divine -vs- Demonic theme deck…

Akroma, Angel of Wrath – Rare

Runners up :  Phage the Untouchable, Scion of Darkness, Kilnmouth Dragon, & Toxin Sliver

Scourge – 2003

The final set in this amazing trilogy, scourge delivers some chaotic cards with powerful abilities. Dragons are the main theme in this set and they are bigger and stronger than ever! New abilities such as “Storm” emerge, allowing spells to be played numerous times for a single mana cost. With game ending combos and powerful creatures aplenty, Scourge does not fail to deliver an exciting, firey conclusion to the story of plane that had been being depicted on cards since the beginning of the game in 1993! Cards like Form of the Dragon combine abilities and test the limits of the rules of the game. “Landcycling” also makes its debut: a powerful addition to the cycling ability- you may now search your library for a basic land when you cycle a card! Mana costs stop being a burden with cost reducing creatures such as Krosan Drover and Dragonspeaker Shaman. And to top it all off, Karona, False God and Mind’s Desire make sure chaos reigns throughout the entire set.

With the return of slivers in the block, many players were waiting for a new rendition of Sliver Queen to be printed. Quite possibly the strongest “Tribe” in the block, the slivers now have an Overlord to go with their Queen. Getting the right sliver in hand has never been so easy. The greatest card is debatable and there are many different obvious options depending on what color you enjoy playing. Many dragons come to mind when thinking of the most powerful, but for the best card in the set…

Sliver Overloard – Rare

Runners up : Stifle, Brain Freeze, Forgotten Ancient & Siege-gang Commander

And thus ends the story depicted since the beginning of MTG. The Onslaught Block will go down in history as one of the strongest blocks in history and still has many themes and cards being used today! Following Scourge, the Mirrodin Block makes its Debut, a set based around artifacts that changed the face of the game and received mixed reviews from professional and causal players alike… Continue reading about the Mirrodin block!

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