Locations
Welcome back!
Gods are a cool creature type, and also a relatively recent creature type. Well, maybe not too recent. I guess they first premiered in Theros, way back in 2013. So 12-years-ago recent? I guess that's not that recent afterall, but I think it feels more recent since they're used so infrequently.
Every time a set has Gods in it, they're often implemented a little differently and have a different feel to them. There are Gods that are indestructible, there are gods that turn into lands and can then turn back into Gods, there are Gods that can instead be cast as artifacts, and there are gods that return to your hand when they die. The biggest common thread is that Gods are difficult to permanently get rid of.
As for numbers, there are 75 total Gods, one of which is on the backside of a Battle (Invasion of Theros to be specific)! Gods also tend to come in cycles, but not always, as evidenced by The Locust God, The Scarab God, and The Scorpion God, as well as Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied and Ketramose, the New Dawn from Aetherdrift.
Let's begin!
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
I wanted to say Aclazotz just came out last year, but it appears Lost Caverns of Ixalan came out in 2023, which is surprising. Every recent set that feels like it just came out always ends up having come out multiple years prior. I wonder if this is the result of just having so many sets released.
Nevertheless, this guy is part of a cycle with each color getting a God that ends up transforming into a land when they die. Then you can turn them back by activating them. Aclazotz was one of the few that saw a good deal of competitive play, and with good reason. He has like 19 great abilities, including just being an effective aerial beater.
Birgi, God of Storytelling
At one point or another, Birgi has seen play in Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, and Standard. That's a lot of action, especially considering she's also very popular in Vintage Cubes. Turns out Red cards that generate mana tend to be extremely popular, while the back side, Harnfel, Horn of Bounty, is basically like a tame Yawgmoth's Bargain where you can just keep drawing cards so long as you have the resources for it.
Interestingly, the Kaldheim gods were not indestructible.
Erebos, God of the Dead
Erebos was most popular during Theros block Standard, where he was a mainstay in the Mono-Black Devotion deck, which, along with Mono-Blue Devotion, basically dominated the entire format. Ironically, Erebos is another card that has Yawgmoth's Bargain vibes, this time letting you draw cards for life, which is an extremely common Black proposition. Erebos was basically a Phyrexian Arena that you could often attack with.
Klothys, God of Destiny
Another Theros-based God, Klothys was an awesome Red/Green midrange God. The thing I love about the Gods is that, as I mentioned, they all feel like cool, useful enchantments or planeswalkers that you can eventually attack with if you fulfill a specific criteria.
For three mana, Klothys is either ramping you each turn or enacting a four-point life swing. Either one is pretty good, and if you have any fetch lands in your deck, you're often going to be able to choose which you need more.
Hazoret the Fervent
If you played at all during Amonkhet, you should absolutely be familiar with Hazoret. She basically dominated the entire format, showing up in the format's token aggro deck that ultimately ended up winning the Pro Tour.
One of the neat parts about Hazoret is she actually helps herself to attack by allowing you to discard cards from your hand to deal damage and get closer to her attacking condition.
Considering the fact that most decks running Hazoret already have shockingly cheap spells and creatures, this was often just a cute bonus.
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Heliod might be the god with the most versions at three. The Sun-Crowned from Theros Beyond Death is an interesting one. Not only is it one of the more expensive gods, hovering around $14, but he's also the enabler of numerous infinite combos with cards like Walking Ballista or Spike Feeder. At three-mana, that's a pretty crazy deal, and also why Heliod has seen play in nearly every format he's been legal in. Being indestructible is just icing on the cake here, especially as a combo piece that you often want to get rid of.
Keranos, God of Storms
Keranos is one of my absolute favorite Gods. Remember what I said about the Gods mainly feeling like enchantments? That's Keranos in spades. Being able to deal three damage to any target or draw a card every turn is just such good value that you often don't even care which you do (okay, you usually want to draw a card).
There are so many times where your devotion won't be sufficient to turn the Gods into creatures, so you really want to be satisfied with their abilities when you assume they may never be a creature. Keranos was a great example of being a satisfying enchantment.
Ketramose, the New Dawn
One of the newer Gods, Ketramose had a really weird start. First I didn't think he was going to be any good as I wrote about him in an article discussing the Aetherdrift previews. Then he ended up being busted in Modern and shot up to around $50. Then he came back down, still being good in Modern but not bonkers, and settled around $10.
Boy, do I feel bad for those people who picked them up at around $40.......
ANYWAY. Now Ketramose is a Modern regular with a suite of great abilities and the typical indestructibility found on Gods. He's been a great addition to the Pantheon of the Gods so far.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
