MAGIC: THE VALIANT - WHITE

WHITE   

In my mind, when it comes to Magic cards, White is the color of heroes, law abiding citizens and military orders. Pretty much every White creature is somewhat a representation of one of the above.

Now, one of the best characteristics of the new VALIANT comics is that their characters are so flawed that it's sometimes hard to call' em heroes.  

There are a few exceptions, though. And besides these paladin type characters, there are others (even "bad guys") who have a lot to say when it comes to law and order. 

Let's take a look at the cards.

1) FIELD OF MEMORIES

White needs lifegain spells. Not only is a staple of the color, it is fundamental if you want to have a chance against red or black decks. This card is based on the moment that Aric finds that he has returned to Earth with a 16 century delay and journeys to a place where he can have some much needed rest. I made this an enchantment because it represents the connection with the character, with him being able to "travel to the field" every time he felt he needed, while the "can't attack" punishment represents the fact that Aric wants to be alone.

Visigoth Meditating - Do Not Disturb.

The art by Lee Garbett is so simple but so effective, it was an easy pick. 

The quote is Aric speaking to a local child who happens to find him.

2) GAFTI

One of my favourite cards and half of a combo (along with The Sacrifice) that has got to be one of the best things on this set, if I may say so myself. Gafti is Aric's best friend from ol' days (4th century, to be precise) and a guy who deserved better than being kidnapped by Vine fruit farmers. His Battlecry ability represents the fact that (like Aric) he knows a thing or two about motivating people into fighting for what they believe. He might have not showed how brave he was until The Sacrifice, but when he did it was in Big style.

Trevor Hairsine's drawing of the unfortunate "sidekick" is amazing as you can see, and it's from a panel in X-O Manowar #9 where Gafti and Aric are practicing their swordsmanship together.
The quote is from the following X-O issue where he prooves his worth as a fearless warrior and defeats an imminent Vine invasion by killing himself.

3) GUNSLINGER

This card was originally a gold Red/White card, then when I made this a monocolored set it became Red and finally I decided it had to be White. Gunslinger is the code name of Major Charlie Palmer, field leader of the Harbinger Active Resistance Division Corps and one mercurial (crazy) guy. As a H.A.R.D. soldier he can mimic almost any Psiot ability (thanks to software implanted on his brain) and is more than capable of handing a whole lotta a**kicking on his own.

"Where's the party?"

The art is from the Pullbox version of Harbinger Wars #3, by Trevor Hairsine. That quote is Palmer telling one of his subordinates what he really is about at the end of the day: a good soldier and badass poet.

4) H.A.R.D. TACTICS

Basically, this: Palmer and his men are highly organized and like to have the element of surprise on their side (first strike). And with this card, your attacking creatures are as hard as the Corps for a turn.

Yup, s*** just got real for these Psiot kids.

The quote is from their arrival to the Harbinger Wars stage. No one is safe. I'm a huge fan of Clayton Henry's clean style -  I just wish the pic would be wider, but the word balloons kept getting in the way.

5) OBADIAH ARCHER

He's the first rare in this set and a very special character in the VEI universe (how special is something we have yet to find) so his card had to make this guy justice.

Obadiah Archer - or just Archer - is a trained-from-birth assassin whose entire existence was manipulated by a couple of evil doers - his own family - who made him believe that his divine purpose in this planet was to hunt and kill that-who-shall-not-be-named, aka, Aram Anni-Padda, aka Armstrong.

His abilities include being one terrific hand-to-hand fighter (Vigilance and Double Strike), crossbow expert (his first ability) and one handy "I can do whatever you can" gift (obviously his second ability).

Not a Fleetwood Mac fan.

Art is from the series' debut's second printing and is another great Clayton Henry illustration.

The quote is from the moment when Archer finds out how much bull**** he had swallowed over the years and confronts his parents (issue 2).

6) P.R.S. SHOCK TROOPS

Every set needs its share of Vanilla (no abilities) cards, so here you go. Bad guys in red shirts. Yeah, bad guys. I made these White because they are basically soldiers who are taking orders. Does that make them bad?

 These are fodder, but can get hard to deal if combined with more cerebral cards/characters in a White Weenie build (good fodder, but fodder still).

Yet, they never seem to learn.

The art by Phil Briones is from the moment in issue 6 where the troops are about to raid Kris' house and end up... Vanished?

Stupid red shirts.

7) PSIOT'S DELIVERANCE

Druid's Deliverance in white, basically. As you can tell by the title. With all the crazyness going around the battlefield later in the game, you have to find good way to protect yor little ones/creatures. Just like Bloodshot leading those kids safely back to Vegas, this card will make sure everyone's around for one more turn at least.

Follow the Psiot killer, children.

The art is from Kalman Andrasofszky's cover for BLOODSHOT #12. The quote is Bloodshot himself going "I told you so" on those kids.

8) QUANTUM

Half of the only superhero duo of the VALIANT universe along with his brother Woody. QUANTUM (Eric Henderson) is a former soldier who turns into a metahuman being, after he and Woody accidentally activate some sort of weird machine that their father was working on.
I initially made him a Soldier, but after deliberating for a little while, I decided for Superhero, instead. He's white because, of the two brothers, Quantum is the one who's in it (superheroing) to be helpful.

Whatever you say, buddy.

Quote and art are both from QUANTUM and WOODY #4, and as soon as I read/saw it, it was an obvious choice.

9) THE SACRIFICE

This is one of those cards that VALIANT readers will immediately recognize: here I tried to re-create the moment when Gafti becomes humanity's savior. You grab Shanhara, equip it on a creature (Gafti!) and deal damage to your opponent equal to that creature's current power. In. Their. Face.
Then say goodbye to your hero.

"I'm going to blow myself up with that Alien ship. Don't mention it."

The art - by Trevor Hairsine - and (Aric's) quote are from X-O MANOWAR #10, the second part of the Planet Death prologue.

10) ZEPHYR

Yay, my favourite VALIANT character. Zephyr, real name Faith Herbert, is the light in the dark road of HARBINGER, a comic where grey is the king.
Faith is probably the "Whitest" character of VEI in Magic: the Gathering terms. She is truly selfless and a wanna-be superhero who has the greatest day of her life when she finds out that she can actually fly.
This Joss Whedon fangirl has flying of course and despite not being a fighter, she will do her best to protect your other creatures. Like a true hero.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

The quote is from her inner monologue in HARBINGER #9, the "Faith episode" of the Renegades arc (issues #6-#10), and IMHO, it could not be better.
Art is from Khari Evans variant for issue 4, where we can see happy Faith as Zephyr.
I love this card.

NEXT: BLUE