Amalia Benavides Aguirre

Legendary Creature — Vampire Scout

Ward—Pay 3 life. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays 3 life.)

Whenever you gain life, Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores. Then, destroy all other creatures if Amalia's power is exactly 20. (To have this creature explore, reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Standard	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (5)

wallisface on [FNM] Wish version of Soul Sisters - Modern

2 weeks ago

I’m not convinced Amalia Benavides Aguirre is a worthwhile inclusion here - it’s never getting to 20 power and kindof sidetracks you from being able to apply immediate pressure.

king-saproling on enchant me enchant you

1 month ago

It's not a bad list at all, but if you want to go with vampires plus lifegain subtheme there are better choices of commanders (Astarion, the Decadent, Amalia Benavides Aguirre, Vona, Butcher of Magan, Elenda, the Dusk Rose, and Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher are solid options. There are tons of other good options too).

If you're heart-set on Athreos, I would drop the vampire/lifegain themes and go with creatures that have sac effects (e.g. Westfold Rider, Cathar Commando, Bounty Agent, Priest of Fell Rites, Stronghold Assassin, Necrotic Sliver, Burnished Hart, Dauthi Voidwalker) plus cards with reanimation abilities (e.g. Bishop of Rebirth, Celestine, the Living Saint, Custodi Soulcaller, Redemption Choir, Sun Titan, Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, Athreos, Shroud-Veiled, Breathkeeper Seraph, Court of Ardenvale, Gift of Immortality).

Swing4Lethal on Esper Control 3.0

1 month ago

I am very excited to hear you have been playing my list and enjoying it! I still believe the deck is very powerful and consistently better than straight Azorius Control.

I'll address Oath of Kaya first - It is way too slow. You can't afford to be tapping out for a single target sorcery speed removal effect. Especially not with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord + Vein Ripper dominating like it is. You need to have 2-3 mana available for counter spells the turn they can drop Sorin. Temporary Lockdown is good enough in the 3 mana removal slot and clears most of the things you care about early.

Second, Get Lost is a great catch all option that bridges the small gaps in utility amongst Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, and Void Rend. The map tokens the opponent gets are mostly irrelevant with only the Amalia Combo decks caring about them. Theoretically you should be able to control the board enough that they never get to use them. With that said, Vein Ripper presents a threat with a protection ability this deck has not had to deal with before, so you could get away with a second copy of Void Rend over Get Lost you just lose an effect that can hit land creatures.

Third, I agree whether you like the card or not, Reckoner Bankbuster is a great card. It gives the deck extra reach that it desperately needs. Deduce is fine, if you absolutely do not want to play Bankbuster but you lose the imminent body and damage threat that Bankbuster gives. The token would give you revolt, but you'd need to run 4 copies for that to be consistent and casting a 3 mana Fatal Push feels not great. Mazemind Tome is far too little impact to make it in the list. Your life gain is handled by The Wandering Emperor and Shambling Vent. Search for Azcanta  ^Flip is too slow and is really bad in Pioneer due to all of the graveyard exile effects being used.

Fourth, If you personally prefer to run 1 basic and 1 Otawara, Soaring City that's fine too. It's really just personal preference and relevant to your area's meta. I find that Dovin's Veto and Void Rend are good enough in the control match up that Otawara is not necessary. The biggest drawback is that Otawara always costs 4 mana game 1 and has a small chance to cost less in games 2/3. The very first iteration of the deck had both Otawara and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire but I found I was being wastelanded by Field of Ruin too often and utilizing the channel abilities so rarely that I just cut them in favor of basics.

Finally, yes The End made it into the deck. It is the best possible removal option against so many creatures that decks rely on to win. Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Arclight Phoenix, Mayhem Devil, Vein Ripper (if you can pay the ward), and Amalia Benavides Aguirre are all game winning targets for it. Honestly I have even been considering cutting the Rest in Peace for a second copy of the end. I also swapped Make Disappear out for No More Lies. It is just a far better card in every way.

plakjekaas on Why Do Some People Wish …

2 months ago

The counter-argument to that is: as a possible mono-green creature, it has no business being in a deck helmed by a commander like Amalia Benavides Aguirre, just like a Llanowar Elves wouldn't. It's a shame that doesn't fit the intention of the mechanic for this one specific format with a quirk about color legality, but it's what is printed on the card, and by every interpretation of the rules as written, that's how it works.

I don't think specifically opening up hybrid mana allowing to work like Maro would want it to, will impact the game too heavily, but it opens the door to other rule changes because "Players feel it should work that way". I'd love to play Bedlam Reveler in a pauper deck, because it would fit so well. Now I know it never was printed at common, but let's flat out deny what color of set icon is printed on the card because I feel it should work that way and it would fit my deck, right?

No. Not right. Printed as common is a hard rule for pauper, just like color identity is for commander. If you don't want to play according to those rules, you don't want to play pauper/commander.

Rhadamanthus on Can players respond between the …

3 months ago

For an example of how something like this plays out, here's something that happened to me on Arena recently: I targeted my opponent's Amalia Benavides Aguirre with a kill spell, triggering her Ward ability. The Ward trigger resolved and I paid 3 life. Then, before my kill spell resolved, my opponent responded with a defensive spell to protect her, so now I was out 3 life and a card.