Saruman, the White Hand - Extended Art (Foil) (LTC)

Saruman, the White Hand

Casting Cost: {1}{U}{B}{R}

Card Type: Legendary Creature - Avatar Wizard

Power/Toughness: 2/5

Card Text:

• Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, amass Orcs X, where X is that spell's mana value. (Put X +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)

• Goblins and Orcs you control have ward 2.

Flavour Text:

"Over all his works a dark smoke hung and wrapped itself about the sides of Orthanc."

Artist: Leonardo Borazio

Saruman, the White Hand is a complex and powerful legendary creature card with several unique abilities:

1. Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, it triggers the amass Orcs X ability. This means you create an Army token with a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the mana value of the spell you just cast. If you already control an Army, those counters go on it, and it becomes an Orc creature as well. If you don't have an Army, you create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token and put the counters on it. This ability reflects Saruman's ability to amass forces and create orcs to serve his will.

2. Saruman provides goblins and orcs you control with ward 2. Ward is a protective ability that makes it more difficult for your opponents to target your goblin and orc creatures with spells or abilities.

These abilities capture the essence of Saruman's character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, where he used his powers to manipulate and control various creatures to serve his dark ambitions.