Isildur's Fateful Strike (Foil) (LTR)

Isildur's Fateful Strike
Casting Cost: {2}{B}{B}
Card Type: Legendary Instant
Card Text:
(You may cast a legendary instant only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.)
Destroy target creature. If its controller has more than four cards in hand, they exile cards from their hand equal to the difference.
Flavour Text:
Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand with the hilt-shard of his father's sword, and Sauron himself was overthrown.
Artist: John Di Giovanni

Card Strengths and Weaknesses:

• Efficiency: For 4 mana, you not only get to destroy a creature but also potentially force your opponent to exile cards from their hand.

• Conditionality: The spell is legendary, meaning you can only cast it if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker. This can be restrictive depending on your deck composition.

• Hand Disruption: The additional ability to exile cards from your opponent's hand if they have more than four adds a unique layer of control to the spell.

• Specificity: Requires the opponent to have more than four cards in hand for the secondary effect, which might not always be the case.

Deck Utility:

• Legendary Matters: Naturally, this card fits best into decks that consistently have legendary creatures or planeswalkers on the battlefield.

• Control Decks: The hand-disruption aspect makes it suitable for control decks aiming to deplete the opponent's resources.

• Creature-Heavy Metas: This card excels in metas where creature removal is at a premium.

Overall Analysis:

Isildur's Fateful Strike offers a powerful combination of creature removal and hand disruption at a relatively moderate cost. The requirement to control a legendary creature or planeswalker can be a drawback but is also what makes this card potentially balanced. The extra effect of exiling cards from the opponent's hand can be devastating, particularly against decks that like to keep a full grip. The card's utility is highly situational but can be backbreaking in the right conditions.