Toluz, Clever Conductor - Golden Age Showcase (SNC)

Toluz, Clever Conductor
Casting Cost: {W/U}{U}{U/B}
Card Type: Legendary Creature - Human Rogue
Power/Toughness: 3/1
Card Text:

• When Toluz, Clever Conductor enters the battlefield, it connives: This is an enter-the-battlefield triggered ability. When Toluz, Clever Conductor enters the battlefield, you draw a card and then discard a card. If the card you discarded is not a land card (i.e., a nonland card), you put a +1/+1 counter on Toluz, Clever Conductor. This ability represents Toluz's clever and cunning nature, where he gains strength from his schemes.
• Whenever you discard one or more cards, exile them from your graveyard: This ability triggers whenever you discard cards, regardless of whether it's through Toluz's ability or other effects. The cards you discard are exiled from your graveyard. This can be relevant for managing your graveyard and preventing potential recursion by opponents.
• When Toluz, Clever Conductor dies, put the cards exiled with it into their owner's hand: If Toluz, Clever Conductor is put into the graveyard for any reason, you return the cards that were previously exiled by its second ability to their respective owners' hands. This ability allows you to regain the cards you exiled earlier.

Strengths:

• Card Advantage: Toluz, Clever Conductor provides card advantage by drawing a card when it enters the battlefield and possibly gaining a +1/+1 counter if you discard a nonland card. This can help maintain your hand size and strengthen Toluz.
• Graveyard Management: By exiling discarded cards from your graveyard, Toluz ensures that they cannot be accessed by graveyard-based strategies or recursion effects from opponents.
• Recursion: When Toluz dies, it returns the cards exiled with it to their owners' hands, effectively allowing you to recover some of the cards you had to discard.

Weaknesses:

• Low Toughness: Toluz has a power of 3, which is decent, but its toughness is only 1. This makes it vulnerable to removal spells and combat damage, so protecting it may be necessary to maximize its effectiveness.
• Conditional Growth: Toluz's +1/+1 counter is conditional on discarding nonland cards. If you have a limited number of nonland cards to discard, its growth potential may be limited.
• Exile Zone Vulnerability: Cards exiled by Toluz can still be accessed by effects that interact with the exile zone. Be mindful of opponents who may try to manipulate or exile cards from your exile zone.

Deck Considerations:

• Discard Strategies: Toluz, Clever Conductor is a good fit for decks that employ discard mechanics. Cards that allow you to draw and discard, like looting effects, can work well with Toluz.
• Counters Matter: Decks that focus on +1/+1 counters can benefit from Toluz's ability to grow in size when nonland cards are discarded.
• Graveyard Interaction: Consider decks that interact with exiled cards, as Toluz exiles cards from your graveyard. You can potentially build a strategy around retrieving or using cards from exile.

Flavor and Art:

• Art: The art of Toluz, Clever Conductor likely portrays a cunning and charismatic human rogue. The artwork may depict Toluz in the midst of a clever scheme or surrounded by discarded cards.
• Flavor: The flavor of Toluz, Clever Conductor reflects a character who thrives on intelligence and resourcefulness. His ability to connive and use discarded cards to his advantage showcases his cleverness.

Overall Impression:

Toluz, Clever Conductor is a card that rewards clever decision-making and offers card advantage in decks built around discard mechanics. Its ability to grow stronger, manage the graveyard, and provide card advantage makes it a versatile addition to decks with the right synergies. However, its low toughness requires protection to ensure it can stay on the battlefield and continue its conniving schemes.