Card of the Week: Atog

They look so happy to be eating machinery. Look at those toothy grins!

Humble Beginnings

When a person first becomes a mage, his or her selection of magic is typically pretty weak. Modern-day mages have things a bit easier—their initial research typically yields a cohesive selection of ley lines and a matching complement of spells, usually with at least a rudimentary direction of strategy. Granted, these new-fangled spellbooks lack uniqueness and variety, but they are probably an easier introduction to magic than the old ways. In the ancient days, introductory spellbooks were anything but cohesive. In studying them, a mage might find immensely powerful spells or potent artifacts...or he or she might find nothing worthwhile. And regardless of the quality of the magic, the ley lines that came with it were likely to be insufficient. It was up to the mage to slowly improve his or her own personal spellbook by acquiring more spells and ley lines, then curating their collection into something cohesive and directed.

Aside for a spell to summon the Minotaurs of the Hurloon mountains, I cannot remember the exact contents of my first spellbook. But if I were to put money on it, it’d be a pretty safe bet to say that there was a summoning for an Atog in it. Indeed, in those days, these curious creatures were ubiquitous—a mage couldn’t swing a dead Cat Warrior without hitting one of them! I know that I, at least, collected more of them than I knew what to do with.

I'm pretty sure that I pulled each of these from a pack. I sure didn't trade for them, since I had more than I knew what to do with. Honestly, I'm surprised I was able to trade away all but five of the Revised ones!

In reading the accounts of ancient mages greater than myself, I’ve come to realize that even in those days there were some who realized the potential of the humble Atog. But back then, neither myself of any of my peers gave them much thought other than “another Atog?!?”. Perhaps it was that they were so common—surely nothing so easy to find could be that powerful? For myself, it was distaste with the idea of feeding my coveted artifacts to the creatures. I have written of my love of artifice before, and my love blinded me to the possibility that my artifacts could be more useful in their destruction than their use. Needless to say, even though I was surrounded by hordes of the toothy, grinning things, I was not about to let them near my artifacts...in battle or otherwise!

It was only when I discovered the revival of the ancient ways of magic that I also discovered the true potential of the Atog. I read several accounts of battles between mages where the victor won through the use of Atogs, and was nigh astonished that the creatures I once dimissed were so powerful. I had yet to resume gathering spells and ley lines, but when I looked through the spellbooks I had I realized that Atogs would be a good strategy to pursue. And so, my return to the ancient ways began with the strange creatures I had once disregarded.

Lore

The only real sources of Atog lore, as far as I can tell. Yekol appears in An Atog Comes to Aphetto in The Monsters of Magic anthology.

Despite how common the Atogs are—or at least, used to be—very little is written about them. They first came to the multiverse’s attention during the era of the Brothers’ War on Terisiare, though it is unknown whether they were created during the era or had merely found in the war a situation that they were exceedingly well adapted to. Indeed, in the writings of Kayla bin Kroog—erstwhile wife of Urza Planeswalker and the greatest historian of that age—Atogs are only obliquely referenced in the description of a man’s boorish behavior. Other accounts from that era describe them merely as the bane of artificiers.

After the catastrophic end of the Brothers’ War, even these small references to Atogs fell from the records. Perhaps they had a hard time adapting to the conditions of the Ice Age. Regardless, it took over 4000 years for Atogs to appear again in the records of the Mirage War, across the oceans from Terisiare on the continent of Jamuraa. Indeed, it seems that a menagerie of new Atog types had developed by this time, each feeding on an unusual resource to further their twisted growth. Eventually Atogs even managed to spread from Dominaria to the artificial plane of Mirrodin, where their unique appetites made them predators on an entire plane of, what is to them, food.

The most complete description of Atogs recorded comes from the Dominarian lands of Otaria in the years after the Phyrexian Invasion. In an account from the city of Aphetto, a man named Rasarm took vengeance on a Cabal lord and was assisted by an Atog, who was given the name of Yekol. Some scholars regard this Atog as nothing more than a pet, but it is my belief that it—or rather, he—is something more: definitely a trusted ally and possibly a friend. While this Atog could barely speak, he understood the words of his companion and worked well with him as a team, a feat which requires initiative and planning and not just the ability to follow orders. Yekol’s intelligence seemed to be below that of an adult human, but he was no mere beast. Nor do I believe that Yekol was an unusual specimen—I believe that all Atogs possess the intelligence, if not the loyalty, of this Yekol.

If I were to explain their origins, I’d say that Atogs are likely to be akin to Gremlins of Phyrexia. If they were indeed created during the Brothers’ War, perhaps the Gremlins were even the stock from which they were bred. They share with their possible relatives a (normally) small size, a cunning intelligence, and a taste (literally!) for destroying machinery. That said, I can’t prove a thing. But regardless of what they are, they are no mere beasts.

Harnessing the Power of the Atog

The Atog strategy is simple: summon an Atog and send it to attack your foes. They’re easy to summon and pack a relatively decent punch even before they're fed, but it's when you feed them artifacts that they really shine. Cheap artifacts work just as well as expensive ones, so build a bunch of inexpensive-but-effective artifacts, wait until they're no longer useful or until your opponent's defenses are down, and sacrifice them to your ever-loyal Atogs for a heavy beatdown. Simple, really.

The first mages to employ Atogs in battle seem to have relied directly on the power of well-fed Atogs to attack their foes. These mages, of course, relied heavily on artifice—Moxen and Mana Vaults for mana, Howling Mines for more spells, Icy Manipulators to slow their opponents, potent creatures such as Su-Chis and Juggernauts, and of course the ubiquitous Mishra’s Factory workers. Useful enough on their own, they’re all fed to the Atogs when an opening presents itself. These opportunities are often obtained through the use of lightning and fire to remove opposing creatures and to whittle down a foe’s life for the fatal Atog strike. Spells to further increase an Atog’s strength, such as Giant Growth or Berserk, are sometimes used to push the Atogs over the top.

I prefer the creature aggro-version of the Atog deck myself (that, and I don't have the blue power for a proper Svantog deck). There's nothing quite as satisfying as getting your Atogs 'roided up and unleashing them in a Berserk frenzy at your opponents!

While feeding a load of artifacts to an Atog and unleashing it on a foe can be effective (and satisfying), the more serious battlemages of late have honed Atogs into even more imposing threats. Ironically, they have done so by reducing the role of the Atogs to incidental: the strategy of these mages is to use fire and lightning to kill their foes. The cheap artifacts they employ, such as Ankhs of Mishra and Black Vises, further the work of their damaging spells—indeed, they act almost as disposably as the spells themselves. Once they’ve served their purpose, they’re fed to the Atogs to squeeze a little bit more use out of them. This strategy has proved to be incredibly potent, and the battlemages employing it are among the most powerful in the ancient traditions.

Danatoth of Alsoor (Dan Hyland)


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