As with the Daring Apprentice and Temporal Adept, this small, 1/1 creature is very vulnerable, but packs a powerful ability. Playing it against red will always be a very risky option, and you'll want to be setup with counters, in that case. Another option is to prevent any in-coming damage with white healing-spells, the most classic example being the Samite Healer. There are other, more effective healers that appear later in the game's history, so simply search "prevent" and "damage" in the Card Gatherer at gatherer.wizards.com (Also, add "noncombat" to check out powerful spells that can cover your creature base). Of course, your problem might also be black, creature-destruction spells... I would say, being such a small target (despite the ability), Archivist is something that you can let go, in many cases. It might actually be a positive, strategic decision to allow your opponent to target your Archivist, and then drop something more dominant on to the field. The fact that it can draw an extra card per turn will draw your opponent's attention, making it a good way of pulling the kills out of their hand. |
