Anthousa, Setessan Hero - Magic the Gathering

So, are the minotaurs supposed to be animated lands?

Anthousa is the ruler of Setessa, in that she manages everything for their patron goddess, Karametra. The Setessans are the Theros equivalent of the Amazons, an empire lead mostly by female warriors. Anthousa's other great claim to fame is that she decapitated a rock titan. Seriously, it's in the Planeswalker Guide.

So what ability does the leader of a group of female warriors get? She can make manlands. Seriously, what is the flavor here? Anthousa apparently has ties with the goddess of the earth, but when exactly and where exactly that Anthousa has the power to command the earth. At least Anax and Cymede had an ability that made them feel like leaders of a military empire, this is just weak though.

I have no idea how to judge the power of this card, since I don't know how to judge this type of effect. Turning your lands into an army can be a great finisher, but it also makes them all more vulnerable to removal. There is more creature removal and sweepers than there is land destruction. Kamahl, Fist of Krosa had a similar ability, but he also had an overrun like effect that was more dangerous and any lands you're lucky to animate actually become a threat thanks to it. This gives us none of that.

I'm still wondering about heroic. The two cards we've seen it on were both rare and legendary, so I have no idea if my theories about the mechanic are correct.