Accursed Horde
More zombies for tribal decks have arrived and Accursed Horde is a particularly aggressive one. A four mana 3/3 isn't anything special but given it's ability can only target attacking zombies, that's a big indication that you should be attacking with your zombies. It's a good creature to have in your four drop slot in limited and even if you aren't playing a lot of zombies, Accursed Horde still works well on its own, allowing you to have a creature that is very difficult to block.
Ammit Eternal
A three mana 5/5! Promising start. Afflict 3, it's getting better. Gets smaller when your opponent plays spells, not an awful thing but obviously could be better, the thing with this part though is that if you drop this late game, there is a chance Ammit Eternal will get very small very quickly whereas playing it on turn three then forces your opponent to have an answer otherwise it's a nice, neat four turn clock. Being able to remove the -1/-1 counters whenever it deals combat damage is a nice tough but if it's dealing combat damage it may feel like a bit "win more", but it needs to be there to make this guy at all playable I guess. Obviously nuts in limited as removal will be scarce and you can just play him onto an open board and see if they have the answer. I'm sure Ammit Eternal will show up in constructed, it sits nicely alongside Diregraf Colossus in the zombies deck or maybe just as a value creature in a control deck.
Apocalypse Demon
In the world of Magic, Demons are powerful creatures with a range of abilities and effects. Apocalypse Demon may not be the most powerful of Demons we've ever seen but it's still pretty strong, gaining power and toughness for each card in your graveyard and, in a set with Cycling, it shouldn't be too hard to fill. Typical Demon though, there is always a drawback for all their power, in this case tapping Apocalypse Demon unless you sacrifice a creature. As Demons go, this is pretty standard and kinda lackluster in my opinion, but it's an obvious bomb in limited even if it won't appear anywhere else. Maybe commander.
Banewhip Punisher
The theme running through Amonkhet was putting -1/-1 counters on your own creatures. Banewhip Punisher allows you to put the -1/-1 counter on your opponents creature, if you wanted to that is, which feeds into its second ability quite nicely. For just one mana, and sacrificing the Banewhip Punisher, you can destroy the creature that you've put the -1/-1 counter on, but it doesn't stop there. Obviously there will be a lot of creatures in limited that either make you put -1/-1 counters on themselves or others and Banewhip Punisher doesn't restrict you to destroying just the creature that was target by Banewhip Punisher, it can target any creature with a -1/-1 counter on it, which means you may be able to get a sweet two for one with this card. Drop the Punisher early to take out their 1/1 with the counter and then later on in the game you can sacrifice the Punisher to take out, say their Ammit Eternal maybe, and all of that for four mana isn't bad. You should always play this in limited as it's removal with a body attached and that's some good value, i don't think it will see constructed play as it may be a bit slow but I could be wrong.
Bontu's Last Reckoning
A Wrath for three mana that stops your lands from untapping for a turn might seem like a good trade off, but when I think about it I feel that control decks want to use this card as it has a big impact on the board state and is cheap so they can use the rest of their mana to play counterspells or removal. Except they can't because their lands won't untap next turn so what's the point? Well if you find yourself low on lands and facing down multiple creatures then Bontu's Last Reckoning is the answer you want, but it does give your opponent ample time to rebuild so it may all be for nothing. Like I said, I think only playing with them will give the information needed to know if they are going to be all stars in the constructed sector or not. Stupid good in limited though.
Carrion Screecher
Nothing special. A 3/1 flyer for four, under the curve and will die easily, but if left unchecked could take a decent amount of life from your opponent.
Doomfall
Another modal card now and, in my opinion, not a particularly good one. On one side you have a three mana Cruel Edict, that's not bad as removal is always needed in some form, but you don't get to target or get to use it as a trick as it's a sorcery. On the other side you have hand disruption, again not terrible but at three mana it may be asking for a bit of a commitment and taking away from other more valuable things you could be doing on turn three like playing creatures or removing opposing creatures with better removal spells. Limited will like this because it has options but in constructed, there are better cards that do both of these things.
Dreamstealer
I loved Hypnotic Specter back in the day, a threat on two levels as it dealt damage and took your opponents hand apart. Dreamstealer is close to Hypnotic Specter just exchange flying for menace and instead of just taking one card, it takes as many cards as damage was dealt. The problem I have with Eternalise creatures, and this one in particular, is that they seem great on the back on when you've managed to Eternalise them, but on the front end they seem a little weak; it's a good effect to have but there will be times when you opponent will just refuse to block it and just take the one damage and lose one card for a bit. That being said, I'm sure Dreamstealer will be a powerhouse in limited especially if you can Eternalise and could see play in a midrange deck the same way Hypnotic Specter was.
Grisly Survivor
A simple one here. Three mana 2/3 that gets +2/+0 whenever you Cycle or discard a card. You will play Grisly Survivor as it sits nicely on your curve and has the potential to get in for a fair bit of damage. Just for Cycling, or discarding, two cards, suddenly Grisly Survivor attacks for six damage which is pretty good for a three drop, but if it came to it I can see cutting this guy in limited.
Hour Of Glory
I think this is the new hot removal spell of constructed. It does cost four mana, which is a little more than usual, but it's an instant and it exiles the creature. Probably good enough just at that, but wait there's more. If said exiled creature was a God then you get to look at their hand and exile all other copies of that God, even if you don't hit any additional copies the extra information is very valuable. In limited Hour Of Glory is fantastic and I'm sure will be even better in constructed over the coming months.
Khenra Eternal
One thing I remember making a big deal about in my Amonkhet set review was Grizzly Bears with upside and it seems that theme is being carried on here as well. Khenra Eternal is just you average bear with Afflict 1, so either way your going to be getting some amount of damage through, bar a removal spell of course. It's one of those creatures that may look weak at first glance but will do a lot of work in limited.
Lethal Sting
Removal with a slight downside, but you're still going to play it in limited as it's still a removal spell. The so called downside doesn't always have to be a downside however as there are a lot of creature that can benefit you with putting -1/-1 counters on them. This won't see constructed play as there are better removal spells for that cost.
Liliana's Defeat
Probably one of the more playable of the Defeat cycle. Liliana's Defeat, as standard constructed stands right now, could turn out to be a very powerful removal spell able to hit Winding Constrictor, Grim Flayer and maybe even the odd Liliana planeswalker, not to mention Nicol Bolas if he becomes playable and all the zombie deck. The three life is negligible most of the time but could be important every now and again. A great sideboard card and maybe fairly useful in limited.
Lurching Rotbeast
Pretty standard creature here; a 4/2 for four mana. It is pretty fragile but it also hits hard which is a good trade off and if you don't need it or need to find something else, it Cycles for one mana which is always nice. You're going to play this in limited and it will probably do some damage and trade up often.
Marauding Boneslasher
A 3/3 for three mana is decent. It's aggressive and thematic, so if you have cards that aid your zombies this guy's great. Not being able to block unless you control another zombie isn't that bad, at least it can block alone and doesn't have to block with the other zombie you control. Another card that I could see cutting in limited, but if your deck is pretty aggressive then you can't go wrong with Marauding Boneslasher.
Merciless Eternal
This creature is pretty versatile in many situations and for just three mana. It starts as a standard 2/2 but can get much better, just by paying three and discarding a card it turns into a 4/4 which is going to be able to trade with a fair few creatures in limited, and when it does become blocked it instantly shoots your opponent for two. I haven't even gotten onto how many things discarding a card can trigger for additional value on top of making Merciless Eternal bigger. Merciless Eternal will do a lot of work for you in limited and could even take over a game when you can use its ability more than once.
Moaning Wall
Middle of the road creature, a three mana 0/5 wall, meaning it has defender, and Cycles for one mana. It's better for the slower decks in limited and when you don't need it you can just Cycle it to find something else. It's easy to cut this from your limited deck but it's nice to have a big butt blocker to stem the beats.
Razaketh, The Foulblooded
We took a look at Apocalypse Demon earlier and I was underwhelmed. This is what a Demon should be; big, splashy and massively powerful. This eight mana 8/8 is definitely the type of card that will just end games as soon as you play it because it gives you a couple of avenues to choose from. You could just attack, making Razaketh a three turn clock, or you could turn every other creature into whatever card you need for whatever situation you find yourself in. Razaketh is probably the biggest bomb you could hope for in limited and I'm sure will find his way into constructed, more specifically modern. Not to say he won't see standard play as he is incredibly powerful but it is a little harder to get to eight mana, or cheat Razaketh into play, in standard.
Razaketh's Rite
A long, long time ago there was a card called Demonic Tutor, it cost two mana and allowed you to search your library for any card, any card at all. However, it does turn out that Demonic Tutor is stupid powerful for two mana so now we've been given it for five mana which I think may still be a bit too low. If five mana is a bit high for you in game though, you do have the option of Cycling Razaketh's Rite for one mana and possibly find the card you would have tutored for anyway. Either way, I think Razaketh's Rite will see a lot of constructed play especially in modern as it's still a fantastic card and really good for combo decks. You will play this in limited and you will be very happy when you get to cast it as it opens up so many options for you.
Ruin Rat
A great creature for the two drop slot in limited. With Deathtouch it will almost always trade up and can keep creatures at bay with the fear of your opponent losing them, with an added bonus of being able to exile a card from your opponents graveyard when it dies. Another card that you will be more than happy to play in limited as you will always get your money's worth out of Ruin Rat just as a removal spell and maybe even get an Embalm or Eternalise creature before your opponent can get maximum value out of it.
Scrounger Of Souls
This is the top end creature for black in limited; it's easy to splash, decent on both attacking or blocking and, the kicker is, it has Lifelink. In multiples, Scrounger Of Souls can really make a game difficult for your opponent and the lifegain is a real thing in limited.
Torment Of Hailfire
In Hour Of Devastation there is a vertical cycle, a cycle that stays in the same colour but works it's way through the rarities. Torment Of Hailfire is the rare of this cycle and looks very powerful, normally where a spell with X in its mana cost would denote the amount of sat damage or mana would be provided, Torment Of Hailfire's ability is always the same, the X just dictates how many times it happens. Being able hit your opponent for three or maybe to deal with a permanent of your opponents choice isn't always the best of things to do, but when you're able to pay enough to cover all the threats on the table, suddenly the option turns to them choosing between the in play threat or a card from their hand, as most of the time they will want to keep their life as high as they can. I can see a lot of potential with Torment Of Hailfire and I think it will show up in constructed very quickly. In limited it could be a bomb but you are restricted on mana a little more and I feel a lot of the time your opponent will choose to discard cards instead of take the life or sacrifice something.
Torment Of Scarabs
The uncommon in the Torment cycle is an aura, but not just any aura, this ones a Curse. It follows the same effect as Torment Of Hailfire in the sense of it gives your opponent the option between losing three life or a card or nonland permanent, but where Torment Of Hailfire was a sorcery and, in limited anyway, at most a one shot, Torment Of Scarabs is a recurring effect on each of their upkeeps. Four mana for no immediate effect may seem a bit slow but in limited if neither player is doing much in the first couple of turns then Torment Of Scarabs could do a lot of work. You will be happy with this in limited and in multiples they will start to take over the game.
Torment Of Venom
The common Torment is a decent removal spell at instant speed for four mana. You won't be unhappy to play this in your limited deck as it can easily be a two for one, the problem is if you don't kill the targeted creature then that's probably the creature your opponent will sacrifice to circumvent any life lose or card disadvantage. Like I said, you're still going to play it as it's instant speed removal but the best times to play this would be when they have two creatures in play and you're able to have the potential to get rid of both of them.
Vile Manifestation
Obviously Cycling is a big theme through this block and black has provided you with a very aggressive creature to play in those Cycling decks in limited. Vile Manifestation is cheap, it blocks well and it can only get bigger the more cards you Cycle, so between Amonkhet and Hour Of Devastation it could happen very quickly. If you find yourself in a situation where you don't need it, or maybe have multiples, you can always Cycle the others to help pump one in play, giving it an extra point of power and possibly letting you find something a little more useful at the time.
Without Weakness
Without Weakness is a neat little combat trick perfect for those times when your opponent has blocked a creature with multiple creatures. Hopefully you're able to deal with all of them, or at least the majority, and then you can Without Weakness your creature ensuring it's safety while the blocking creatures make their way to the graveyard. Worst comes to worst, it Cycles.
Wretched Camel
A two mana 2/1 is a fine creature and when it has an effect it just gets better. In this block there are a lot of Deserts running around so you can almost be certain to have at least one in your deck. And if you do then Wretched Camel rewards you by making your opponent discard a card when it dies, which may not sound like a lot but there could be times when it's the last card in their hand or one of few, it could be very effective.
Wasp Of The Bitter End
Lastly in the black cards we have Wasp Of The Bitter End, a reasonable two mana 2/1 flyer. In limited, the text pretty much stops there, but if you're lucky enough to pull a Bolas planeswalker, or more likely cast it in the intro deck, then this little 2/1 flyer can turn into an immensely effective removal spell. It comes down early and has evasion, meaning it can fly over and get some damage in, and then if you get to cast your Bolas planeswalker you can sacrifice it to destroy any creature, no restrictions. Most of the time this will just be a two mana 2/1 flyer which is nothing to turn your nose up at.
So that brings us to the end of our look through the black cards in Hour Of Devastation, next up is the red cards so keep checking to Game Changers for more updates.
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