We’re getting into our stride now; two colours down with a third today. It’s time to take a look through all of the black cards from Rivals Of Ixalan. Here we go.
Arterial Flow
It’s Mind Rot with upside, the upside being draining life. Arterial flow is a little more black mana intensive than Mind Rot but the effect is the same and if you control a vampire you get to drain them for 2. I like this card in limited as card selection is at premium so the chances of hitting a bomb or useful card are higher. I could see small application in constructed with or without the tribal aspect being made use of but it’s a little hit and miss.
Canal Monitor
Canal Monitor is easy to splash and a big creature that’s great in combat. It’s not your first choice for a black creature but in a pinch it will do.
Champion Of Dusk
The perfect creature for a vampires deck in the late game. Five mana may be a little steep but you could draw a lot of cards with this guy, and he’s a big 4/4 creature too. The life losses through drawing cards could seem intimidating but he’ll more than make up for it in combat.
Dark Inquiry
Hand disruption in limited is usually pretty poor and Dark Inquiry is no exception. Three mana to get one card out of your opponent’s hand isn’t the best mana to card ratio, though you do get perfect information, but most of the time you’re going to be spending a turn to do this. If you really need an answer to your opponent’s bomb then Dark Inquiry could be a sideboard option in limited but other than that don’t bother.
Dead Man’s Chest
Loving the flavour of this card, stumbling upon a long gone Pirates booty, the problem I have is that Dead Man’s Chest isn’t very good. Sure there are those time you might hit one of their huge bombs and suddenly it’s the best removal spell of all time, kind of. There will be those time however where you hit a handful of dud creatures or situation spells and at that point you will realise you chose to play a card that has had almost literally no effect on the game. I think could be played in commander as there can be such a variety of weird and wonderful cards that you could get your manas worth, but in a competitive sense don’t bother with Dead Man’s Chest in limited or constructed unless you really need another card.
Dinosaur Hunter
It’s going to become a catchphrase but, bears are so good nowadays. A two mana 2/2 used to just be a two mana 2/2, now you have a two mana 2/2 with Deathtouch, albeit circumstantial. It fits in with the flavour nicely and in a very tribal environment like Ixalan limited, Dinosaur Hunter is going to do some work. It’ll probably die in combat after one block but that blocked creature could be a 5/5 dinosaur and that’s a trade up I want to make.
Dire Fleet Poisoner
Pirates seem to be getting more and more aggressive as the set goes on, that’s not a complaint but it is a little bit of a tone shift from the sneaky, stealing pirates of the first set. Dire Fleet Poisoner is a fantastic combat trick wrapped in a two mana creature, it’s just waiting for you opponent to make a block that wouldn’t end up in both creatures trading so it can save the day. Or even for them to get cocky and throw their huge dinosaur in front of your 1/1 pirate only for it go gain Deathtouch and trade off anyway. At worst Dire Fleet Poisoner is a Grizzly Bear with many upsides meaning it’s almost always playable in limited, and I have a sneaking suspicion there could be a pirate deck in constructed that would like this guy.
Dusk Charger
A good four drop to have in those limited black decks, a four mana 3/3 is nothing to scoff at. Dusk Charger can also allow you to Ascend which would turn this horse into a 5/5 making it a powerhorse in combat. Get it :)
Dusk Legion Zealot
This two mana 1/1 fits in well with the vampire tribe of Ixalan, you will always play it in limited as it replaces itself and provides you with an early creature. Depending on what the Vampires deck in constructed is looking for it could fit in pretty nicely there too.
Fathom Fleet Boarder
A good aggressive creature that sits on the curve nicely. The loss of two life may be off putting but it’s only when it enters the battlefield, so on a 3/3 for three I would happily take the life loss to end up with a decent early creature. Fathom Fleet Boarder works very well in a pirate themed deck but can still be a threatening creature in its own right in limited.
Forerunner Of The Coalition
Out of the cycle of Forerunners this is the best in my opinion. It’s cheap, has good stats and the effect seems small but can rack up some damage after you’ve cast a couple of pirates. Oh and it tutors for your best pirate, so there are very few reasons to play Forerunner Of The Coalition. It’s a limited all-star and in multiples will easily take over a game.
Golden Demise
We’ve had Infest and Drown In Sorrow, two cards with this ability and the latter allowed you to Scry as a bonus. Golden Demise utilises the new Ascend mechanic, if you have the cities blessing then it doesn’t effect your creatures which can be immensely helpful. I think for the most part Golden Demise will be used as the new Infest but there will be those times that you will be able to abuse the Ascend and maybe wrath away most of your opponent’s creatures. Limited all-star and constructed sideboard staple in my opinion.
Grasping Scoundrel
A one mana 1/1 that turns into a 2/1 when attacking. It’s not gonna break any formats but you won’t flip a table over this guy either.
Gruesome Fate
I like this card for a token strategy like vampires. It’s cheap so you aren’t investing a lot of mana and it could be your closing spell depending on how many creatures you can generate. Gruesome Fate probably won’t do much from a constructed point of view as the impact may not be as big as you’d want it to be, having creatures hang around tends to be the hard part especially when you cast a spell like this.
Impale
Blacks premium removal spell just got a bit overcosted, usually this effect costs around three mana and the fact that it costs four made me hope for an instant speed removal spell. Unfortunately that’s not the case and players will have to deal with Impale as a sub par removal spell in limited. You’re still going to play it because it’s almost as good as you could hope for but you’ll always remember Murder at three mana.
Mastermind’s Acquisition
Haven’t had a card like this in a while. Not the Demonic Tutor part, that comes and goes frequently sometimes costing four sometimes costing five, it’s hard to pin down the perfect mana for an insanely powerful card. The wish side of Mastermind’s Acquisition is what I’m on about. It’s interesting because in competitive magic that “outside the game” effects essentially just means sideboard, however in casual magic it suddenly involves your whole collection. It’s a weird card to have because it could result in players going back to “Wish boards”, a state wherein players don’t actually have a sideboard but a pile of 15 cards that they can cherry pick when they need it. It’s a tricksy cars too because it can lead to some fun little decks. Limited is a slam dunk I think, finding your bomb will win you the game simple as that. Constructed, maybe maybe not, it’s powerful of course but might not find a home.
Mausoleum Harpy
Mausoleum Harpy is a fine mid game creature, one that you could build your end game prospects around thanks to its potentially powerful ability. First off it gives you the opportunity to Ascend which can then benefit a lot of other cards. In addition to benefiting other cards it also then gains a sweet permanent pump ability when creatures die if you have Ascended. It’s a little costly but I can see playing Mausoleum Harpy in limited because of the potential and it’s easy to splash, plus it’s a 3/3 flyer at worst and that’s not bad really.
Moment Of Craving
A great limited removal spell; it’s cheap, effective and nets you life, what more can you want. Also it isn’t tribal or colour dependent as its easily splashable. I really like this Moment Of Craving.
Oathsworn Vampire
I like this vampire, it’s a bear with upside so naturally it’s good enough to play in limited, and it melds well with the typical vampire mechanic of lifelink. I’m not really sure why it comes into play tapped, other than to stop it blocking when returning from the graveyard, as it does though I could see it maybe having an extra power for your troubles. I think Oathsworn Vampire is going to do some work in limited thanks to its recurring nature and maybe it’s wishful thinking but I would like to see it see play in constructed. It may not be the most powerful creature but it is a nuisance.
Pitiless Plunderer
This guy isn’t awful. It sits on the curve nicely in a slower deck in limited and offers a big advantage; if your creatures aren’t successful in combat, you get a Treasure. This extra mana opens to door to your huge game ending bomb, not to mention is pretty solid as a blocker in combat.
Ravenous Chupacabra
This could be the premium four drop for black in limited. It’s a slightly worse Nekrataal but still very playable, maybe even making it’s way into constructed for the right deck. A way to abuse the enter the battlefield trigger would marry very well with this Chupacabra.
Reaver Ambush
A great removal spell for limited as creatures tend to be a lot smaller. It’s not particularly expensive but at three mana that could be a lot in the early game so it’s good that it’s an instant. Reaver Ambush may find it’s way into constructed but there are usually better removal spells that may eclipse it.
Recover
It’s brings something back in limited and replaces itself, it’s almost like a draw two for three mana and that’s not awful. I’m kind of joking of course but it’s definitely limited playable and could really help if you need your bomb creature back or just a good utility creature.
Sadistic Skymarcher
I wish this guy was a 3/2, I know it would be insanely powerful but it would’ve upped the playability so much more. First off a three mana 2/2 flying lifelinker is alright, that’s providing you have a vampire to reveal to him otherwise it’s slightly overcosted. Sadistic Skymarcher is great in limited because that’s were lifelink is most powerful, it can take a game out of reach of your opponent or bring you right back into one. It’s easy to splash but does need a decent amount of Vampires to get maximum value from it which hopefully won’t be in issue. Sadistic Skymarcher is a creature I’m interested in trying in constructed but I don’t think it will provide a good showing.
Tetzimoc, Primal Death
If you want the definition of a bomb then this is probably it. To kick things off a six mana 6/6 is great, one with a cheap removal ability that pays off just for casting it can be devastating. Oh and it has Deathtouch so anything that gets in Tetzimoc’s way won’t be around much longer. A limited powerhouse and a creature I could see breaking into standard opposing those creature heavy decks.
Tomb Robber
Not much to explain about Tomb Robber; cheap, hard to block and can grow ever bigger thanks to Explore. It could be a little slow for some pirate decks but it’s a reusable effect that could turn this innocuous 1/1 Menace into a force to be reckoned with. Always in limited and as far as constructed goes, it depends if we end up with a more midrange/control pirate deck, in which case this could be your creature.
Twilight Prophet
I had to read this card twice because the first time around I though it was just an overcosted, weird Dark Confidant. I love it, a four mana 2/4 flyer isn’t anything special but when you Ascend it starts producing card advantage and draining life. It isn’t cheap and comes down in the mid game so by that point you should’ve hopefully Ascended so you can start hitting them in the face the following turn, but even if you haven’t Twilight Prophet makes for a decent attacker and fairly good blocker. The power level is there for constructed but it might be hindered by the mana cost and as for limited, it’s a really good creature that may give you some upside later in the game so always play it.
Vampire Revenant
This guy is bad. It’s overcosted, really fragile and it’s only saving grace is it contribution to the vampire tribe. Don’t play this unless you really need a four mana flyer.
Vona’s Hunger
I love this card because it’s a step in the right direction of dethroning Temur Energy. There are those times when the Temur player only has a Bristling Hydra with a tonne of energy so any targeted removal spell is useless. Vona’s Hunger doesn’t care, get that overgrown snake off the table. Even in those times of Whirler Virtuoso’s, various tokens and other creatures in play, Vona’s Hunger could be a god send if you can Ascend, acting as an instant speed half Wrath. Limited playable but constructed is where this one will have an impact.
Voracious Vampire
This is exactly what an aggressive vampires deck wants in limited, it creatures evasion as well as a power boost. If you can find a way of abusing Voracious Vampires enter the battlefield trigger or have multiples then it could make winning the game a piece of cake. Even on its own it’s still awkward to block and if you can pile some auras or equipment onto it then Voracious Vampire can do work.
Just under halfway done now but don’t worry, there’s still a lot more to come. Tomorrow we’ll be looking through all of the red cards from Rivals Of Ixalan and it’s one you don’t want to miss. Remember, if any cards so far have interested you and you’re looking for a place to pick them up, look no further than https://arcanecardshop.co.uk/.
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