It’s wednesday so you all know what that means, It’s time for all of the black cards in Dominaria.
So without further delay let’s jump right in.
Blessing Of Belzenlok
Great limited combat trick, super cheap and effective. Blessing Of Belzenlok gives you an extra little bit if the targeted creature is Legendary which won’t be hard to find in Dominaria limited.
Cabal Evangel
It’s a bear. Fine in limited, nothing in constructed.
Cabal Paladin
I like Cabal Paladin in limited because it’s a naturally aggressive, four power for four mana is on curve but the effect is what put this over the edge. If you get to untap with Cabal Paladin then any Historic card you play Shocks your opponent and it only takes a handful to really put the pressure on. Cabal Paladin is a little fragile so it probably won’t hang around long, between removal spells and combat there will be something that takes it out.
Caligo Skin-Witch
Caligo Skin-Witch doubles up as a decent early blocker and late game hand disruption. For two mana you get a 1/3 that can hold the ground for a turn or so and if you can wait until the late game then you could have a six mana 1/3 that takes two cards away from your opponent. All of this playability revolves solely around limited as this would be too much of an investment for constructed, but in limited Caligo Skin-Witch is a fine utility creature for slower, more late game focused decks.
Cast Down
It’s so nice to have a good, straight up removal spell at two mana in standard again, not since the days of Doom Blade has a removal spell graced midrange and control decks alike throughout a standard metagame. Cast Down has its drawbacks, especially in Dominaria limited with all of the Legends running around, but It’s still very playable and in a creature focused format very useful. It’s obviously got standard applications and it certainly will make the cut of constructed playability, get ready to see a lot of Cast Down.
Chainer’s Torment
I’m not thrilled with this Saga, four mana to drain 2 life isn’t very good and even with the second counter you’ve only drained 4 life. The last effect is alright, depending on the amount of damage you’ve already taken, I can see it making a 6/6 or around those stats. Having a hefty creature may be all well and good but it also hits you for a chunk of life on turn six for your troubles, in limited that could be good enough if you have enough board presence to protect your life total but it’s a dud for constructed.
Dark Bargain
Four mana to draw two cards is the standard right now: Hieroglyphic Illuminations, Glimmer Of Genius. Played in the right deck Dark Bargain could often act as a draw three for four mana if you can utilise your graveyard well and the 2 life lost for doing this isn’t much. I like it in limited and could even see an argument for one or two in constructed, a mid range control deck for example.
Deathbloom Thallid
Deathbloom Thallid is great in limited, could trade up and even when it does die it leaves a little 1/1 behind for an extra block. On curve I really like Deathbloom Thallid, if your opponent can’t find a blocker for it then this Thallid can start doing some damage. Because of the single black in its mana cost running multiple Deathbloom Thallid doesn’t punish you too much.
Demonic Vigor
Demonic Vigor is a fantastic limited aura, it gives the enchanted creature a power toughness boost and longevity. For one mana there really isn’t a reason not to play this mainly because the backlash isn’t as bad as other auras. I could see this making an appearance in modern with Bogles but as they don’t tend to play black Demonic Vigor probably isn’t enough to create a four colour variant.
Demonlord Belzenlok
This one will be short. A six mana 6/6 Flying Trample is stupid powerful and is a total limited bomb, the added card draw is just a massive bonus. You’re always going to get at least one card off of Demonlord Belzenlok any more and it starts to get silly, but realistically you’re not going to be playing that many cards on the mid to top end of your curve. The incremental lifeloss therefore is negligible and you will be a non-zero amount of cards as a massive threat up.
Divest
Divest is Dominaria’s iteration of Duress, one mana hand disruption with some sort of restriction. This time around the only targets are creatures and artifacts, implying that artifacts will be heavily played in the coming months, but even just being able to hit creatures in the current format is probably enough. Aggressive formats hate to see cards like this as it can really put them off their stride and Divest can really tear apart a Vehicles deck very quickly. I don’t know if constructed really wants it now but you will most probably hit something almost every time you cast it, don’t bother with it in limited because it’s slow and can put you in a position where you have to take something really meh and underwhelming.
Dread Shade
Auto-bomb in limited straight away. Three mana for three power is definitely worth it and the +1/+1 for a single black mana makes Dread Shade a brilliant mana sink in the late game. Dread Shade is a huge commitment to black but it has a good payoff, there’s even a chance it could see constructed play in a Mono Black Control deck, dropping a Dread Shade early in a match and using a tonne of removal and hand disruption to protect it.
Drudge Sentinel
A below the curve creature with a great defensive ability. Limited only owing massively to its mana consumption.
The Eldest Reborn
This is just value all the way down. Removing a creature for five mana may not seem great but in limited it will do and if your opponent only has a planeswalker you would be more than happy to pay five mana to take it out. The second counter takes a card out of your opponent’s hand, they do get to choose the card so it’s not all that powerful but a card is a card. The Elder Reborn really comes together with the third counter when you get to reanimate a creature or a planeswalker and not just from your graveyard, your opponent’s is fair game as well. Individually, these effects may not seem like much but add them all together and suddenly five mana (and two turns later) doesn’t seem that bad. If you can control the board with removal and counter magic then The Elder Reborn could put you in a really powerful position, you could even fuel your own graveyard to give you good targets for the last effect and just using the first two effects for value. I don’t think The Elder Reborn will break into standard as the real pay off won’t happen until turn seven and five mana is a lot to drop for an Edict effect but in limited this is a great late game enchantment that could give you an edge.
Eviscerate
Nice and simple. Six mana, destroy target creature. You’ll play one, maybe two if you have to, in limited and Eviscerate won’t see any constructed play.
Feral Abomination
This is your top end creature, the one you go two when you’ve tried everything and just need a big intimidating creature. For six mana you get a 5/5 with Deathtouch. It’s big, it’s dumb and it’ll do the job in limited.
Final Parting
Without the ability to abuse your graveyard Final Parting is an overcosted tutor, it is probably slightly better than an actual tutor in limited as it thins your deck by two cards instead of one. I don’t think I like Final Parting in standard but maybe modern as a way to find both your reanimation target and reanimation spell. It is a little costly even for that but it’s a nice idea.
Fungal Infection
This is a win-win combat trick/removal spell: it’s cheap, instant speed and gives you a blocker to boot. It’s great in limited and in multiples, Fungal Infection could see some constructed as well but removal isn’t at as much of a premium and it could be muscled out by cards like Moment Of Craving.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight
Love it, I love all of Josu Vess, right down to the flavour with Liliana. A four mana 4/5 menace is insane in both limited and constructed, it’s just a powerhouse that has to be dealt with quick. The flip side of Josu Vess is that in the late game, when you’ve got nine mana lying around, she gives you the option of 20 points of power. It is a little eggs-in-one-basket but Josu Vess will see play everywhere, it’s great in aggressive situations and possibly better in a long game control deck. One to watch.
Kazarov, Senior Pureblood
Another limited bomb creature: swingy, powerful and potentially game winning. If your opponent can’t contain Kazarov then the incremental +1/+1 counters and the removal ability will make light work of your opponent’s creatures. If you’re in black in limited you should always play Kazarov, splashing one mountain to use its ability if necessary, because as soon as you cast it the game will go one of two ways: your opponent will have the removal spell for Kazarov or they will concede before things start to get very bad for them.
Knight Of Malice
The counterpart to Knight Of Grace, Knight Of Malice probably stands in a slightly better position. Although a lot of removal is going to be cantered in black right now Cast Out, Ixalan’s Binding and Settle The Wreckage are running around all over the place making Knight Of Malice an effective evasive creature. It’s obviously great in limited just as a two mana 2/2 First Strike, the Hexproof from white will come into the situation every now and again but that’s not particularly a selling point in sealed.
Lich’s Mastery
This is either a fantastic combo card or a huge troll. There are a lot of words on Lich’s Mastery which can be a little intimidating and bore a lot of people before they finish reading it. The first word however was good enough to keep me reading - Hexproof. At six mana you’d expect Lich’s Mastery to have a very swingy effect so getting started with Hexproof is good, the next line of text keeps that swingyness going - you can’t lose the game. Already, my mind is racing with ways to abuse the fact that I can’t lose the game and luckily Lich’s Mastery provides you with a great answer to those questions. First off though, the advantage you can gain from any life gain in conjunction with Lich’s Mastery could easily get out of hand quickly: casting a Renewed Faith while controlling Lich’s Mastery draws you six cards while gaining you six life at instant speed for example. Losing life isn’t great in any situation but especially here where you will have to sacrifice a permanent for each life lost in addition to losing it, however this six mana enchantment lets you circumvent any permanent sacrificing by giving you the option of exiling a card from your hand or graveyard. Because of these options you could viably run Lich’s Mastery in constructed, as I mentioned the card advantage could be immense and the life loss effect, depending on how full your graveyard is, could be negligible. The triple black in the mana cost is awkward but getting into the late same it becomes easier to cast, I'm sure there will be a combo that pushes the boundaries with this enchantment but part of me still thinks that it’s not going to make it into standard but I could see modern.
Don’t rub Lich’s Mastery in limited, it’s a big trap and you will lose the game.
Lingering Phantom
Normally I’d say that a creature that costs as much as Lingering Phantom does isn’t limited playable, even with the re-buy effect. However, since the unification of Legendaries, Sagas and artifacts and them playing a part in re-buying Lingering Phantom, I think it’s incredibly limited playable. Lingering Phantom will almost always at least trade with something in combat and being able to do that over and over again gives you a lot of advantage in the long game, if Lingering Phantom doesn’t trade and isn’t dealt with it will quickly take care of your opponent. I wouldn’t recommend multiples but one on the top end of your curve will do just fine.
Phyrexian Scriptures
The incremental effects of the new Saga enchantments could really warp the current metagame, especially with an effect like Phyrexian Scriptures. For four mana you get a permanent +1/+1 counter immediately, it does also turn the pumped creature into an artifact which may not be that relevant. Turns out it is relevant here with Phyrexian Scriptures’ second effect, Wrath-ing all non-artifact creatures. At this point you’ve actually gotten a weirdly slow Damnation and a slightly bigger creature for your troubles, I would be happy to let it end here but there’s more. Lastly, Phyrexian Scriptures happily takes your opponent’s graveyard with it on its way out the door just to stop any recurrence shenanigans they may have. This is a limited all star and could win you a game on its own (that’s a little hyperbolic seeing as you will need a creature to go with it) and I definitely could see this in construed playing well with a lot of artifact creatures getting every little bit out of the second ability. There isn’t really any diminishing returns with Phyrexian Scriptures either thanks to the permanent power toughness bonus and multiple Wrath effects, the potential power is there I think it just needs to be utilised properly to have a real impact.
Rat Colony
This is Relentless Rat’s you get brother: it’s cheaper, has the same power and similar effects. I don’t see Rat Colony making it into constructed but I love it in limited, you can draft all of these and have a very aggressive, low cost deck. Unfortunately, the Rat Colony will only gain a power boost from each other Colony where Relentless Rats had the full +1/+1 but having a load of X/1 rats can still take the game for you. I would really like to see a limited Rat Colony deck with Tetsuko Umezawa allowing them to get through combat in hindered.
Rites Of Belzenlok
I want to like this card because it does have a tempting payoff, but honestly it feels like a lot of work for the demon to ultimately just get removed. Maybe I’m thinking to big, maybe Rites Of Belzenlok is meant to be a limited bomb and nothing else and it is a limited bomb that’s for sure. It starts off slow, four mana for a 0/1, but if you can protect Rites Of Belzenlok then the 6/6 Flying Trampler will probably win you the game.
Settle The Score
This will be premium removal in limited, the additional loyalty counters won’t always have an impact as you likely won’t control a planeswalker but when you do that’s just gravy. You want to run one, maybe two in limited but it really depends on how controlling your deck is and what your curve is like. Settle The Score probably wont see constructed play as there are better spells at four mana even if the loyalty counters are appealing.
Soul Salvage
The ability to re-buy creatures in limited is a good one, you may have had to run less than average creatures for example or maybe just to find your bomb creature again. Other than that there isn’t much else more to say about Soul Salvage, you probably want to be getting two creatures back every time for three mana but in a pinch a one mana Raise Dead is fine. Don’t run multiples though as they have diminishing returns.
Stronghold Confessor
This is one of my picks for limited all star. A one mana 1/1 Menace is good as you can start building your own big evasive creature, then late in the game you can have a four mana 3/3 with Menace. In a midrange creature deck I could see Stronghold Confessor sewing constructed play, maybe after a turn two or three Winding Constrictor to turn the Confessor into a four mana 4/4 with Menace. Multiples in limited are fine because of the evasion but don’t go overboard on it.
Thallid Omnivore
A good limited sacrifice outlet with something a little extra for Saprolings. Thallid Omnivore is a mid-game creature that could get you to the late game by providing a road block depending on how many creatures you can sacrifice. Without creatures to sacrifice Thallid Omnivore is still a good four mana 3/3, I would probably run one in my limited deck as I wouldn’t want to get bogged down with four drops.
Thallid Soothsayer
Another brilliant limited creature. Thallid Soothsayer comes down in the mid game and gives you some decent blocking options but the main aspect of this four mana 2/3 is its sacrifice ability: at worst you can get a card out of it for two mana and if it’s left unanswered you could start getting a lot of card advantage out of Thallid Soothsayer, granted you have enough creatures. This guy makes combat a nightmare for your opponent as you will end up just throwing guys in front of your opponent’s creatures and sacrificing them before damage, the card draw will start to snowball and could easily overwhelm your opponent. You probably only want a couple in limited and it won’t get anywhere in construed but it’s a nice option to have that allows you to dig trough your deck when you need it.
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate
Big swingy bomb alert! Torgaar is going to run the tables in limited, most probably coming down earlier than it’s mana cost would suggest. It could put you in a bit of a predicament if your opponent has a counterspell, as sacrificing creatures to make Torgaar cheaper is an additional cost. No one plays counterspells in limited though so you should be absolutely fine to run out Torgaar whenever you can, even if your opponent ends up having a removal spell you still get the effect, which could either turn out to be a pseudo-burn spell or a way to keep you in the game by setting you at 10 life. I think the high mana cost and sacrificing creatures is worth a huge 7/6 creature with an enter the battlefield ability like this, id like to see Torgaar in a constructed ramp deck alongside Llanowar Elves as well where you could feasibly slam it on turns three or four. The potential is there.
Urgoros, The Empty One
Urgoros is underwhelming to me, a 4/3 flyer for six seems a bit over-costed even if it does come with the “Specter” ability. Obviously it’s super powerful in limited and you may even get a card or two out of it but if your opponent has any sense they will keep discarding cards to Urgoros, it’s better to lose cards than for your opponent to gain them.
Vicious Offering
This card is fantastic, it’s cheap removal and it gives you play in the long game. Vicious Offering can always take out a smaller creature and if you have an extra creature lying around then it turns into a cheap one for one for one of your opponent’s bigger threats. At worst it always works as a combat trick to help you keep up if you’ve fallen behind in the race a little. Limited and constructed playable and I think it will have a great impact in limited especially.
Whisper, Blood Liturgist
Reusable reanimating is incredibly powerful, it does come at the cost of two creatures but the ends justify the means. The best part is that nothing gets exiled like so many other reanimating effects, so as long as you can keep dropping creatures you could constantly rotate things in your graveyard. Four mana isn’t a problem in limited and it’s not a huge black commitment, that does change slightly in a constructed sense. With no immediate impact on the game Whisper probably won’t see the constructed tables in a top tier environment it’s slightly costed out even though the effect is very powerful, I’d like to try it out but I feel that it’s going to be a venture in futility.
Windgrace Acolyte
Great limited evasive creature, without too much colour commitment, for the mid to late game. You are losing three cards in exchange for three life and Windgrace Acolyte will probably soak up another three or four damage, so all in all this five mana flyer could net you like six life. I wouldn’t run more than one for fear of decking myself, the lifegain is tempting but I’d rather not push it.
Yargle, Glutton Of Urborg
Meh. Big, dumb, top end creature. Yes, it’s nine power for five mana but it is very fragile, a well placed removal spell or decent blocker can take Yargle down. Of course I would run Yargle in limited because it’s easy to cast and if your opponent doesn’t have an answer it’s probably going to be a two turn clock. Bare in mind that Yargle is a legend so if you do come across multiple be sure not to run out two five mana 9/3’s at the same time.
Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering
On the one hand Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is a reanimation spell for a creature or a planeswalker. On the other it destroys one of the aforementioned card types. Both of these effects are very powerful, especially the planeswalker reanimation as you can use it straight away, and for five mana it could see constructed play when you’re spending what probably would be a whole turn to reanimate and destroy something isn’t a bad idea. Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is kinda like two spells wrapped together, sure there might not always be a target for the second half but five mana to get my bomb creature or planeswalker back is fair. If I had to then a five mana removal spell is ok but I wouldn’t feel good about it, the sweet spot is obviously hitting both sides to get maximum effect. Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is great in limited because it gives you options the later into the game you get and for constructed, I would love to see a control deck run a couple of these using them to really damage your opponent’s board.
Great limited combat trick, super cheap and effective. Blessing Of Belzenlok gives you an extra little bit if the targeted creature is Legendary which won’t be hard to find in Dominaria limited.
Cabal Evangel
It’s a bear. Fine in limited, nothing in constructed.
Cabal Paladin
I like Cabal Paladin in limited because it’s a naturally aggressive, four power for four mana is on curve but the effect is what put this over the edge. If you get to untap with Cabal Paladin then any Historic card you play Shocks your opponent and it only takes a handful to really put the pressure on. Cabal Paladin is a little fragile so it probably won’t hang around long, between removal spells and combat there will be something that takes it out.
Caligo Skin-Witch
Caligo Skin-Witch doubles up as a decent early blocker and late game hand disruption. For two mana you get a 1/3 that can hold the ground for a turn or so and if you can wait until the late game then you could have a six mana 1/3 that takes two cards away from your opponent. All of this playability revolves solely around limited as this would be too much of an investment for constructed, but in limited Caligo Skin-Witch is a fine utility creature for slower, more late game focused decks.
Cast Down
It’s so nice to have a good, straight up removal spell at two mana in standard again, not since the days of Doom Blade has a removal spell graced midrange and control decks alike throughout a standard metagame. Cast Down has its drawbacks, especially in Dominaria limited with all of the Legends running around, but It’s still very playable and in a creature focused format very useful. It’s obviously got standard applications and it certainly will make the cut of constructed playability, get ready to see a lot of Cast Down.
Chainer’s Torment
I’m not thrilled with this Saga, four mana to drain 2 life isn’t very good and even with the second counter you’ve only drained 4 life. The last effect is alright, depending on the amount of damage you’ve already taken, I can see it making a 6/6 or around those stats. Having a hefty creature may be all well and good but it also hits you for a chunk of life on turn six for your troubles, in limited that could be good enough if you have enough board presence to protect your life total but it’s a dud for constructed.
Dark Bargain
Four mana to draw two cards is the standard right now: Hieroglyphic Illuminations, Glimmer Of Genius. Played in the right deck Dark Bargain could often act as a draw three for four mana if you can utilise your graveyard well and the 2 life lost for doing this isn’t much. I like it in limited and could even see an argument for one or two in constructed, a mid range control deck for example.
Deathbloom Thallid
Deathbloom Thallid is great in limited, could trade up and even when it does die it leaves a little 1/1 behind for an extra block. On curve I really like Deathbloom Thallid, if your opponent can’t find a blocker for it then this Thallid can start doing some damage. Because of the single black in its mana cost running multiple Deathbloom Thallid doesn’t punish you too much.
Demonic Vigor
Demonic Vigor is a fantastic limited aura, it gives the enchanted creature a power toughness boost and longevity. For one mana there really isn’t a reason not to play this mainly because the backlash isn’t as bad as other auras. I could see this making an appearance in modern with Bogles but as they don’t tend to play black Demonic Vigor probably isn’t enough to create a four colour variant.
Demonlord Belzenlok
This one will be short. A six mana 6/6 Flying Trample is stupid powerful and is a total limited bomb, the added card draw is just a massive bonus. You’re always going to get at least one card off of Demonlord Belzenlok any more and it starts to get silly, but realistically you’re not going to be playing that many cards on the mid to top end of your curve. The incremental lifeloss therefore is negligible and you will be a non-zero amount of cards as a massive threat up.
Divest
Divest is Dominaria’s iteration of Duress, one mana hand disruption with some sort of restriction. This time around the only targets are creatures and artifacts, implying that artifacts will be heavily played in the coming months, but even just being able to hit creatures in the current format is probably enough. Aggressive formats hate to see cards like this as it can really put them off their stride and Divest can really tear apart a Vehicles deck very quickly. I don’t know if constructed really wants it now but you will most probably hit something almost every time you cast it, don’t bother with it in limited because it’s slow and can put you in a position where you have to take something really meh and underwhelming.
Dread Shade
Auto-bomb in limited straight away. Three mana for three power is definitely worth it and the +1/+1 for a single black mana makes Dread Shade a brilliant mana sink in the late game. Dread Shade is a huge commitment to black but it has a good payoff, there’s even a chance it could see constructed play in a Mono Black Control deck, dropping a Dread Shade early in a match and using a tonne of removal and hand disruption to protect it.
Drudge Sentinel
A below the curve creature with a great defensive ability. Limited only owing massively to its mana consumption.
The Eldest Reborn
This is just value all the way down. Removing a creature for five mana may not seem great but in limited it will do and if your opponent only has a planeswalker you would be more than happy to pay five mana to take it out. The second counter takes a card out of your opponent’s hand, they do get to choose the card so it’s not all that powerful but a card is a card. The Elder Reborn really comes together with the third counter when you get to reanimate a creature or a planeswalker and not just from your graveyard, your opponent’s is fair game as well. Individually, these effects may not seem like much but add them all together and suddenly five mana (and two turns later) doesn’t seem that bad. If you can control the board with removal and counter magic then The Elder Reborn could put you in a really powerful position, you could even fuel your own graveyard to give you good targets for the last effect and just using the first two effects for value. I don’t think The Elder Reborn will break into standard as the real pay off won’t happen until turn seven and five mana is a lot to drop for an Edict effect but in limited this is a great late game enchantment that could give you an edge.
Eviscerate
Nice and simple. Six mana, destroy target creature. You’ll play one, maybe two if you have to, in limited and Eviscerate won’t see any constructed play.
Feral Abomination
This is your top end creature, the one you go two when you’ve tried everything and just need a big intimidating creature. For six mana you get a 5/5 with Deathtouch. It’s big, it’s dumb and it’ll do the job in limited.
Final Parting
Without the ability to abuse your graveyard Final Parting is an overcosted tutor, it is probably slightly better than an actual tutor in limited as it thins your deck by two cards instead of one. I don’t think I like Final Parting in standard but maybe modern as a way to find both your reanimation target and reanimation spell. It is a little costly even for that but it’s a nice idea.
Fungal Infection
This is a win-win combat trick/removal spell: it’s cheap, instant speed and gives you a blocker to boot. It’s great in limited and in multiples, Fungal Infection could see some constructed as well but removal isn’t at as much of a premium and it could be muscled out by cards like Moment Of Craving.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight
Love it, I love all of Josu Vess, right down to the flavour with Liliana. A four mana 4/5 menace is insane in both limited and constructed, it’s just a powerhouse that has to be dealt with quick. The flip side of Josu Vess is that in the late game, when you’ve got nine mana lying around, she gives you the option of 20 points of power. It is a little eggs-in-one-basket but Josu Vess will see play everywhere, it’s great in aggressive situations and possibly better in a long game control deck. One to watch.
Kazarov, Senior Pureblood
Another limited bomb creature: swingy, powerful and potentially game winning. If your opponent can’t contain Kazarov then the incremental +1/+1 counters and the removal ability will make light work of your opponent’s creatures. If you’re in black in limited you should always play Kazarov, splashing one mountain to use its ability if necessary, because as soon as you cast it the game will go one of two ways: your opponent will have the removal spell for Kazarov or they will concede before things start to get very bad for them.
Knight Of Malice
The counterpart to Knight Of Grace, Knight Of Malice probably stands in a slightly better position. Although a lot of removal is going to be cantered in black right now Cast Out, Ixalan’s Binding and Settle The Wreckage are running around all over the place making Knight Of Malice an effective evasive creature. It’s obviously great in limited just as a two mana 2/2 First Strike, the Hexproof from white will come into the situation every now and again but that’s not particularly a selling point in sealed.
Lich’s Mastery
This is either a fantastic combo card or a huge troll. There are a lot of words on Lich’s Mastery which can be a little intimidating and bore a lot of people before they finish reading it. The first word however was good enough to keep me reading - Hexproof. At six mana you’d expect Lich’s Mastery to have a very swingy effect so getting started with Hexproof is good, the next line of text keeps that swingyness going - you can’t lose the game. Already, my mind is racing with ways to abuse the fact that I can’t lose the game and luckily Lich’s Mastery provides you with a great answer to those questions. First off though, the advantage you can gain from any life gain in conjunction with Lich’s Mastery could easily get out of hand quickly: casting a Renewed Faith while controlling Lich’s Mastery draws you six cards while gaining you six life at instant speed for example. Losing life isn’t great in any situation but especially here where you will have to sacrifice a permanent for each life lost in addition to losing it, however this six mana enchantment lets you circumvent any permanent sacrificing by giving you the option of exiling a card from your hand or graveyard. Because of these options you could viably run Lich’s Mastery in constructed, as I mentioned the card advantage could be immense and the life loss effect, depending on how full your graveyard is, could be negligible. The triple black in the mana cost is awkward but getting into the late same it becomes easier to cast, I'm sure there will be a combo that pushes the boundaries with this enchantment but part of me still thinks that it’s not going to make it into standard but I could see modern.
Don’t rub Lich’s Mastery in limited, it’s a big trap and you will lose the game.
Lingering Phantom
Normally I’d say that a creature that costs as much as Lingering Phantom does isn’t limited playable, even with the re-buy effect. However, since the unification of Legendaries, Sagas and artifacts and them playing a part in re-buying Lingering Phantom, I think it’s incredibly limited playable. Lingering Phantom will almost always at least trade with something in combat and being able to do that over and over again gives you a lot of advantage in the long game, if Lingering Phantom doesn’t trade and isn’t dealt with it will quickly take care of your opponent. I wouldn’t recommend multiples but one on the top end of your curve will do just fine.
Phyrexian Scriptures
The incremental effects of the new Saga enchantments could really warp the current metagame, especially with an effect like Phyrexian Scriptures. For four mana you get a permanent +1/+1 counter immediately, it does also turn the pumped creature into an artifact which may not be that relevant. Turns out it is relevant here with Phyrexian Scriptures’ second effect, Wrath-ing all non-artifact creatures. At this point you’ve actually gotten a weirdly slow Damnation and a slightly bigger creature for your troubles, I would be happy to let it end here but there’s more. Lastly, Phyrexian Scriptures happily takes your opponent’s graveyard with it on its way out the door just to stop any recurrence shenanigans they may have. This is a limited all star and could win you a game on its own (that’s a little hyperbolic seeing as you will need a creature to go with it) and I definitely could see this in construed playing well with a lot of artifact creatures getting every little bit out of the second ability. There isn’t really any diminishing returns with Phyrexian Scriptures either thanks to the permanent power toughness bonus and multiple Wrath effects, the potential power is there I think it just needs to be utilised properly to have a real impact.
Rat Colony
This is Relentless Rat’s you get brother: it’s cheaper, has the same power and similar effects. I don’t see Rat Colony making it into constructed but I love it in limited, you can draft all of these and have a very aggressive, low cost deck. Unfortunately, the Rat Colony will only gain a power boost from each other Colony where Relentless Rats had the full +1/+1 but having a load of X/1 rats can still take the game for you. I would really like to see a limited Rat Colony deck with Tetsuko Umezawa allowing them to get through combat in hindered.
Rites Of Belzenlok
I want to like this card because it does have a tempting payoff, but honestly it feels like a lot of work for the demon to ultimately just get removed. Maybe I’m thinking to big, maybe Rites Of Belzenlok is meant to be a limited bomb and nothing else and it is a limited bomb that’s for sure. It starts off slow, four mana for a 0/1, but if you can protect Rites Of Belzenlok then the 6/6 Flying Trampler will probably win you the game.
Settle The Score
This will be premium removal in limited, the additional loyalty counters won’t always have an impact as you likely won’t control a planeswalker but when you do that’s just gravy. You want to run one, maybe two in limited but it really depends on how controlling your deck is and what your curve is like. Settle The Score probably wont see constructed play as there are better spells at four mana even if the loyalty counters are appealing.
Soul Salvage
The ability to re-buy creatures in limited is a good one, you may have had to run less than average creatures for example or maybe just to find your bomb creature again. Other than that there isn’t much else more to say about Soul Salvage, you probably want to be getting two creatures back every time for three mana but in a pinch a one mana Raise Dead is fine. Don’t run multiples though as they have diminishing returns.
Stronghold Confessor
This is one of my picks for limited all star. A one mana 1/1 Menace is good as you can start building your own big evasive creature, then late in the game you can have a four mana 3/3 with Menace. In a midrange creature deck I could see Stronghold Confessor sewing constructed play, maybe after a turn two or three Winding Constrictor to turn the Confessor into a four mana 4/4 with Menace. Multiples in limited are fine because of the evasion but don’t go overboard on it.
Thallid Omnivore
A good limited sacrifice outlet with something a little extra for Saprolings. Thallid Omnivore is a mid-game creature that could get you to the late game by providing a road block depending on how many creatures you can sacrifice. Without creatures to sacrifice Thallid Omnivore is still a good four mana 3/3, I would probably run one in my limited deck as I wouldn’t want to get bogged down with four drops.
Thallid Soothsayer
Another brilliant limited creature. Thallid Soothsayer comes down in the mid game and gives you some decent blocking options but the main aspect of this four mana 2/3 is its sacrifice ability: at worst you can get a card out of it for two mana and if it’s left unanswered you could start getting a lot of card advantage out of Thallid Soothsayer, granted you have enough creatures. This guy makes combat a nightmare for your opponent as you will end up just throwing guys in front of your opponent’s creatures and sacrificing them before damage, the card draw will start to snowball and could easily overwhelm your opponent. You probably only want a couple in limited and it won’t get anywhere in construed but it’s a nice option to have that allows you to dig trough your deck when you need it.
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate
Big swingy bomb alert! Torgaar is going to run the tables in limited, most probably coming down earlier than it’s mana cost would suggest. It could put you in a bit of a predicament if your opponent has a counterspell, as sacrificing creatures to make Torgaar cheaper is an additional cost. No one plays counterspells in limited though so you should be absolutely fine to run out Torgaar whenever you can, even if your opponent ends up having a removal spell you still get the effect, which could either turn out to be a pseudo-burn spell or a way to keep you in the game by setting you at 10 life. I think the high mana cost and sacrificing creatures is worth a huge 7/6 creature with an enter the battlefield ability like this, id like to see Torgaar in a constructed ramp deck alongside Llanowar Elves as well where you could feasibly slam it on turns three or four. The potential is there.
Urgoros, The Empty One
Urgoros is underwhelming to me, a 4/3 flyer for six seems a bit over-costed even if it does come with the “Specter” ability. Obviously it’s super powerful in limited and you may even get a card or two out of it but if your opponent has any sense they will keep discarding cards to Urgoros, it’s better to lose cards than for your opponent to gain them.
Vicious Offering
This card is fantastic, it’s cheap removal and it gives you play in the long game. Vicious Offering can always take out a smaller creature and if you have an extra creature lying around then it turns into a cheap one for one for one of your opponent’s bigger threats. At worst it always works as a combat trick to help you keep up if you’ve fallen behind in the race a little. Limited and constructed playable and I think it will have a great impact in limited especially.
Whisper, Blood Liturgist
Reusable reanimating is incredibly powerful, it does come at the cost of two creatures but the ends justify the means. The best part is that nothing gets exiled like so many other reanimating effects, so as long as you can keep dropping creatures you could constantly rotate things in your graveyard. Four mana isn’t a problem in limited and it’s not a huge black commitment, that does change slightly in a constructed sense. With no immediate impact on the game Whisper probably won’t see the constructed tables in a top tier environment it’s slightly costed out even though the effect is very powerful, I’d like to try it out but I feel that it’s going to be a venture in futility.
Windgrace Acolyte
Great limited evasive creature, without too much colour commitment, for the mid to late game. You are losing three cards in exchange for three life and Windgrace Acolyte will probably soak up another three or four damage, so all in all this five mana flyer could net you like six life. I wouldn’t run more than one for fear of decking myself, the lifegain is tempting but I’d rather not push it.
Yargle, Glutton Of Urborg
Meh. Big, dumb, top end creature. Yes, it’s nine power for five mana but it is very fragile, a well placed removal spell or decent blocker can take Yargle down. Of course I would run Yargle in limited because it’s easy to cast and if your opponent doesn’t have an answer it’s probably going to be a two turn clock. Bare in mind that Yargle is a legend so if you do come across multiple be sure not to run out two five mana 9/3’s at the same time.
Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering
On the one hand Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is a reanimation spell for a creature or a planeswalker. On the other it destroys one of the aforementioned card types. Both of these effects are very powerful, especially the planeswalker reanimation as you can use it straight away, and for five mana it could see constructed play when you’re spending what probably would be a whole turn to reanimate and destroy something isn’t a bad idea. Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is kinda like two spells wrapped together, sure there might not always be a target for the second half but five mana to get my bomb creature or planeswalker back is fair. If I had to then a five mana removal spell is ok but I wouldn’t feel good about it, the sweet spot is obviously hitting both sides to get maximum effect. Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering is great in limited because it gives you options the later into the game you get and for constructed, I would love to see a control deck run a couple of these using them to really damage your opponent’s board.
With that we have reached the end of our look at the black cards from Dominaria. This set is overflowing with flavour and lore all of it rich and exciting, I think it's a great way of introducing newer players to Magic showcasing some brilliant design and fantastic story telling. Make sure to come back tomorrow for a look at all of the red cards, and keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news, updates and set reviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment