Worldwake Set Review – Black
Posted by Luis Scott-Vargas
February 2, 2010 | 
54 comments
As per last time, here are the grading scales I'm going to use, although I did add half-points to the Constructed scale. Too many cards got either "2" or "3", when in reality they should have been somewhere in between.
Constructed
5.0: Multi-format All-Star. Bitterblossom. Tarmogoyf.
4.0: Format staple. Mutavault. Baneslayer Angel.
3.5: Good in multiple archetypes, but not a format staple. Ajani Vengeant. Ranger of Eos.
3.0: Archetype staple. Mulldrifter. Scion of Oona.
2.5: Role-player in some decks, but not quite a staple. Rampant Growth. Divination.
2.0: Niche card. Sideboard or currently unknown archetype. Fracturing Gust. (Bear in mind that many cards fall into this "maybe" category, although explanation of why is obviously important)
1.0 It has seen play once. One with Nothing. (I believe it was "tech" vs Owling Mine, although fairly suspicious tech at that.)
Limited
5.0: I will always play this card. Period.
4.5: I will almost always play this card, regardless of what else I get.
4.0: I will strongly consider playing this as the only card of its color.
3.5: I feel a strong pull into this card's color.
3.0: This card makes me want to play this color. (Given that I'm playing that color, I will play this card 100% of the time.)
2.5: Several cards of this power level start to pull me into this color. If playing that color, I essentially always play these. (Given that I'm playing that color, I will play this card 90% of the time.)
2.0: If I'm playing this color, I usually play these. (70%)
1.5: This card will make the cut into the main deck about half the times I play this color. (50%)
1.0: I feel bad when this card is in my main deck. (30%)
0.5: There are situations where I might sideboard this into my deck, but I'll never start it. (10%)
0.0: I will never put this card into my deck (main deck or after sideboarding). (0%)
On to the review!
Constructed: 3.0
Baneslayer Angel he might not be (or beat), but Abyssal Persecutor is enormous and cheap. The drawback will definitely cost his owner some games, but overall he fits quite well into most Black decks that want a large creature. Much like Treasure Hunt, I don't expect him to be the best ever, and therefore I will probably be satisfied, but I think the hype on this guy is a bit much. He combos pretty well with Eldrazi Monument too, so a Jund deck with him, Monument, Thrinax, Siege-Gang, as well as others, could be decent.
Limited: 3.5
This thing is pretty ridiculous, but you definitely need at least a couple ways of getting rid of him. On the plus side, if your opponent assumes that you have removal, they will probably kill him if they can, so you can get a little greedy. Of course, once you have drafted him, keep an eye out for bounce spells or the like, since there isn't much actual removal that kills this guy. Even if it takes you a while to find your removal spell, it's pretty hard for them to win through a 6/6 flying blocker than can't die.
Constructed: 1.0
The amount of things necessary for this to work out would take some mighty strong witchcraft to pull off.
Limited: 1.0 to 4.0 (henceforth known as the "Ally" rating)
While I rated this on the same scale as other conditional Allies, be aware that the Occultist is pretty insane when he gets going. With just one other Ally, trading becomes very risky for them, and once you hit three Allies total he should just dominate the board.
Constructed: 2.0
Anowon dies pretty easily, but has a pretty unbeatable effect in some matchups. Vampires might side him in against creature decks that aren't playing Lightning Bolt, and he probably will have a decent effect on Block Constructed (since Lightning Bolt doesn't exist).
Limited: 3.0
Even if you don't have a ton of vampires, it's pretty easy to maneuver the board to where Anowon will give you some good value. If you do have a ton of vampires, he will win the game in short order.
Constructed: 1.0
There are too many good discard spells for this to get a fair shot, although it is possible that he sees a little play in Block, since Spell Pierce doesn't stop him. Mind Sludge is better than him almost all the time, and even BR Vampires in Standard can use Duress and Blightning for discard.
Limited: 3.0
He is pretty color-intensive, but that is the only downside. It isn't difficult to get a three for one, and unlike Mind Sludge, you get a 2/2 beater out of it. He also works particularly well with Aether Tradewinds, since late game you get to bounce him and get their best permanent at the same time.
Constructed: 1.0
I don't think this guy will be stealing any games in Constructed.
Limited: 2.0
The Brigand is fine by himself, and gets pretty reasonable once you have a bunch of Allies. If your deck is really aggressive, the drawback is minor, and with even just a few Allies he is probably better than a vanilla bear, and bears are good.
Constructed: 1.0
The real disaster would be playing this in a 60-card deck.
Limited: 0.5
I can't imagine starting this, and odds are I will never side it in. Still, if you somehow end up with a Black deck that can't remove some ridiculous creature from their side, it might have its uses. The obvious problem with this card is that they can just keep their creature back to block, making this a 2 for 1 in your opponent's favor.
Constructed: 1.0
Despite the Malakir tribe being a pretty Constructed-worthy set of Vampires, the Butcher's bill is a little too pricey. At five mana, you could probably do better, and this guy costs seven.
Limited: 3.5
Seven mana is still a lot, but coming with a built-in two for one (at worst) goes a long way. Bombs that punish the opponent when answered are pretty nice, and if you ever land this guy things will get ugly very quickly.
Constructed: 1.0
This plus fetchlands will just mow down their army"¦until you realize you could have Ob-Nixilis or Malakir Bloodwitch for the same price.
Limited: 3.5
Not exactly a pinger, Caustic Crawler trades away most of its instant speed potential and guaranteed effect for the possibility of triggering multiple times in the same turn. Even as just a straight up sorcery speed –1/-1, this guy is very good. A 4/3 is big enough to brawl, and by using him precombat you can even get damage through against bigger guys.
Constructed: 2.0
It might seem like a stretch, but a 3/3 hasted guy for effectively three mana isn't the worst, and the fact that you get the land back means that this usually won't two for one you. There may not be a place right now, but if there is a really aggressive Black deck (and I don't consider Vampires to be really aggressive), Corrupted Zendikon might have a place.
Limited: 3.0
This probably deserves like a 2.8, but 3.0 is close enough. I don't think that you cut this if you are playing Black, but it isn't enough to want me to play Black on its own. Turn two guy, turn three Zendikon is going to end many games, and very few cards really punish you for playing this. Journey to Nowhere got a lot better, although it was already a first pick.
Constructed: 1.0
Maybe it's just me, but more cards in this set remind me of random movies and whatnot, with Dead Reckoning being the name of the awesome tank/bus thing in Land of the Dead. That little digression of course signals that this doesn't remind me of anything remotely Constructed playable.
Limited: 3.0
Sure, this might not be something you can play until the middle of the game, but at that point it is almost a two for one. Getting back your best guy and killing something is pretty nice, and worst comes to worst you can target something for non-lethal just to make this a really bad Raise Dead.
Constructed: 1.0
Negative life total tricks aside, this is too difficult to use. Any deck that can reduce your life total to "low" is probably interested in reducing it to "dead", so the only real use this might have is against a non-threatening deck in combination with self-damaging cards. That seems pretty narrow, and those are a lot of hoops to jump through for a moderately large guy. It doesn't even have trample!
Limited: 2.5
It isn't playable early game, and the lack of mana burn really hurts, but a one-mana 4/4 or 5/5 isn't too hard to pull off, and will be quite effective at making sure it doesn't become a one-mana 13/13.
Constructed: 1.0
A flying Warpath Ghoul isn't exactly what most Constructed decks are looking for.
Limited: 3.0
Snapping Drake was always awesome, and it is surprising that Black gets one without any sort of drawback. In any case, don't complain and pick them early!
Constructed: 2.5
I don't think that the Highborn is better than Vampire Hexmage or Bloodghast in most Vampire builds, but once you start building around it, things change. Vampire Aristocrat is conveniently in M10, and combined with Bloodghast and Kalastria Highborn, does represent quite a life swing each turn. Even without combo shenanigans, Kalastria Highborn might just be a good sideboard card in an aggressive mirror, since trading and races are exactly what it needs to flourish.
Limited: 3.0
It might not Fireball them every game, but it is still a 2/2 for two that gives value when it or another Vampire dies. That is pretty solid, and in some decks can lead to some nice racing situations.
Constructed: 1.0
I don't see this displacing Duress as the one-mana discard spell of choice, particularly because this is pretty bad during the early turns. Blackmail was never very good, and this is weaker than Blackmail most of the time.
Limited: 0.5
Maybe in a Mono-Black deck, and only if they have a slow deck with cards that you have difficulty beating. Discard is always a sketchy proposition in Limited, since an empty hand tends to stay empty, and this is never really that advantageous (unlike Mind Sludge or Bloodhusk Ritualist).
Constructed: 1.0
Black has better options to kill creatures, even if it might be fun to get a Baneslayer with this. The real trap here is how situational this is, especially if they know you are playing with it (although to be fair, there is no way anyone puts you on having Nemesis Trap to begin with).
Limited: 2.5
Removal is removal, and the possibility of getting a sweet two for one makes this an interesting one. Against non-White decks it is painfully expensive and easy to play around, but you should be able to get them once with it. Even at six mana, the upside is worth it, and late game there isn't much they can do to not get at least 1 for 1ed by it. Against White decks, it is sick, and very difficult to avoid.
Constructed: 1.0
He has his finger on the pulse of Constructed, and realizes there is no place for him there. Vampire Lacerator hasn't seen much success, and Lacerator is much better than the poor Tracker here.
Limited: 1.0
If you have a bunch of Feast in Bloods, or they have a bunch of 2/1's, then maybe. He is not a 2/1 for one, since after hitting for 2 to 4 damage will be rendered virtually useless.
Constructed: 1.0
Can you say "strictly better than Plague Beetle"? What about "not remotely playable in Constructed"?
Limited: 2.5
I would never mind starting one of these in a relatively heavy Black deck. 1BB for a 2/2 swampwalk is passable, and Quag Vampires will often be a 3/3 or bigger. Swamps are the most common land by far, and particularly prevalent in Sealed deck. I would gladly play all of my Quag Vampires in Sealed, but would limit most decks to 1 in Draft.
Constructed: 1.0
The odds that this sees play (and is good) are just about nihil, although I am very sure that people will try.
Limited: 0.0
The amount of work to get this to trigger is just fantastic, and the payoff isn't remotely worth it. I would be pretty surprised if I ever hear about this triggering in Limited.
Constructed: 1.0
There are a ton of good vampires in Standard right now, so any potential deckbuilders have to be ruthless and cull the weak ones.
Limited: 2.5
Ruthless Cullblade is passable, and gets pretty dangerous in the midgame. Two toughness is still not much, so it probably ends up trading for the same thing it would as a 2/1. It is better than Guul Draz Vampire when they are over 10, and worse once they hit 10, almost as if that makes the two cards more interesting.
Constructed: 1.0
It would take a lot of nibbling to get someone with a 60-card deck, and the lifegain is pretty irrelevant. On the other hand, imagine these against 43land.dec"¦
Limited: 1.0
Pretty bad on their own, Scrib Nibblers (try saying that three times fast!) provide decent support in a deck with Hedron Crab and Halimar Excavator. Milling like a card and a half a turn isn't going to win many races, but the lifegain helps a little and they are sure to annoy the opponent, which might make them burn removal on them.
Constructed: 1.0
I may have played Shadowmage Infiltrator in Standard, Extended, and Legacy, but Shoreline Salvager is no Finkel. Four mana is too much for Constructed, although clearly this couldn't cost any less without significant power/toughness downgrades. I'm not sure what it would take to salvage this; maybe a 3/2 for 1BB?
Limited: 2.5 or 3.5
Even if you don't have Islands, this is still a Hill Giant, and those are always playable. If you do have Islands, he becomes very dangerous, and worth picking over most cards. Threatening to draw a card whenever he bashes will make them leave extra blockers back, so even if you don't have a removal spell you are getting additional value out of the Salvager.
Constructed: 3.5
This might not be too spectacular in Standard, but it helps out a number of Extended decks greatly. Being able to kill both Dark Confidant and Tarmogoyf is a valuable property to have right about now, and any Black deck will be glad to add some Smothers to the mix.
Limited: 3.5
It might not kill monstrous boom-booms, but it hits often enough to make it premium removal. This format is full of undercosted guys anyways; Smothering a Geopede even seems a little unfair (until you realize that Geopede is the unfair card, and it deserves to die).
Constructed: 1.0
A solid kill spell, and one that will fight for a slot in Vampi"¦wait, this isn't the entry on Urge to Feed. At least Tomb Hex will see more play in Limited, since it is common. Take that, superior uncommon kill spell!
Limited: 3.5
Splashable kill is always welcome, and the ability to kill Black creatures makes up for the need to play it sorcery speed to kill a big dude.
Constructed: 2.0
Only in Vampires is this worth considering, and it is fighting against Disfigure, Smother, and Doom Blade. Also, let’s be real: the sick blocking scenario involving this and pumping a Nighthawk or Hexmage to blow them out really won’t happen in the real world. All that being said, I have been testing these out as a 2-of in Vampires, and they have been passable.
Limited: 3.0
Not being splashable is rough, but the combat trick aspect is actually reasonable here. If your opponent hasn’t seen this yet, they will probably run into it, and that should be a ridiculous blowout. This definitely moves above Tomb Hex if you have even a couple Vampires (or are heavy enough Black that the casting cost isn’t an issue).
Top 5 Black Cards for Constructed
5.Corrupted Zendikon
4. Kalastria Highborn
3. Urge to Feed
2. Abyssal Persecutor
1. Smother
Black didn’t really rake in the goods here. Smother is the winner due to how awesome it will be in Extended, even if I don’t think it will be nearly as good in Standard. Abyssal Persecutor is going to be a solid guy, but Smother was needed. After that, it goes waaaaaaaaaaaaay down. Urge to Feed is a nice enough little spell, but nothing exciting at all, and the next two might only see very marginal play. To be honest, I was dreading how much Vampires was going to get from this set, but luckily (for those of us who don’t like the bloodsuckers), it really only got minor upgrades.
Tomorrow…I get fired up about Red!
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About This Author
Luis Scott-Vargas
LSV is the current record holder for most wins in the Swiss portion of a Pro Tour after his perfect 16-0 run at Pro Tour San Diego 2010, and has the highest lifetime match win percentage among all current pro-level players. His other accomplishments include a win at Pro Tour&hellip
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Lyle says: February 2, 2010 @ 9:55 pm
Death’s Shadow really only a 2.5 in Limited? I ran him at the prerelease and he was total ridiculousness in card form every time he hit the field. Sure any of those games could have turned the other way with a Hideous End or a Burst Lightning, but it never happened, and a 9/9 for 1 is incredibly superb. It’s also easily splashable.
I’m also somewhat surprised about Pulse Tracker. The interesting thing to note is that if your opponent is at 11 and you have a bunch of “Bloodied”-themed vampires out, you can board-sideways and turn on all your dudes before they declare blockers. This isn’t all that likely to happen, granted, but I think Pulse Tracker is a bit better than it’s getting credit for here.
Mastikor says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
It’s sad to see Smother topped Abyssal Persecutor for the number 1 spot…
Tim R says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:37 pm
Eating a Baneslayer might not be as feasible, but eating a Ranger in any deck that could abuse the EtB effect makes Nemesis Trap, well, I guess a trap in that even so, it will not really be playable, but hey, people will try.
kevGenocide says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:40 pm
smother ya mother
Im lovin’ that card in extended right now
Depeche Mode says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:48 pm
I can´t help feeling that Smother decserves higher then a 3.5 even though I know it´s high, Maybe being nostalgic here but it´s very difficult to have fond memories of a card that could kill Dr Teeth (not that common when Smother initially was printed).
Also I know you didn´t come up with the rankings but how do you evaluate a card that´s good in multiple formatS?
at 5 you have multiformat staple (even though I have no idea what bitterblossom is doing there, have it had any inpact ever outside of standard not counting sideboards for Depths Mirrors, I know Blossom was awsome in in standard but that´s about it. Usein the scale it should really be a 3.0 0 arcetype staple, abit harsh perhaps but that´s really what BB would get from me if I´d use the difinition of a 3 from your scale even if it was used by the elftribe aswell). To me a 5 is something like fetchlands that every deck wants to run.
Then you have format staples at 4 and good in multiple archetypes but not a staple at 3.5
Is there no 4.5 or should this be good in multiple formats but not a staple and what cards are 4,5´s? I guess I would put Dark Confidant in there but then I think he´s a better card then Goyf even though people doesn´t try to squeeze him into everything like they do with Goyf.
Jeff H says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
I agree though, smother will have a bigger impact on Extended than Persecutor will have on Standard.
“[Pulse Tracker] has his finger on the pulse of Constructed, and realizes there is no place for him there.”
That’s why he’s hiding behind a tree.
locustkiller says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:52 pm
Nemesis trap = 3 for 1 vs. Broodmate Dragon
Boo says: February 2, 2010 @ 10:57 pm
During my prerelease flight, I cast tomb hex as an instant. True story. Though it might have been the fact that I had ruin ghost in play
Insert random old Emo band here dont I look cool and sad says: February 3, 2010 @ 12:24 am
@ Depeche Mode
One) Bitterblossom was rediculous in Standard and is what makes Faeries a deck in Extended right now. It might even find a place in Legacy (if it already hasnt; I dont play it much therefore dont really pay attention to the decklists)
two) really….REALLY?? Depeche Mode????? Please tell me you’re like 17 or younger and I can dismiss this as assinine teen angst yearning to look cool in which case I dont mind..even if it still is contrived.
jeff says: February 3, 2010 @ 12:43 am
smother is #1
urge to feed devastated me this weekend in one game
Bogey says: February 3, 2010 @ 1:09 am
Death’s Shadow seems to have potential as a SB card in Legacy. There are plenty of decks that dish out a lot of quick damage and if you want to put a fatty in the way and you aren’t running green, this guy could be good. Between Fetchlands, Burn, Goyfs, and other small men, I could see this being a 4/4 easily. While Tombstalker is better in a lot of other matches, I just think a fixed cost of B will fit more decks.
That said, Death’s Shadow makes me miss mana burn even more.
lsv says: February 3, 2010 @ 1:11 am
@depeche mode
Bitterblossom has seen pretty significant play in Extended, it dominated Block and Standard, and even dips its toe into Legacy from time to time. I would say it meets the 5.0 standard, even if Tarmogoyf is admittedly better. I mean, Goyf is like a 7.0; he hasn’t met a format he wouldn’t chew up. Bob is also a 5.0 with a bullet, since he is just unreal awesome.
@lyle
Death’s Shadow might be a 3.0, but I’m a little hesitant. There are plenty of close games where your life total hovers in the mid to high teens, and he is pretty useless then, so his low casting cost is really not that important. For the most part, he probably might as well cost 5 mana for all the use you are getting out of your lands by the time you want to cast him. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good, but that he is just too situational for me to want to rank him too high.
Garrett says: February 3, 2010 @ 1:37 am
I think Abyssal Persecutor is over hyped by some people, but so is Jace. I think you have Jace in the right spot but I believe AP deserves a 3.5 in constructed.
gregory glass says: February 3, 2010 @ 2:09 am
ummmmmmmm smother kills the dum 20/20 on turn 2 lol nice deck
Phil says: February 3, 2010 @ 2:49 am
Abyssal PErsecutor is MUCH weaker in Limited than in constructed
Giving him 3.0 in Constructed and 3.5 in limited is absurd.
3.0 In constructed is fine for me but something around 1.5 in limited..
Im just not sure, too. Its so hard to rate this particular card for limited
Trackback MTGBattlefield says: February 3, 2010 @ 3:10 am
Worldwake Set Review – Black…
Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…
bapt says: February 3, 2010 @ 3:43 am
I don’t understand why nemesis trap is said to be a 2 for 1 or even 3 for 1…
Are you sure you can block with the copy?
And if you can do nothing with the copy before the end of your opponent turn it makes it useless…
DepecheMode says: February 3, 2010 @ 4:00 am
@ Insert random old Emo band:
1.) Depeche Mode got nothing to do with Emo, learn music.
2.) I´m probably odler then you.
3.) Faeries has won nothing of importance in extended and back when it was good it didn´t even play black.
@ LSV: you really count block constructed as a real constructed formaT?
BB in block cosntructed: Irrelevant.
BB in standard: I´m quite sure it´s card that had the most copies in every top8 around. awsome in in faeires, WG-tokens, elves, blightning and even seen in 5cc sideboards.
BB in extended: Even faeries ditched it to play be Monoblue or maybe Spalshing green for tarmogoyf. After rotations is has ben seen in some sideboards and in the faeries deck that haven´t had any major succes.
BB in legacy: no major impact and not even played in the one black agrodeck that see some succes (Eva Green)
BB in vintage: no impact.
Criteria for being a 5 card: Multi-Format All-Star.
BB is NOT a Multi-Format All-Star. It was an All-Star in standard and it has seen some (if very little play) in other formats which put it as a 4: Format Staple.
You could argue that bitterblossom is a card powerful enough to merit a 5 but according to the scale and criteria you use IT IS NOT.
You have Mutavaulth at 4 which compared to BB are being played way more in older formats then, in Legacy it´s only played because of Merfolk but the same arguement could be used for BB when it comes to extended, it will never see major play outside Faeries)
Tarmogoyf is a 5 because it´s basicly played in every almost every green deck where it´s leagal and some decks even splash for just guyf. No one splash black for bitterblossom.
Don´t want to sound to harsh and I undrestand if sometimes cards might slip away from the scale and get a different ranking. I just don´t agree for reasons named above.
And I´m still asking for that 4,5 incase there are one =D
rofellos says: February 3, 2010 @ 4:30 am
@DepecheMode, you obviously didn’t play much Lorwyin block constructed.
Jag says: February 3, 2010 @ 4:42 am
Gregory, Smother doesn’t kill an Indestructable 20/20 Marit Lage token.
Jello Shots says: February 3, 2010 @ 4:43 am
Oh believe me, Depeche Mode, you really don’t sound harsh at all. In order to sound harsh (or, in fact, convincing) one needs to be able to remotely spell. However, since every sentence had either spelling or grammar mistakes your post was incredibly difficult to read and almost impossible to take seriously.
People. If you are going to write LONG posts in the attempt to sound intelligent or prove points, please first enroll in your local community college taking the course ENGL 101.
wescoe says: February 3, 2010 @ 5:19 am
For the record I misread Quest of the Nihil Stone. I thought you had to sacrifice it for the 5 life (which would make it completely unplayable), but you do not. So 4 upkeeps of no cards in hand = 20 life. This is actually a reasonable plan against a deck that empties most of its hand early on. Combined with a blightning or Mind Rot or whatever makes it a 5 damage spells + a time walk since the opponent will essentially have to hold the next card they draw to avoid 5 more life the following turn. Then any discard spell thereafter recreates the same scenario: 5 more life and a free turn. Granted a lot of things have to be working out for you and you have to not die to their board in the process, but I have already lost a game in short order to this card. I see it as a slightly more powerful The Rack / Bloodchief Ascension. Yes, slightly MORE powerful version of either of these. Then again, that still is not saying a whole lot. It’s not fantastic, be it is better than garbage and is therefore being underrated.
Kailynn says: February 3, 2010 @ 6:02 am
I think Brink of Disaster deserves a slight raise in rating. At both prerelease tournies I went to I snagged one and was W/B. Brink won me a total of 5 games. Putting that down on their Trump beater can really hurt their momentum midgame. Watching my opponents face when i planted that on his Kazuul the turn after he cast was just priceless.
Markwerf says: February 3, 2010 @ 6:46 am
I can’t believe kalastia highborn only got a 2.5 why are people underrating this card so highly. Alot of top tier decks have no way to exile creatures (jund, grixis, etc) where the extra reach is very important. Vampires usually got to a grinding halt damage wise when there was a thrinax or broodmate dragon on the opposing end, highborn allowing you to alpha strike for 6 easily.
The combination of kalastria and bloodghast alone make the card fantastic as turn 2 ghast into turn 3 kalastria with a fetch open is garanteed 2 damage regardless of them having a calcite snapper, sprouting thrinax, putrid leech or whatever on their side. Vampire lacking one drops means their curve isn’t that smooth either which will often leave you with 1 or 2 black mana open anyway. The card is a major upgrade to vampires and will be a 4-of in it when people test the card more.
Simon says: February 3, 2010 @ 7:31 am
I’m not sure why people aren’t more excited about Death’s Shadow as a 1 of Ranger of Eos target. I know there isn’t really a deck in those colors, but it seems very reasonable to be compensated for being at low life by fetching a 5/5 for B. It’s close to impossible to abuse this card, but being able to search for it when its good is really nice, because when Death’s Shadow is good, its quite good.
Depeche Mode says: February 3, 2010 @ 8:21 am
@ rofellos: Block Constructed does not matter. Lots of cards shine in Block and aren´t even good enough for Standard.
@ Jello Shots. Well an edit button would help, and no I don´t take english courses since. I don´t live in United states and English is not my main language, still an edit button would help so you could read your posts and fix it.
And if you don´t agree wouldn´t it be more constructive to say why you don´t. I´m sure you undstood my point well enough even if the grammar was not correkt.
mike says: February 3, 2010 @ 8:29 am
@Depeche Mode the fact remains that you need to read up on your Extended; UB Fae is a very real deck this season and BB shows up in boards all over the place. The Fae you’re referring to was of last season….much much different
@LSV great article as always
Garritt says: February 3, 2010 @ 8:46 am
I think Brink of Disaster is better than a 1.0 in standard. That deck gives vampires a way to fix the top card when Vampire Nocturnus is in play. I see it as a finisher type card with the Vampires, put a black creature on top and deal the damage then alpha strike with your team of Vampires. Sure, it’s not a great turn 5 card if you have a Bloodwitch in your hand but if you don’t Brink doesn’t look that bad. I love reading LSV’s standard articles but it seems like he doesn’t like the Vampire deck.
scott says: February 3, 2010 @ 9:38 am
The debate about BB is kind of unreal and out of place but fun at the same time.
I have to admit I kinda agree with Depeche mode on the 4.0 for BB instead of 5.0 but does it really matter?
The thing is : rating a card 5.0 will happen so rarely that it doesn’t hurt to give some of them a 5.0 instead of 4.0.
I think BB deserve the same rating as Cryptic command, Thoughtseize, even Ravager, Baneslayer etc.. (Standard Star and seeing little bit of play in extended)
I personnaly don’t see a lot of 5.0
Goyf, Jitte, Lightning bolt, Bob, Fetches… that’s about it, right ?
Adamn says: February 3, 2010 @ 9:51 am
I don’t know much about extended because I play limited, standard, and legacy formats but even I know bitterblossom is gross (I just looked at the 2009 extended states champs and PTQ qaulifier decks). I haven’t seen anything in Legacy running BB but it could combo with The Abyss nicely. I think it deserves a 5 even if its not as good as Goyf but then again Goyf is arguably the best creature ever printed in MTG.
dowjonzechemical says: February 3, 2010 @ 9:52 am
Kalastria Highborn rating = 2.5 (constructed), 3.0 (limited
Urge to Feed rating = 2.0 (constructed), 3.0 Limited.
Yet,
ranked
3. Urge to Feed
4. Kalastria Highborn
This makes no sense
Adamn says: February 3, 2010 @ 9:54 am
Oh yeah great article LSV I think you’ve gauged these cards accurately. Especially the fact Butcher is better then Ruin Sage. I know first hand considering i had the Sage vs the Butcher at the prerelease I went to. Lets just say the Sage lost that battle lol.
Bucky says: February 3, 2010 @ 10:00 am
I would consider maindecking Brink of Disaster in the right UB limited deck. It would need to support multiple Tideforce Elementals and/or Merfolk Seastalkers, but with the right pool I could definitely use it as a bad 4-mana Pacifism to buy Seastalkers time to get online.
Steve says: February 3, 2010 @ 10:03 am
+1 for the Land of the Dead reference.
Great article. Looking forward to the rest of the set review!
BigBarn says: February 3, 2010 @ 10:18 am
Rating and then ranking cards is pretty dumb in general. I would just make a list of cards you’re exciting about, and perhaps cards that you think are overrated. Anyone who’s quibbling about something being a 4.0 or 5.0 needs to stop and just go do something else. It’s not like you’re going to skip out on playing any card because it was ranked super low, or always play another card simply because LSV said it was a 4.0.
Raleldor says: February 3, 2010 @ 10:47 am
I played Persecutor at the prerelease. 1st round i stomped my opponent into the ground with him and slingbow trapped him afterwards. It wasn’t even close.
In the 3rd round He got paralyzing grasped in 2 games, making my 2 slingbow traps useless, having to rely on a dead reckoning + death’s shadow to kill him, or a recluse. I was not happy.
Paralyzing gasp was probably the worst thing that could of happened to him.
The fact that he completely curb stomped my opponent in one round, and became a hindrance in another round makes him very iffy. I would never be able to rate a card like that.
Although, I’ve been testing the persecutor in G/W/B junk and he’s freakin crazy. 4.0 imo.
Depeche Mode says: February 3, 2010 @ 10:53 am
BigBam, You are absolutely correkt. Necropotence (prime example) received a 1 when it was released and I´m 100% sure it has ben played more then once
Oh well, not going to take up more space with this subject here since it´s “abit” off the mark
And yes, your articles are always a very nice read LSV. cheers.
catsfanuk87 says: February 3, 2010 @ 11:24 am
@Depeche Mode – “Block Constructed does not matter. Lots of cards shine in Block and aren´t even good enough for Standard.”
If you are going to make an argument for Block not being a “real” format or not mattering, this is not a way to go about it. Plenty of cards make huge waves in formats other than Standard. Take Ponder… I can’t come up with a Standard deck that successfully ran Ponders, and yet it’s restricted in Legacy b/c of power. The same can be said for Extended. Dark Depths, Thopter Foundry, Sword of the Meek, etc. None of those cards are/were even close to playable in Standard, but Thopter Foundry saw play in Block, too.
I’m not saying Block is a HUGE deal or anything, just that it’s a legal format that has had PTQ and Pro Tour seasons, so when considering something as a “multi-format all-star”, Block should be considered.
Aaron says: February 3, 2010 @ 1:22 pm
If you have a death Shadow and a Platinum angel in play while you have negative life, does the shadow get even bigger? I.E. negative 2 life = 15/15 Death Shadow?
Can you Pay Kalastria’s B for Gain 2 life more then once per creature? If so that’s a Blow-out!
Alash says: February 3, 2010 @ 1:50 pm
I think you valued Scrib Nibblers wrongly. The awesomeness of the name aside, his bonus is not in milling or the small life gain, but in the ability to shut down any further land draws. Granted, you have to play it early, but if it’s active by turn four you’re more often than not delaying your opponent’s bombs by several turns, which I think personally makes him a bit more than a 1.0. Certainly not a card that wants me to play black, but definitely a playable, and it fills that often empty 3cc slot.
After all, Mindless Null did see play.
Joe says: February 3, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
LSV, all that I ask is that you keep up the wonderful puns for all of your set reviews and possibly slip them into your next draft video.
Thank you and see you in Oakland.
Dave says: February 3, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
@Alash -
Scrib Nibblers does nothing to interfere with drawing land (or non-land). It exiles the top card of the library regardless of whether or not it’s a land, and thus doesn’t affect the ratio of land drawn. A 1/1 for three is too small to matter, gaining maybe one life a turn isn’t huge, and the milling is too slow to matter on its own. It’s really at its best – and its best isn’t that great – in a very defensive multi-crab mill deck. The life gain is the only part of the card likely to matter in most decks, and it’s just too little for the cost and the body.
Insert random etc etc says: February 3, 2010 @ 11:32 pm
@ Depeche Mode
1) you, I think would bennefit from a music history lesson; I’ll spare everyone, but Depeche Mode is most definately one of the “father inspirations” to Emo. And let me say though, I very much do like depeche mode I just think a call sign on a magic forum is a bit much.
2) I doubt it (to the age thing)
3) I still way disagree with you about bitterossom. It’s been a player to an all star in all formats other than legacy. And it’s was for sure played last year in Ext fae. Only some decks diddnt play in main board. And it’s most definately an all star in the current ext. For crying out loud the man LSV himself said the same thing.
4) I am just screwing around so don’t take thongs so seriously.
Moogymatch says: February 4, 2010 @ 4:45 am
Fine review, but have to disagree with your rating of Pulse Tracker. Opened two at the prerelease, and was sick about having to include them (5 removal spells and Nighthawk dictated black), but they proceeded to win me all my games. Admittedly, their value went up because of the 2x Adventuring Gear and Trusty Machete in my deck, but they have lots of other hidden advantages: 1) they don’t care about Kraken Hatchlings; 2) they’re a relevant creature type (make Feast of Bloods much better – you can now easily Feast on turn 3); 3) they’re in a color that likes to remove blockers (they can take down a 4/5 – such as… ooh, can’t think) with Tomb Hex); 4) if your opponent is on low life (as she should be against black), you can just swing for the win – without waiting for combat!
TugaChampion says: February 4, 2010 @ 5:41 am
Abyssal Persecutor should be 4th in the top5. And it only deserves to be in the top5 because after that the cards are terrible.
The drawback does matter as black can’t kill it with the most commonly played removal spells: Doom Blade, Disfigure and now Smother and Urge to Feed. So it will have to play Gatekeeper of Malakir (so it’s restricted to monoblack), Fleshbag Marauder (if I have to play this to be able to play another card I’d rather just not play that card) and Tendrils (you need 6 lands and be monoblack). Otherwise you’ll need to play white for path, journey and ring or blue for bounce. Red gets just terminate.
The monoblack options obviously need to be compared to a regular vampires deck and I doubt a monoblack aggro non-vampires is better than vampires. If you put this in vampires you have to take out the m10 lord which is way more synergestic or malakir which beats path, bolt, wall of denial and baneslayer. Oh and btw Abyssal gets owned by wall of denial and baneslayer.
That leaves a BW or a UB deck. Abyssal fits aggro more than control and UB isn’t a good aggro combination. BW is possible but still there are so many cards that cost around the same: Emeria Angel, Baneslayer, etc. BR could make it work with terminate or double burn spell but if you are playing a deck like that you’re probably playing a worse jund deck.
The thing is: a 6/6 flying trample for 4 is nice but nowadays not that impressive. But it has 2 drawbacks: one that makes you play worse removal cards or forces you into some archetypes and the other is being a demon in a format with baneslayer. The fact that it is easy to stop without actually killing him and those that care will actually kill him make the already “not that impressive” very underwhelming.
It will not live up to the hype that’s for sure and calling it the lotus cobra of the set is probably an insult to lotus cobra!
If it was an 8/8 for 5 and not a demon, it would actually have a chance as 1 mana would really make up for losing both his 2 greatest weaknesses.
Dan says: February 4, 2010 @ 10:25 am
@ insert random bash someone for no good reason
Man, ease up. You targeted one person and are harrassing them. Go get some exercise or something and stop being a jerk.
BTW: The butchering of grammar and spelling is annoying, but isn’t a valid reason to bash someone.
Insert random etc etc says: February 4, 2010 @ 1:15 pm
Dan reread all the posts. I only wrote two posts. One disagreeing with him regarding bitterblossom and giving him a hard time for having a lame name. And a second defending (somewhat) his attack on me and restating my original argument. On a related note. I’m with dmode and you regarding spelling and grammar being a pretty lame source for character assasination on a forum board. And a third thing. Try reading ALL of his posts and notice HIS/HER demeaning tone in more than one instance and toward a couple people. That is of coarse unless you are depechmode trying to defend yourself. In which case even lamer (haha get it) jk
Dan says: February 4, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
@ insert random..
I owe you an apology. The only rude thing you really said was the initial attack on his name. When other people, such as JelloShots, attacked him I didn’t look at who it was and assumed it was you. Sorry about that.
@ everyone..
The forum isn’t for attacks on people’s comments, writing skills, or even opinions. If you have a different opinion or experience about an aspect of the game, please share it, but in a constructive way.
Nate says: February 5, 2010 @ 10:15 am
Maybe I don’t know the rules correctly, but isn’t Death’s Shadow and Dead Reckoning a 13 point face plant for a potential turn 3 win in a rb constructed?
John Wayne says: February 6, 2010 @ 8:29 am
Quag Vampires is amazing in Zendikar block!
mooch says: February 6, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
@Nate:
RTFC(s). 1) Dead Reckoning only hits creatures. 2) Death’s Shadow’s P/T setting ability affects it’s P/T while in the graveyard.
Steven says: February 8, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
ended up making black the main color in my release day draft. pretty solid black blue, and people don’t know how to NOT PASS removal! haha, black was very solid.
Marktabz says: February 8, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
Well, I liked the review. I am a black-player and running Vampires at the moment. Honestly, the only solid upgrade I get to appreciate is smother. Fact of the matter is, the deck is already as tight as it gets, and any additional cards like Urge to Feed and Kalastria Highborn (those of which I truly believe was also a great upgrade) did not actually stand up to the hype. Urge to Feed is good, if you decided to take your chances and Urge for a turn to beef all your creatures up. Kalastria Highborn is a good card especially if you are running Eldrazi in the deck, or the Aristocrat combo… but then you’d have to change how the deck plays. Eventually there will be decks for these cards, but I agree with the review. It’s not as big an upgrade as I’d hope it to be. If you’re running Vampires, make a space for Smother, it does help alot. Also, keep in mind, by turn 5 or 6 we must have won already, any later than that will be hell for us. (Tested archetypes with Jund, G/W knight of the Relinquary, Grixis Control, and Eldrazi Green)
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