Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Avacyn Restored Spoiler Part 3: Black

It's time to take a look at black for this set, we've seen Blue and White, now let's see how well Black does in Avacyn Restored.

#84) Appetite for Brains - Gee brain, what are we going to do tonight, the same thing we do every night pinky, try to get rid of opponents's big spells, yes a 1 mana black spell that hits all 4 cmc and higher cards in your opponent's hand, at sorcery speed i might add.

#85) Barter in Blood - So everyone remembers this card right, way back then in Mirrodin block when it was legit and was reprinted in Divine vs Demonic for 4 mana it's a force all players to sacrifice 2 creatures for a uncommon which back then was pretty good, but now it's limited material only.

#86) Blood Artist - 2 mana for a 0/1 with the ability whenever it or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life, great with the undying mechanic honestly but a low tier card.

#87) Bloodflow Connoisseur - 3 drop 1/1 vampire that you can sacrifice creatures to to give it +1/+1 counters not in my constructed, but limited sure.

#88) Bone Splinters - Shards block reprint, 1 mana sorcery that you gotta also sacrifice a creature to, then you get to destroy target creature, a great piece of limited removal

#89) Butcher Ghoul - 2 mana 1/1 undying, not a good thing, but not a bad thing either.

#90) Corpse Traders - 4 mana for a 3/3 that you can pay 2 and a black for, target player reveals his/her hand and you get to choose a card, that player discards that card, but it can only be done at sorcery speed, again more limited material in this set.

#91) Crypt Creeper - Yet another reprint for the set, Odyssey's Crypt creeper is back and he's just as bad ass as he was back then, for a 2/1 for 2 mana, you sacrifice it to exile a card from a graveyard, this i feel is going to affect limited more so then anything.

#92) Dark Impostor - 3 drop 2/2 with a 6 mana ability that exiles a target creature and you get a +1/+1 counter on it, while also getting it's activated abilites, a interesting notion honestly for a rare but seriously a limited bomb waiting to happen.

#93) Death Wind - Another X spell, but with it in it's mana cost, a target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where of course X is the cost paid, but it's a instant to boot so it's pretty balanced for limited.

#94) Demonic Rising - Normally i don't say this is a good card, but for 5 mana and a rare you get a 5/5 if you control one creature and one creature only, this goes so well with the next card i'm talking about, a extra body to block with while you attack with something.

#95) Demonic Taskmaster - Is this correct here wizards, 2 and a black for a 4/3 that flies, and at the beginning of your upkeep sacrifice a creature other then Demonic Taskmaster, wait nothing bad happens, he doesn't die or some stuff, so he stays even if you can't sacrifice a creature, insane much.

#96) Demonlord of Ashmouth - Right a 5/4 for 4 mana, is a rare and it flies, as one would expect a demon to do, has Undying so this confirms undying is returning for this set, as well as the fact you gotta sacrifice a creature when this enters the battlefield or it is exiled, interesting, way to give some flavor to the new set.

#97) Descent into Madness - So this is our bulk mythic of the set, a enchantment that forces players to sacrifice cards and creatures at your upkeep, equal to the number of counters on this particular card, can you say, not for 5 mana.

#98) Dread Slaver - 5 mana for a 3/5 that whenever a creature dealt damage by this dies, return it into player under your control and it is also a black zombie, a great limited card here.

#99) Driver of the Dead - 4 mana for a 3/2 with a mini Revillark attached to it, it's a vampire to boot, so it's decent and allows you to return a 2 power creature back to the battlefield in it's place, not bad.

#100) Essence Harvest - Good god, a new life loss spell, target player loses X life and you gain that much life, where X is the highest power creature you control to boot, wow this is a 3 mana spell as a common as well, consider me sold here

#101) Evernight Shade - 4 drop 1/1 with undying and it has pay 1 black mana and give it +1/+1 until end of turn, a interesting card, but kinda lack luster.

#102) Exquisite Blood - Most people remember Sanguine Bond, well this is the reverse of that, instead of opponents losing life when you gain life, whenever a opponent loses life, you gain that much life, same mana cost too 3, Black, Black and a rare enchantment nice wizards.

#103) Ghoulflesh - 1 drop auras aren't really that good and this shows why, the creature with this gets -1/-1 and is a black zombie as well as it's other types, a decent way to get rid of a token here and there, but not really a desirable pick in limited.

#104) Gloom Surgeon - 2 drop 2/1 that when it is dealt damage you exile that many cards from your library, great with a specific rare from a previous set of this block.


#105) Grave Exchange - 6 mana for a return spell, but it also forces a creature to be sacrificed on your opponent's side of the board, a very nice exchange honestly.

#106) Griselbrand - My god, seriously a 7/7 that flies, has lifelink, costs 4, Black, Black, Black, Black, you pay 7 life and draw 7 cards, holy crap much, did i mention he's a legendary, did i mention he's a mythic, no well now you know, EDH is going to love this guy.

#107) Harvester of Souls - Black intro pack rare for the set, 4, Black, Black for a 5/5 deathtouch creature that cantrips whenever a creature dies, note it doesn't say creature you control dies, it says when a creature dies, which makes it sweet.

#108) Homicidal Seclusion - 4 mana for a enchantment that only works if you control exactly one creature, Demonic Taskmaster, plus this, you get +3/+1 and lifelink if you control exactly one creature, nice way to say casual players get a lot of good stuff here.

#109) Human Frailty - Finally a 1 mana kill spell, it's about time, so for 1 mana you get to kill any human, all except for Mirran Crusader, such is the joy of having both this and Tragic Slip in the same block.

#110) Hunted Ghoul - 1/2 1 mana that can't block humans, good early game attacker.

#111) Killing Wave - Our top 8 card for the game day event, you pay X mana and 1 black and it's a sorcery that's a rare too. For each creature it's controller sacriifces it unless he or she pays X life, where X is the mana cost paid, holy fricking wrath of god batman, this is better then Damnation 


#112) Maalfeld Twins - 6 drop 4/4 that when it dies you get 2 2/2 black zombie tokens in it's place, Moan of the Unhallowed on a stick basically

#113) Marrow Bats - 5 drop 4/1 that has flying, you can pay 4 life to regenerate it, way late limited pick here.

#114) Mental Agony - 4 drop that is a sorcery and target player discards 2 cards and loses 2 life, not bad honestly

#115) Necrobite - 3 drop instant speed, ok but giving it deathtouch and regenerating it, a nice combat trick here in limited.

#116) Polluted Dead - 5 mana for a Stone Rain on a body, which is also a 3/2, but the trigger happens when it dies, a very unique flavor here.

#117) Predator's Gambit - 1 drop aura, that looks to see if you control only 1 creature it gets +2/+1 and if you control a single creature it gets Intimidate as well, nice way to kick ass here.

#118) Renegade Demon - 5 drop vanilla 5/3 no thanks

#119) Searchlight Geist - 3 drop 2/1 that flies and has pay 3 and a black and it gains deathtouch till end of turn, a nice effect in limited but kinda costly, another late game black pick.

#120) Soulcage Fiend - 3 drop 3/2 when it dies each player loses 3 life, a interesting common in this set, high early pick in black.


#121) Treacherous Pit-Dweller - 2 black mana for a 4/3 with undying, when it dies target opponent gains control of it, say what and this is a rare for crying out loud, come on wizards, you can do better then this.

#122) Triumph of Cruelty - A 3 mana enchantment that checks at the beginning of your upkeep on who has the greatest power creature or is tied for the greatest power creature, if you do target player discards a card, this isn't half bad honestly for a uncommon.

#123) Undead Executioner - 4 mana for a 2/2 that when it hits the graveyard a target creature gets -2/-2, great limited removal here wizards, even as a common.

#124) Unhallowed Pact - 3 drop aura that allows the creature enchanted with this when it dies to return to the battlefield under your control, nice limited material here.

Anyways that's black for this set, stay tuned for red.

No comments: