"knuckles cracking"
This is the one I've been waiting for. I've always been a big fan of black so expect unnecessary gushing. Also, wizards pushed the hell out of Rogues giving blue some of the stronger utility cards, but giving black the means to really prowl out.
Morningtide, Black (as always, any card worth discussing will be discussed at length, otherwise it'll be ignored. These are opinions and are presented as such)
Auntie's Snitch - 2B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Rare)
Auntie's Snitch can't block.
Prowl {1}{B}
Whenever a Goblin or Rogue you control deals combat damage to a player, if Auntie's Snitch is in your graveyard, you may return Auntie's Snitch to your hand.
3/1
Standard: Basically, it prowls out of the graveyard. This card is a control killer. The second you start getting attacks through is the second they start to lose control. Against aggro decks it's a 3 powered 3 costed attacker (since they won't usually block it unless doing so cancels out your prowling ability). Having an outlet to sacrifice this guy is good too. Things like Facevaulter, Smallpox, Husk, Siege-Gang and so forth really make this guy shine, almost like a fixed Sqee. One of the many cards that over-pushes Rogues onto the scene.
Extended: This is format that's all about speed. The Snitch is great in standard, but loses steam here. It certainly can be prowled out turn two and recured almost every turn after that, but Piledriver is certainly prefered even against control decks. Snitch might have a place in the sideboard, but I doubt it'll have the impact here that it will in standard.
Limited: Holy crap! This is just silly. Hitting with a goblin or rogue is very easy here in the early game when this will soak up blockers until something big comes out, which is fine because the damage will already be done and sorely contested card advantage will be yours for the taking.
Bitterblossom - 1B
Tribal Enchantment - Faerie (Rare)
At the beginning of your upkeep, lose 1 life and put a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature token with flying into play.
Illus. Rebecca Guay (yay! I love her artwork, , , plus she's pretty hot)
Standard: I laugh at those who delare this as too slow. This keeps a faerie deck at curve with Spellstutters being capable of countering anything your opponent plays. It gives rogue decks a nearly endless supply of prowlers and lets face it, a zero costed 1/1 flyer that took one life away when it comes out would see tournament level play. Being a faerie card is what puts this over the edge since Trickery can't counter it and a harbringer can search for it. Pick these up before they become to pricey.
Extended: If Phyrexian Arena saw more play in extended then I might be more excited here. The Blossom is powerful enough to push faerie decks, but whether that'll be tier two or three is beyond my guessing capablilties.
Limited: It wins games all by it self. Creature attrition is the key in this format and the fact that this will give you enough flyers to either block a fat guy all day or allow you to swarm an opponent for the win is enough to even splash for. Get Vivid Crags while you can (heck, even Shimmering Grotto goes up a notch because of this).
Blightsoil Druid - 1B
Creature - Elf Druid (Common)
{T}, Pay 1 life: Add {G} to your mana pool.
1/2
Standard: Should've been a 2/1
Extended: - - -
Limited: It'll probably get overlooked (because it's so bad), but it's still mana acceleration for elves and treefolk, which makes it relevant. Also, if you're already splashing for green well, now you can slpash for black too (so you can play Bitterblossom).
Earwig Squad - 3BB
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Rare)
Prowl {2}{B}
When Earwig Squad comes into play, if its prowl cost was paid, search target opponent's library for three cards and remove them from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
5/3
Standard: Prowl forces bad players to make good plays. If you're playing in an FNM and the other guy looks from his hand to his field and back for more than a minute, then decides to attack instead of casting his spell for the turn (like he usually does, you know who you people are) then he's playing a prowl deck. Remember though, even bad players are smart enough to remove wraths (or any card they deem "annoying" to play against). In the hands of a good player this guy is a nightmare. Thankfully you only get his ability whne he prowls thus preventing reanimator tricks or blink shenanigans. You still may not see it coming and even if you wrath the following turn it'll most likely be because you had to in order to keep from losing. A dang fine card and one that'll start out pretty cheap. Worth snatching up now before it's too late.
Extended: relegated to sideboard, but what a sideboard option! Goblin decks having the ability to remove annoying control cards? Yeah, it;ll have an impact here, maybe not as strongly as standard, but it'll be felt.
Limited: One of the very many reasons to keep goblins and rogues especially in mind when drafting the first two packs. You don't want to be counter-drafting this, you want to be playing it.
Fendeep Summoner - 4B
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (Rare)
{T}: Up to two target Swamps become 3/5 Treefolk Warrior creatures in addition to their other types until end of turn.
3/5
Standard: "sigh" Love the concept, but it fails to deliver. If it activated from the graveyard, even as a trigger at the beginning of your upkeep, I would've been happy, but as is it just looks like an uncommon in rare disguise.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Okay, here we have something. Bear in mind, it's not limited to your swamps only. Being able to Eyeblights Ending a manascrewed opponent isn't a bad thing either. As an aggresor it'll make things hard on the other guy since two 3/5 is nothing to sneeze at.
Festercreep - 1B
Creature - Elemental (Common)
Festercreep comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it.
{1}{B}, Remove a +1/+1 counter from Festercreep: All other creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
0/0
Standard: - - -
Extended: - - -
Limited: I'm really surprised this is a common. Against faeries and kithkin you have a decent mass removal spell that also plays havoc on any combat math your opponent tries to figure out. Ironically this fits best alongside treefolk more than anything else.
Frogtosser Banneret - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Haste
Goblin spells and Rogue Spells you play cost {1} less to play.
1/1
Standard: Most of the bannerets won't see play because they're not all that relevant. This guy is. The fact he can affect prowl cost, has haste and is a rogue himself means he'll accelerating out many, many cards over the coming months.
Extended: Goblin Warchief, meet your second in command. He may not be as relevant here as he would be in standard, but I can't imagine he wouldn't see some play here.
Limited: Not something you want to let pass you.
Final-Sting Faerie - 3B
Creature - Faerie Assassin (Common)
Flying
When Final-Sting Faerie comes into play, destroy target creature that was dealt damage this turn.
2/2
Standard: Without flash this card is irrelevant.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Allows you to kill a big blocker after it eats a little attacker. The key is that it does kill something and is still a 2/2 flyer for 4. Not strong, but can turn the tides after an alpha strike attempt.
Maralen of the Mornsong - 1BB
Legendary Creature - Elf Wizard (Rare)
Players can't draw cards.
At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player loses 3 life, searches his or her library for a card, puts it into his or her hand, then shuffles his or her library.
2/3
Standard: This is good with Makeshift Mannaquin and Teferi. Not surprisingly these cards are already good which helps Maralen's case, however, on her own she's pretty bad. Three mana for 3 life off an opponent and one of there Incinerates is not the best deal imaginable. I'd play her as a one of in UB control if I were including Mannaquin into the build, which I will be.
Extended: Suffers from lack of support. The stuff that makes this good is in another format.
Limited: Do not play this unless the other guy is amost out of life. Seriously.
Mind Shatter - XBB
Sorcery (Rare)
Target player discards X cards at random.
Standard: First off, be thankful they didn't make this a tribal card, otherwise it would be horribly broken. As is it's a nice 11th edition plug that'll see some degree of play over the coming months. There is no comparing this to other discard outlets in the format as nothing in a long time has caused random discard on such a massive scale. Believe me, when this almost empties your hand is the worst feeling, since you can't control what gets pulled a win/loss at that point will feel chanced. Oh yeah, and after playing Mistblind CLique on the other guys turn is a good time to drop this.
Extended: Nearly all the discard here is one cost and targeted for a reason.
Limited: Wow, would that ever suck. Even if the other guy is emptying his or her hand at a steady clip you should be able to hit the remainder of their cards at about turns 5 through 7, thus halting development and forcing them into top deck mode, which is what you want.
Moonglove Changeling - 2B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times.)
{B}: Moonglove Changeling gains deathtouch until end of turn. (Whenever it deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.)
2/2
Standard: The deathtouch makes this guy almost relevant, if it didn't cost a mana to activate. He's still a rogue though, so that cetainly helps.
Extended: - - -
Limited: A very relevant creature here. Don't pass this guy up unless removal already exist in the pack.
Morsel Theft - 2BB
Tribal Sorcery - Rogue (Common)
Prowl {1}{B}
Target player loses 3 life and you gain 3 life. If Morsel Theft's prowl cost was paid, draw a card.
Standard: This is a damn fine card if ever there was one and another great example of how wizards has fallen madly in love with rogues. Life loss is a great way to get around damage prevention (okay, not that relevant here) and the lifegain is minor at best, but a black Lightning Helix that draws you a card? Yeha, that's relevant. Morsel my butt, this is a vital organ.
Extended: Great utility doesn't push the win. Against aggro decks it can steal back some tempo, but not enough to matter.
Limited: This will be overlooked often allowing you ample opportunity to snatch this up.
Nightshade Schemers - 4B
Creature - Faerie Wizard (Uncommon)
Flying
Kinship - At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Nightshade Schemers, you may reveal it. If you do, each opponent loses 2 life.
3/2
Standard: - - -
Extended: - - -
Limited: Being a 3/2 flyer for 5 isn't very strong, but hitting that kinship during a stalemate can speed things right along. Certainly not a splash card and surprisingly not a rogue, but they've got enough going for them anyways.
Noggin Whack - 2BB
Tribal Sorcery - Rogue (Uncommon)
Prowl {1}{B} (You may play this card for its prowl cost if you dealt combat damage to a player this turn with a Rogue.)
Target player reveals three cards from his or her hand. Choose two of them. That player discards those cards.
Standard: I cringe at the thought of Blackmail (I'm still pissed that got voted in over Addle) and this made me cringe too, until I saw the prowl cost. WIthout prowl this is an overpriced Stupor, with it it's nothing less than amazing. This is a preeminent discard spell against aggro since you'll want to cast this when they have only three cards left in hand thus disecting their win. Against control this is a little less effective unless you have a The Rack out.
Extended: The fast decks are too fast and the slow decks will just hide their combo pieces from you.
Limited: Works better if you're already playing discard spells or if the other guy is hellbent on emptying their hand. Don't be afraid to play this for its full cost before an attack. Ironically, that's the best time to play it.
Offalsnout - 2B
Creature - Elemental (Uncommon)
Flash
When Offalsnout leaves play, remove target card in a graveyard from the game.
Evoke {B}
2/2
Standard: Awefulsnout serves no purpose here that even I can think of. It's an interesting counter to reanimator decks so maybe it could be useful there, but hitting only one card isn't very strong. Maybe I just feel spoiled by things like Extirpate or any of those other cards that removed 3 or more cards from a grave. Either way a 2/2 flash for 3 with no other relevant abilities isn't playable either.
Extended: Well, it absolutely molests Narcobridge. So that should be something.
Limited: Here a 2/2 flash can be relevant. Not a very high pick at all, but I wouldn't regret having to play one.
Oona's Blackguard - 1B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Uncommon)
Flying
Each other Rogue creature you control comes into play with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
1/1
Standard: She's awfully fragile for what she does, but what she does is kick ass! Unchecked you'll be able to flood the field with mini-spectres, even if she's dealt with it means one less removal spell to deal with. On the urface she looks kind of bad, what with only affecting creatures that come into play after the fact, but if you look closely you'll see she's something they have to deal with immediately, or not at all barring a top-deck.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Unbelievable, they actually managed to make reinforce relevant. This can be a really hard situation to recover from, keep that in mind when drafting. This is a creature you really don't want to pass. I'd take this over alot of different rares and removal spells just because of how difficult it is to deal with if it goes unchecked for even a couple of turns.
Pack's Disdain - 1B
Instant (Common)
Choose a creature type. Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each permanent you control of that type.
Standard: On average it should be about -2/-2, but a removal spell that could be countered by another removal spell isn't very good. If the deck in question can keep a large nuber of creatures on the field (faeries, I'm looking at you) then this has a home. The only thing this does if you're overcommiting is make the descision for your opponent on when to wrath.
Extended: Very rarely will goblin decks need a removal spell and when they do there's more effecient choices.
Limited: Very, very strong in limited. Should be a -3/-3 or -4/-4 on average, what with all the cross creature types. I'm actually very glad they didn't make tribal lands with creatures types as it would've made cards like this one stronger than it already is.
Prickly Boggart - B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Fear
1/1
Standard: Surprisingly more important to Rogue strategies than most people will think. This is something worth considering when building if only because he will hit and enable you more often than not.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Not just good for enabling prowl, but also good squeezing those last fw points of damage. Obviously not an exceptionally high pick, unless you're going Rogue, which you should be.
Pulling Teeth - 1B
Sorcery (Common)
Clash with an opponent. If you win, target player discards two cards. Otherwise, that player discards a card.
Standard: Since you lose 90% of your clashes this is a horrible card. Look away or you'll be blinded by the suck!
Extended: - - -
Limited: - - -
Revive the Fallen - 1B
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Return target creature card in a graveyard to its owner's hand. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Revive the Fallen to its owner's hand.
Standard: In a clash deck seeking to utilize things like Flamekin Rebellion or Entangling Trap you find yourself not playing black. In any other deck there are better options.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Well, at least it gets a dork back in your hand. You might be better served by an additional creature in your deck. I'm not looking forward to when soeone plays this and wins the clash, because that'll convince them that clash is good and they tumble down the precarious rabbits hole of suck.
Scarblade Elite - BB
Creature - Elf Assassin (Rare)
{T}, Remove an Assassin card in your graveyard from the game: Destroy target creature.
2/2
Standard: Assassins are a remarkably small tribe. Garza's Assassin and Nameless Inversion are the two mostly likely canidates for paying this guys cost, plus he is a 2/2 for two, so they did a good job of pushing the Elite on us. The fact it can hit any creature also helps. There's only one kind of deck that uses this guy, the kind that kills FNM decks.
Extended: - - -
Limited: You may not get too many activations off this guy, but having him in play will keep your opponent focused on your grave more than they should be, which is good for you.
Squeaking-Pie Grubfellows - 3B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Common)
Kinship - At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Squeaking-Pie Grubfellows, you may reveal it. If you do, each opponent discards a card.
3/2
Standard: Thankfully it's not a rogue, which simply means rogues continue to get all the good cards.
Extended: - - -
Limited: The two toughness is to keep it from being too good. The real power comes from your opponent over playing their hand to keep from having to discard later in the game. You never know when the kinship will hit, so you always have to play like it's going to. Frailness aside, the Grubbies are good in limited.
Stenchskipper - 3B
Creature - Elemental (Rare)
Flying
At end of turn, if you don't control a Goblin, sacrifice Stenchskipper.
6/5
Standard: ??? Why the hell did they even make this thing? It seems a little silly and out of place. Being a 6/5 though does give it a potential to be played, especially alongside Boggart Shenanigans, which is considerably harder to remove than a field full of gobbos. I really want to say bad things about this guy, but the more I think about it the more I realize that the best comparison for this is Goblin Goon, and it flies! I'm not sure, but I think this just put goblins over the hump and makes them a tier one deck. ??? That can't be right, can it?
Extended: Goblin Goon doesn't fly, he also doesn't die to pyroclasm either. It's a hard call to make simply because so few goblin decks run the Goon anymore, plus by not being a goblin the Skipper can't get haste or cost less mana. Goon wins here.
Limited: If you're playing goblins then that means flyers kick your butt, that's what the Skipper is for. If you see this get passedto you as a 3rd or 4th pick then you need to ask yourself why you're not playing goblins.
Stinkdrinker Bandit - 3B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Uncommon)
Prowl {1}{B}
Whenever a Rogue you control attacks and isn't blocked, it gets +2/+1 until end of turn.
2/1
Standard: Alright, that's alot of support. Rogues are going to be tier one, period. Prowling this guy out is cool and all, but you really want him in play before you attack, this might make players rethink whether or not they want to start blocking.
Extended: - - -
Limited: You just tripled the amount of damage your faeries can do each turn. Good job.
Violet Pall - 4B
Tribal Instant - Faerie (Common)
Destroy target nonblack creature.
Put a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature token with flying into play.
Standard: Even though it cost 5 (which is really high for a removal spell) it also makes a rogue, so mising a one of in your deck may not be so bad afterall. Just one though, don't want a handful of these.
Extended: - - -
Limited: Just absolutely amazing, even if you're only splashing black. Dropping a surprise rogue at the end of an opponents turn to enable some prowling next turn isn't too bad either I hear.
Warren Weirding - 1B
Tribal Sorcery - Goblin (Uncommon)
Target player sacrifices a creature. If a Goblin is sacrificed this way, that player puts two 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature tokens into play, and those tokens gain haste until end of turn.
Standard: In goblin decks this is a very strong, smart card. The flexibilty of being able to remove a hard to kill creature along with the ability to turn one gobbo into two (thus allowing you to push the rogues through for prowl) maks this a playable card, it just shouldn't be your premary form of removal.
Extended: Hard to say to be honest with you. Gonna have to be tested, but doesn't look strong in this format.
Limited: This is an amazing play after Goatnapping a changeling. Realistically though, this can be good for taking down a big creature after you've cleared out all the little ones.
Weed-Pruner Poplar - 4B
Creature - Treefolk Assassin (Common)
At the beginning of your upkeep, target creature other than Weed-Pruner Poplar gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
3/3
Standard: - - -
Extended: - - -
Limited: It does kill off a fearie a turn, which is important. It also can make a potential blocker a little smaller, but your opponent had all of last turn to consider that. It does have a place here, I just wouldn't change draft strategies if it were passed to me.
Weirding Shaman - 1B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Rare)
{3}{B}, Sacrifice a Goblin: Put two 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature tokens into play.
2/1
Standard: Being a 2 power for 2 helps her case, but costing 4 per activation does not. It amounts to 4 mana to make a 1/1 each turn. Elves do it better (2/2's for G). A surprisingly weak rare.
Extened: - - -
Limited: If only it gave them haste like its namesake sorcery. As is it ain't that bad for what it does and nothing beats a stalemate more than a swarm strategy.
-
Black so far is the real winning overall in Morningtide and I suspect things only get better in SHadowmoor (though I'm not sure how). Rogues are the real winers of this set and black nails them in spades. If you're still not convinced Rogues are going to change the way you play magic over the coming months then don't worry.
People thought Tarmagoyf sucked when it first came out too.
Tags: Morningtide Lorwyn Magic Gathering Stuff Black
