Dark Ascension MBC Spoiler Review

It's new set time again, and since Innistrad was so awesome (and i'm trying to get back into the writing habit) I thought i'd give the black-centric set review another airing.  However, rather than bore you with the usual long-winded "unplayable in constructed, okay in limited" fare, I decided i'll spare you the boring cards and just talk about the ones that most people are probably insterested in.

Well, shit.

Curse of Thirst

Before you get all up in arms, no, this is not a good card.  It's noteworthy to me, however, becaues i feel like curses in general have been a massive disappointment - a missed opportunity.  It feels like there was a lot of cool design space opened up by being able to enchant players but only one of them has seen any constructed play and one other is good in a niche limited deck.  Curse of Thirst is a prime example of a card that sounds like it could be reasonable, but when you realise that you have to play a bunch of awful cards to turn it into a more expensive Sulphuric Vortex you should be immediately turned off.

Death is red now?

Death's Caress

In limited, this card is very acceptable.  I just wish it cost a bit less so it could make me not hate Standard as much as i do right now.  Then again, it still doesn't deal with Geist of St Traft, and Delver will still have done six damage before you gain a measly two life.  Never mind!

Value, anyone?

Farbog Boneflinger

In years gone by - or if this cost one or two mana less - this might've been a reasonable constructed card.  As it is, it's an excellent limited card with just the kind of value that i love.  It's pretty much a gauranteed 2-for-1, what more needs to be said?  It's no Skinrender, but it's probably better than Mokrut Banshee and it's easier to cast than either of them.

I guess she taps for Bloodline Keeper

Fiend of the Shadows

I'm writing about this card because it's the kind of effect that people always want to be good, but never lives up to the expectation.  Remeber Praetor's Grasp from New Phyrexia?  Remember all those sweet decks it got played in?  At least in limited a 5/5 flier for three is fine and if you play against another black deck the upside is potentially huge.

Everything but the Kitchen Finks

Geralf's Messenger

Sorry, but this absolutely is not the new Kitchen Finks.  The comparisons are natural, but they are only skin deep, and this guy doesn't have a lot of skin to begin with.  Let's be clear, this is un-castable outside of monoblack, whereas Kitchen Finks' hybrid mana made it very easy to play.  Undying may be stronger than Persist and doing two damage is usually better than gaining two life, but all of that is irrelevant when you can't cast the spell in the first place.  Plus, it doesn't even work with Melira in modern, meaning that this will probably be one of those powerful but homeless cards that crop up in every set.

He's coming, very slowly

Gravecrawler

This is a really tough one for me.  The fact that it only dies to graveyard hate is good, but the fact that it's a 2/1 with no evasion is less good.  It's cheaper and easier to cast than the obvious comparison, Bloodghast, but its recursion is much less powerful without haste or any form of evasion.  I want this guy to be good, but i'm not sold.  Would it have been too good with Fear for one more mana?

I hope I don't fa-aaaaah

Tragic Slip

Cheesiest art in quite a while, but this is a card.  In limited, this is probably the best Morbid card after Reaper of the Abyss.  In constructed, is this strictly better than Wring Flesh?  Maybe not strictly, but being able to kill a Delver on turn one, and then being able to kill ANY non-hexproof creature at any given time is something that gives me a little hope for control in standard.