St@rWizard
10-02-2007, 06:47 PM
Hello again and welcome back. This time I'll be going over the Black cards, and I'll kick things off by saying that among those are two of the best cards in the set (the #1 one for sure). Lorwyn Black is really strong for Constructed and has a few gems for Limited as well, even though the creatures are all relatively bad, with a few notable exceptions of course.
Looking back at by White and Blue reviews, I was higher on Galepowder Mage than I should, and maybe too low on Militia's Pride and Mirror Entity. While I admit that I overestimated the Mage, I'm still not convinced that Militia's Pride and Mirror Entity are as good as I'm being told. About the Blue cards Jace is probably worth the 5th star, considering that I gave it a slightly lower rating because I was more afraid of Incinerate than I should (adding loyalty points is a cost and can't be responded to, of course, and I somehow failed to realize that even though it's blatantly obvious). I'll try to be more accurate with the Black cards, but keep in mind that predicting is hard and unreliable by itself, and that we're here to discuss and share ideas, not to point fingers and call names.
With all that out of our way, here's what I have to say about the Black portion of Lorwyn. Enjoy, and make sure to drop by and leave your comment. I really want to discuss the cards with all of you.
Lorwyn Black
Black Poplar Shaman - 2B
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (Common)
{2}{B}: Regenerate target Treefolk.
1/3
C * / L **
Black Poplar Shaman lacks the stats and abilities for Constructed, and isn’t great in Limited either. The toughness is nice but it costs more mana that the average Drudge Skeleton both to cast and activate. It can target changelings which is a nice bonus, but not enough. Will be the 22-23d card of your deck at best, which is fine for Sealed but lousy for Draft.
Bog Hoodlums - 5B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
Bog Hoodlums can't block.
When Bog Hoodlums comes into play, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a +1/+1 counter on Bog Hoodlums.
4/1
C * / L *
Dripping Dead, which relates to this, is a very bad card. Consider how this is way worse than Dross Crocodile, a card that sees play in 10E Limited because the power-level of the Core Set is below average for Limited play. This is a perfect example of what you should not play, ever, in any situation.
Boggart Birth Rite - B
Tribal Sorcery - Goblin (Common)
Return target Goblin card from your graveyard to your hand.
C * / L **
Tribal makes a good card become somewhat better, but it doesn’t make a bad card become playable. This is Raise Dead like 80% of the time, and Raise Dead is unplayable in Constructed and bad in Limited. This can take Tarfire back, but I’m only mentioning that so that nobody points out that I “forgot” that. It takes more than that to make Raise Dead playable (something like the cantrip bonus in Recover), and I’m only giving it two stars because the Tribal bonus may be relevant in some situation or another. Try not to play this in your Limited deck if possible.
Boggart Harbinger - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Uncommon)
When Boggart Harbinger comes into play, you may search your library for a Goblin card, reveal it, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it.
2/1
C *** / L ****
I’m an advocate of Harbingers getting three/four stars ratings, all eight of them. They are all playable in Constructed to go fetch the champions/legends/whatever, and specially in Limited - where that champion/legend/whatever is probably one of your bombs. This is a good card to keep in mind for Constructed, and a very good one to have for Limited.
Boggart Loggers - 2B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Forestwalk
{2}{B}, Sacrifice Boggart Loggers: Destroy target Treefolk or Forest.
2/1
C * / L ***
Again, bad stats and a bad ability for the cost can only make a bad card for Constructed. Boggart Loggers is playable in Limited because it’s a house against any Green deck - you either keep your unblockable bear, or deal 4-6 points of damage and slash a big tree dead. This is a good card to have, so try to grab at least one copy to keep in your Sideboard to side in against Green decks.
Boggart Mob - 3B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Rare)
Champion a Goblin (When this comes into play, sacrifice it unless you remove another Goblin you control from the game. When this leaves play, that card returns to play.)
When a Goblin you control deals combat damage to a player, you may put a 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature token into play.
5/5
C *** / L ***
When four mana in a champion buys you a 5/5 with three combat-dominating abilities or a 5/5 that can spawn wolves with Deathtouch, Boggart Mob looks disappointing. It is. The ability is only relevant if it connects, but then how relevant is a 1/1 Goblin? And if you’re connecting with a 5/5, what else do you need? Unlike some other champions that can be dominating once they hit the board, Boggart Mob seems like a win more card. It is playable in Constructed, but I think the BR Goblins deck is going to be more synergy-based (check my first Blog for my BR deck idea), and Boggart Mob doesn’t add to the synergy.
In Limited this is as big as almost any creature gets, but it does ask for a creature in exchange. I don’t think this is better than Berserker Changeling, for example, a creature that for the same cost hits for the same five damage, but has haste and fits into any tribe you want. This is playable and will always make your deck if you’re Black, but fairly unspectacular.
Cairn Wanderer - 4B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Rare)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times.)
As long as a creature card with flying is in a graveyard, Cairn Wanderer has flying. The same is true for fear, first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, landwalk, lifelink, protection, reach, trample, shroud, and vigilance.
4/4
C ***(*) / L *****
It’s been a while since a Black creature really got me thinking, and Cairn Wanderer wins that award. If it’s a vanilla 4/4 it’s worse than almost every other finisher you can get in Constructed, even though it fits into any tribe. However, when even the simplest of the keyword abilities is turned on, Cairn Wanderer starts to look interesting. Players with the Timmy/Johnny mentality will start discarding Akromas to Merfolk Looter/Bonded Fetch/Magus of the Bazaar/Careful Consideration just to play Cairn, Akroma Wanderer. That is certainly a nice thing if it works, but then why not just play Body Double and copy Akroma right away? For the same five mana you get a 6/6 body. What about Dread Return instead, which costs 1 less mana? Cairn Wanderer is not going to see play in any reanimation-style decks because it’s just inferior to whatever it’s taking the abilities from.
It will, though, see play against creature decks, as a possible finisher in MBC. Fluctuating between 4 and 6 you have Plague Sliver, Sengir Nosferatu, Stronghold Overseer and Dread, though, so Cairn Wanderer has some heavy competition. I think the Changeling ability is the most important thing about Cairn Wanderer, to top the curve for tribal decks that are lacking one playable in-tribe creature. It’s certainly splashable enough for that, so I’m torn between three and four stars here. I guess it gets a 3.5 rating then.
For Limited the simplest keyword is probably Flying, and Cairn Wanderer is then at the very least a more splashable Black Air Elemental that also happens to be all creature types. All that combined turns Cairn Wanderer into a bomb, one that you will always play because it’s so easy to splash. This is what Black creatures should look like.
Colfenor's Plans - 2BB
Enchantment (Rare)
When Colfenor's Plans comes into play, remove the top seven cards of your library from the game face down.
You may look at and play cards removed form the game with Colfenor's Plans.
Skip your draw step.
You can't play more than one spell each turn.
C ** / L *
Colfenor’s Plans feels just wrong. It’s like getting a new bike, but one that you can ride only seven times for the whole year and then the store will take the bike back. Wtf, right? Someone somewhere will try to break this, but I just don’t see that happening. Oh and this is just awful for Limited, because if you don’t get in the seven cards whatever you need to win the game, you can be 100% sure you are going to lose. And you can’t even drop two creatures or a creature and a removal spell during the same turn. Don’t play this.
Dread - 3BBB
Creature - Elemental Incarnation (Rare)
Fear
Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.
When Dread is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
6/6
C *** / L ****
Dread is another member of the new Elemental Incarnation cycle, and is a pretty decent one. You’re probably better with something like Stronghold Overseer in Standard, because the ability isn’t that relevant for six mana. No Mercy is nice but it won’t prevent a Greater Gargadon from killing you if it connects. In Limited the ability is a lot better and Fear is as good as any other form of evasion. Dread is totally busted and is the second best Incarnation for Limited play.
Dreamspoiler Witches - 3B
Creature - Faerie Wizard (Common)
Flying
Whenever you play a spell during an opponent's turn, you may have target creature get -1/-1 until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***(*)
Dreamspoiler Witches is not a Constructed card, but is your quintessential 2/2 flier with a random ability for 3C. Sorry if I’m not impressed, but hey at least the artwork is very good. This is always going to make the cut for your Limited deck, and becomes a lot better if you have a lot of Flash creatures and/or a lot of instants (and the Faerie tribe certainly has a lot of both). If you have 7-10 instant-speed cards when you see this in a pack make sure to grab it, because the ability is one of the most relevant ones in a 2/2 flier. A very good Limited card.
Exiled Boggart - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
When Exiled Boggart is put into a graveyard from play, discard a card.
2/2
C ** / L **
Don’t try to “combo” Exiled Boggart with Madness cards or whatever so that you can break the drawback. Why are you playing a bear in your Madness deck if you want it dead? Oh and why are you playing Madness in Standard, or Exiled Boggart in your Extended UG Madness deck? This is just another one of the Red/Black “drawback bears”, because apparently WotC thinks that a straight 2/2 for 1B or 1R is too good to see print, while Duress and Incinerate aren’t. Right. This is also bad for Limited because bears are almost never good enough, unless your deck can take some serious advantage of them. A “drawback bear” certainly isn’t good enough, though.
Eyeblight's Ending - 2B
Tribal Instant - Elf (Common)
Destroy target non-Elf creature.
C *** / L *****
This is the best Black common removal spell in Lorwyn, so this is obviously a pretty high pick. You’ll see some Elves but I doubt you’ll see a “mono-Elf” deck, even in Draft. Eyeblight’s Ending will always have one target or another, and is as cheap and as fast as you can hope it to be. Have fun Dark Banishing Black creatures, welcome back Rend Flesh. I know it competes with Terror, Slaughter Pact and Shriekmaw in Constructed, but this has the advantage of hitting Black creatures, and that deserves soem respect. A possible, and likely, one-of in UB Teachings. It kills Gaddock Teeg, and that seems to be a requirement for any removal spell to see play in Standard.
Facevaulter - B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
{B}, Sacrifice a Goblin: Facevaulter gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
1/1
C *** / L **
Facevaulter is an interesting creature. It offers a cheap sacrifice outlet for the Goblin tribe, and has great synergy with Knucklebone Witch and Mogg War Marshall. You have to pay a mana everytime you eat a Goblin, but this is still better than something like Nantuko Husk if you want a sacrifice outlet for the tribe. Greater Gargadon and Siege-Gang Commander are better, though, so Facevaulter will only see play if the deck needs yet another way to eat some dudes. That is possible, so this is certainly playable.
Faerie Tauntings - 2B
Tribal Enchantment - Faerie (Uncommon)
Whenever you play a spell during an opponent's turn, you may have each opponent lose 1 life.
C *** / L **
I really like Faerie Tauntings and I think there’s a way to break it for Constructed play. If you can keep a decent flow of instants and/or flash creatures, this can kill your opponent by itself (probably in multiples, though). This is a card to keep in mind in my opinion, because the potential certainly is there.
For Limited this isn’t that great because you can’t expect to cast more than 3-6 spells during your opponent’s turn, even if you draft a lot of Faeries with Flash. If that somehow develops into some archetype then Faerie Tauntings will have a place, but my first impression is that this card’s effect is just too meaningless for Limited.
Final Revels - 4B
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Choose one - All creatures get +2/+0 until end of turn; or all creatures get -0/-2 until end of turn.
C * / L ***
Final Revels feels like Infest gone wrong. And it is just that. Compare this to Fortify before you even start to think about the +2/+0 “bonus”. This card is unplayable in Constructed. For Limited this is still good as far as Infest/Hideous Laughter effects go, but it’s certainly expensive. Rather than play your Infest card early and follow it up with creatures, you have to spend your first four turns playing creatures with a bigger toughness than two, or lose them to Final Revels. This is playable but I really don’t get why this costs 4B. It wouldn’t break any format at 2BB or even 3B.
Fodder Launch - 3B
Tribal Sorcery - Goblin (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to play Fodder Launch, sacrifice a Goblin.
Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn. Fodder Launch deals 5 damage to that creature's controller.
C **** / L ****
Fodder Launch deserves some respect because Goblin Grenade/Shrapnel Blast effects are very, very good. Aaron and his boys learned the lesson, though, because Fodder Launch costs two more mana than S-Blast and is a sorcery, and they tried to make up for that by adding “Entwine 0” to the card. You get to both kill a dude and send 5 to the dome with Fodder Launch if you have a Goblin to spare, and with the ammount of good Goblin token producers in the format that’s certainly viable. Expect this to slay “Kithzilla” and similar fatties in the upcoming months, and any and all interactions with cards like Wort, Boggart Auntie are just the icing on the cake. This will see play.
For Limited this is the quintessential Black -5/-5 big removal spell. It’s slightly cheaper than Pull Under and similar spells, but asks for a creature in exchange. Then it breaks the symmetry by also removing 1/4th of target player from the game. Nice!
Footbottom Feast - 2B
Instant (Common)
Put any number of target creature cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
Draw a card.
C * / L **(*)
See Recover for a card that does more than this as far as card advantage goes and still doesn’t see Constructed play. I would love to see Recover get more, well, love, but Footbottom Feast will never ever see play in 60-card decks.
In Limited we can’t be that picky, but keep in mind that Footbottom Feast is, in reality, Raise Dead for 2 more that also Reclaims some creatures. This is always playable in Sealed (three stars) but you should try to avoid playing this in your Draft deck (two stars).
Ghostly Changeling - 2B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Uncommon)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
{1}{B}: Ghostly Changeling gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/2
C ** / L ***
Welcome back, Nantuko Shade! It’s been a while! Oh, you seem to have traded one of your B for a 2. Oh and is that an extra 1 in your ability? Right. Get the hell out of here you damned Elf Goblin Goat Shapeshifter... Kithkin Merfolk Faerie... Treefolk Spider Mutant Ninja Turtle!
For Limited everything's fine, as this is probably one of the best Scathe Zombies ever for your 40-card deck. The ability is relevant, being every creature type is certainly good, and all things considered this is a very solid creature for any Black-heavy deck you draft.
Hoarder's Greed - 3B
Sorcery (Uncommon)
You lose 2 life and draw two cards, then clash with an opponent. If you win, repeat this process. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost)
C ** / L **
I’m getting tired of seeing cards we already know and have for an extra mana or two because of a mediocre clash-based bonus. Night’s Whisper costs two, not four! And no I don’t want to pay 2 just to be able to take my chances at “The Clashing Game”. And what really makes me mad is the fact that Phyrexian Arena is out, Phyrexian Etchings is bad, and we may be forced to play this in MBC if we want to draw some cards. Argh.
It’s the same for Limited, as this is Counsel of the Soratami for 1 mana and 2 life more, because of some silly clash bonus. I’m not impressed and I don’t think I will unless the quality of clash cards improves dramatically with Morningtide.
Hornet Harasser - 2BB
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Common)
When Hornet Harasser is put into a graveyard from play, target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***
A decent creature for Limited that your opponent will always hate killing, let alone trading with. I love how this stops your opponents bears from attacking, and sometimes even a 4/4 with a relevant ability. This is a playable Limited card and you should always run it in your Black Limited deck, but this card has zero uses for Constructed play.
Hunter of Eyeblights - 3BB
Creature - Elf Assassin (Uncommon)
When Hunter of Eyeblights comes into play, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you don't control.
{2}{B}, {T}: Destroy target creature with a counter on it.
3/3
C * / L ****
If you have to go through this much trouble in Constructed just to kill a dude, you’re doing something wrong. In Limited, though, this is a very good card. There aren’t many creatures with +1/+1 counters in Lorwyn, but Hunter of Eyeblights will kill at least one creature and then serve as an ordinary, but solid, Hill Giant. This is good - but expensive - removal in a format where removal is very scarce, so this is a high pick indeed.
Knucklebone Witch - B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Whenever a Goblin you control is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Knucklebone Witch.
1/1
C **** / L ***
I wrote a full Blog about Knucklebone Witch and a deck that features it as the centerpiece, and I still have (almost) the same opinion. I still think RB Goblins is busted and I will keep trying to break it. Knucklebone Witch loves to hang around Greater Gargadon, Mogg War Marshall and Siege-Gang Commander, and that synergy isn’t going anywhere. This is going to be a staple in Standard and Block and probably a format-defining card if someone somewhere manages to really go nuts with the synergy. I will keep trying, and I suggest you do the same.
For Limited this is a fine dude if you have a lot of Goblins, but 1/1s that want to attack are always going to be lacking in Limited. You’ll have to wait quite some time to make this a 3/3 or 4/4, unless you really manage to draft all the right cards. This is playable if everything goes right, but keep in mind that things sometimes go wrong, specially when you’re drafting.
Liliana Vess - 3BB
Planeswalker - Liliana (Rare)
+1: Target player discards a card.
-2: Search your library for a card, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it.
-8: Put all creature cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
5
C ** / L ****
Liliana Vess is the worst planeswalker for Constructed. Don’t frown, Jace and Garruk are superb. The problem here is that Liliana costs five mana and sits there and does almost nothing. You will almost never be happy to use the first ability because even if you’re desperate for the loyalty boost you are using a fairly mediocre ability. At least Bottomless Pit is random discard and costs much less mana. Yes Liliana is Vampiric Tutor in a... hum... not a stick, I don’t know then. Well she can definitely tutor up a nice card, then die a horrible death due to having only 3 loyalty points and eating an Incinerate. Once the dust settles you paid 3BB for Imperial Seal + Healing Salve. Amazing.
For Limited Liliana would be a bomb just like any other planeswalker if she didn’t suck so much. Tutoring for your best card in Limited is relevant enough but you will almost never have enough loyalty points for the third ability, and the first one is still as weak as it is in Constructed. Liliana is playable as any other walker and should be picked up if you’re Black and see her, but honestly I’d rather have Shriekmaw or Fodder Launch.
Lys Alana Scarblade - 2B
Creature - Elf Assassin (Uncommon)
{T}, Discard an Elf card: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of Elves you control.
1/1
C * / L ***
Even if they colorshift Squee into Squee, Elven Nabob you’ll only kill 1/1, maybe 2/2s with Lys Alana Scarblade. Don’t play removal spells that depend on you controlling a good quantity specific creatures in your 60-card decks.
In Limited this is removal in a removal-light format. Yes, I have just said that three cards ago, and it’s still true.
Mad Auntie - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1.
{T}: Regenerate another target Goblin.
2/2
C *** / L ****
Strictly better than Goblin King in the sense that it doesn’t pump opposing Goblins, it’s also “strictly worse” in the sense that mountainwalk > tap to regenerate another goblin. In the end both cards are a little too much tribal-based for Constructed play, because they really suck unless you have 2+ Goblins in play. This is playable, specially in Limited due to the totally busted (for Limited play) regenerate ability.
Makeshift Mannequin - 3B
Instant (Uncommon)
Return target creature from your graveyard to play with a mannequin counter on it. As long as that creature has a mannequin counter on it, it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
C * / L *
This is strictly worse than Zombify, which sucks because Zombify, while playable, isn’t even that great. The flavor is awesome, but just kills the card. Don’t play this in any format.
Marsh Flitter - 3B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Uncommon)
Flying
When Marsh Flitter comes into play, put two 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature tokens into play.
Sacrifice a Goblin: Marsh Flitter becomes 3/3 until end of turn.
1/1
C ** / L ***
Probably the weakest of the “make tokens” cycle, this is still a playable card. This is the poor man’s Siege-Gang Commander, in Black. It makes one less token but is cheaper and offers a free sac outlet for Goblins, and that makes Knucklebone Witch happy. But then you realize that you are paying 3B for a 3/3 flier that is only that big during two turns, and the dream is shattered. Oh well. At least this is better in Limited, being a nice flier that will probably make your maindeck all the time if you’re playing Black.
Moonglove Winnower - 3B
Creature - Elf Rogue (Common)
Deathtouch (Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.)
2/3
C * / L ***
Moonglove Winnower has one of the best artworks in the set. It’s a shame it was wasted in a somewhat decent Limited card that’s unplayable in Constructed. This will always trade with the biggest ground ponder your opponent controls, and if that’s a 5/7 Treefolk, more power to you. This has the benefit of being virtually unblockable, but so are almost all the 2/2 fliers that cost the same four mana. This is solid, certainly playable, but nothing to write home about.
Mournwhelk - 6B
Creature - Elemental (Common)
When Mournwhelk comes into play, target player discards two cards.
Evoke {3}{B} (You may play this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it comes into play)
3/3
C * / L *
So it’s either Mind Rot for 3B, or Hill Giant + Mind Rot? No, thanks. This is where I usually write something good or at least doable about a card, but since Mournwhelk is one of the worst cards in all Lorwyn (and other sets too) you’ll get these wise words about nothing instead. Tee hee.
Nameless Inversion - 1B
Tribal Instant - Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
Target creature gets +3/-3 and loses all creature types until end of turn.
C **** / L *****
Last Gasp will always be a playable card in Constructed, and a Tribal Last Gasp that turns on all the tribelands, all the Goldmeadow Stalwarts and Flamekin Bladewhirls, and is reusable with Haakon (and more) will always get some well-deserved respect. Don’t let the +3 half fool you, as that will almost never backfire. Nameless Inversion will slay Kithkins, Merfolks, Faeries, Elves, Boggarts, etc all day, both in Constructed and Limited, because it’s simply really solid for its cost. Thanks to all the interactions this will be better than Last Gasp almost all the time, and that’s as good as a Black common removal spell can get. Nice one, Wizards!
Nath's Buffoon - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Protection from Elves
1/1
C * / **
Nath’s Buffoon sadly won’t get the attention it wants. It will make some lousy sideboards in Limited, and will be cut into shreds in Constructed. And there’s really nothing else to say here, so let’s move along.
Nectar Faerie - 1B
Creature - Faerie Wizard (Uncommon)
Flying
{B}, {T}: Target Faerie or Elf gains lifelink until end of turn. (Whenever it deals damage, its controller gains that much life.)
1/1
C ** / L **
There’s something nice to the fact that this is a cheap Faerie, but there is another Faerie for 1B that is way better and will probably keep this from seeing any play at all. The lifelink ability matters more in Limited, but neither Elves nor Faeries are known for their size, meaning the restrictive lifelink is much less desirable than it could be.
Nettlevine Blight - 4BB
Enchantment - Aura (Rare)
Enchant creature or land
Enchanted permanent has "At the end of your turn, sacrifice this permanent and attach Nettlevine Blight to a creature or land you control."
C ** / L ***
I think this is too cute to see any Constructed play. It does nothing until your net turn, and if you want to kill a creature every turn play Magus of the Abyss or something. Nettlevine Blight is like Braids gone wrong, and I don’t see it seeing play in 60-card decks.
This is a marginal piece of pseudo-removal for Limited, because it simply costs way too much mana (plus the time delay). I really don’t like this card for any format, but in the world of Lorwyn you have to be creative with your removal spells. There really isn’t a lot of options in this bomb-heavy set, so every card counts.
Nightshade Stinger - B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Common)
Flying
Nightshade Stinger can't block.
1/1
C *** / L **
I don’t think there’s any other 1/1 flier for a single B mana in the game. Putrid Imp is a very good card and comes close, but it only flies if you have a card to discard. I like having this (and the next card) together with Bad Moon in Standard, because Black aggro decks were severely lacking a decent one-drop. Nightshade Stinger is a very playable card that will definitely see play if a Black Aggro deck is born. Maybe now is the time, since we also have...
Oona's Prowler - 1B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Rare)
Flying
Discard a card: Oona's Prowler gets -2/-0 until end of turn. Any player may play this ability.
3/1
C ***** / L ****
I really dig this card. You can tell me I’m overrating it, I don’t care, I do think this is that good. First of all it’s a 3/1 flier for 1B, because honestly who will discard a card in order to save two life points? Unless you’re playing this in Extended or one of the older formats, and against a player that wants to have some specific card in the graveyard, nobody will discard a card in order to shrink Oona’s Prowler down. No one except you, and at any time other than the combat step, because Oona’s Prowler is the first real good discard outlet in Standard for cards like Fiery Temper and Reckless Wurm. It’s a cheap, easy and free way to enable these madness cards and even stuff like Keldon Megaliths, and on top of everything this is just sick with Bad Moon and other Faries (like Scion of Oona). This is a beautifully designed card, one of the best Black two-drops in years (if you discount Dark Confidant, this is the best one since Nantuko Shade), and is going to be a format defining card as long as there’s an aggressive Black deck around. And Oona’s Prowler will spawn Black aggro decks like there’s no tomorrow.
For Limited this is cheaper than any decent flier, and hits as hard as (or harder than) all of them. Again no one will be crazy enough to toss cards just to shrink Oona’s Prowler, except maybe some extra lands in the really late game. But then there’s the fact that this means your opponent is topdecking lands, which is always good news. This is a very solid beater for any Black decks you assemble, Faerie-heavy or not.
Peppersmoke - B
Tribal Instant - Faerie (Common)
Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
If you control a Faerie, draw a card.
C *** / L ****
Peppersmoke is the new Darkblast of sorts, and is certainly playable. It’s weaker than its Dredge counterpart, but I like how this kills a bird on turn one or kills a bird and draws me a a card some turns later. I don’t see the Tribal part being too relevant but at the very least it will untap Secluded Glen, and that certainly counts. This is a cool card to keep in mind.
In Limited, like I said multiple times already, removal is scarce and you can’t refuse Peppersmoke. You’ll almost always need the help of one of your attackers/blockers to be able to kill something relevant with this, but if it replaces itself all’s well. Pick this up higher if you have a lot of Faeries, but by all means pick this up if you can.
Profane Command - XBB
Sorcery (Rare)
Choose two - Target player loses X life; or return target creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to play; or target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn; or up to X target creatures gain fear until end of turn.
C **** / L ****
I really like the versatility of this card. All the combinations are good enough for Constructed play because there’s always going to be a dude to kill and an opponent to drain life from. This is very scary as a way to give fear to something like Greater Gargadon and drain some life, because you can win the game right there and then. The possibilities aren’t endless but are diverse enough, and this card will see play if MBC proves to be a viable archetype.
In Limited you are most likely going to kill a dude and bring one back from the dead, and that’s pretty damn good. Again versatility is key here, and even though this card isn’t cheap it’s certainly powerful enough to be a very high pick if you’re drafting Black.
Prowess of the Fair - 1B
Tribal Enchantment - Elf (Uncommon)
Whenever another nontoken Elf is put into your graveyard from play, you may put a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token into play.
C *** / L ***
There’s been some talk about a BG Elf Rack deck, and Prowess of the Fair is decent there with stuff like Smallpox. This is certainly cheap enough to see play, and provides the Elf tribe with a way to recover quickly after a mass removal spell. You can commit ~3 Elves to the board if you have this, because if they Wrath the board away you can then drop one of the elvish lords and swing with three 2/2 tokens. That’s good enough for Constructed.
For Limited this depends on how many Elves you have, but it also counts as one so it helps to keep your Elf count high for cards that keep track of it. The ability is pretty good and if you manage to draft an almost mono-Elf BG deck with 1-2 copies of Prowess of the Fair, more power to you.
Quill-Slinger Boggart - 3B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
Whenever a player plays a Kithkin spell, you may have target player lose 1 life.
3/2
C * / L ***
Useless for Constructed due to, well, everything about it, Quill-Slinger Boggart is going to be one of your main aggressors if you’re playing Black in Limited. Hill Giants are always good, and this will probably deal quite a few points of damage in the long run because White is so good in Lorwyn Limited.
Scarred Vinebreeder - 1B
Creature - Elf Shaman (Common)
{2}{B}, Remove an Elf card in your graveyard from the game: Scarred Vinebreeder gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
1/1
C * / L **
I don’t like cards like this, because you need a lot of things to go right before you start swinging with a 4/4 or bigger creature. 1/1s need to do a lot more than just sit there and wait until you have mana and dead Elves lying around, and the result is that Scarred Vinebreeder is a marginally playable Limited card.
Shriekmaw - 4B
Creature - Elemental (Uncommon)
Fear
When Shriekmaw comes into play, destroy target nonartifact, nonblack creature.
Evoke {1}{B} (You may play this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it comes into play.)
3/2
C **** / L *****
Shriekmaw is going to be a staple for the next two years, because it does something useful and is soo good at that. Sorcery Terror or Fear Nekrataal, both modes are strong enough and the interaction with Momentary Blink is a nifty bonus. This is a windmill slam first pick in Lorwyn Limited because removal is so scarce there and this is the best piece of removal in the format alongside Oblivion Ring. It’s very easy to splash for this card so expect to pick this over anything and everything whenever you sit down to draft the new format.
Skeletal Changeling - 1B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
{1}{B}: Regenerate Skeletal Changeling.
1/1
C * / L ***
The Changeling ability is all that matters here, because otherwise this is a slightly more expensive Drudge Skeletons. When this starts getting +1/+1 bonuses from lords and other minor bonuses that come from all the tribes things start to get interesting, so this is a playable card in Limited.
Spiderwig Boggart - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Common)
When Spiderwig Boggart comes into play, target creature gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***
Scathe Zombies with a decent CIP ability is a fine card for Limited. You’ll always play this in your Goblin deck. Just stay away from this when building you 60-card decks and you’ll be fine.
Squeaking Pie Sneak - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to play Squeaking Pie Sneak, reveal a Goblin card from your hand or pay {3}.
Fear
2/2
C *** / L ***
This is the weakest member of the “reveal or pay 3” cycle, but is still playable because Goblin two-drops are either Mogg War Marshall, Goblin Piledriver, or suck royally. Fear is a nice thing to have both in Limited and Constructed, and the question you have to ask is a simple one: How often will I be able to play this for 1B? In Constructed you have more control, but you also do in Draft, and the result is a card that is playable in both formats.
Thieving Sprite - 2B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Common)
Flying
When Thieving Sprite comes into play, target player reveals X cards from his or her hand, where X is the number of Faeries you control. Choose one of those cards. That player discards that card.
1/1
C ** / L ***
Blackmail on a stick is still Blackmail, and in this case probably worse because you need at least two other Faeries to get the same effect out of it, and you’re still paying two more mana for a mere 1/1 flying body. If only this had flash, or an extra power, or something, it would be far more interesting for Constructed. As it is, this is not going to make the cut. I don’t think anyone will be this desperate for a Faerie.
In Limited this card is always a player, because at the very least it gives a +1 to your Faerie count. The 1/1 flier attached to the effect is cute too because Lorwyn Limited tends to develop into stalemates that are broken by either lots of fliers or a bomb. Thieving Sprite also gives a +1 to your flier count, so it’s playable.
Thorntooth Witch - 5B
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (Uncommon)
Whenever you play a Treefolk spell, you may have target creature get +3/-3 until end of turn.
3/4
C * / L ***
Six mana needs to buy stuff like Skeletal Vampire to be viable in Constructed, and this is not like that, at all.
Turning our attentions to Limited, Thorntooth Witch is a good card because it turns your other Treefolk into Last Gasps, and you still get to keep the creatures. The body is unspectacular and the cost is steep, but the ability is good enough. This will always find its way into your Treefolk-heavy Black decks.
Thoughtseize - B
Sorcery (Rare)
Target player reveals his or her hand. Choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life.
C ***** / L *****
Ah, Cashseize, how I hate you. First of all you are almost strictly better than Duress, a card that needs no comparisons like this one. Then they had to go and make you a rare, which means that players all around the world will have to let around $80 go just to be able to compete with a Black deck. Thoughtseize discards creature cards too, and that can completely screw starting hands in all formats. You sit down at the table to play your first opponent, you don’t know what he is playing, and you draw your seven cards after deciding who goes first. Would you keep a hand of Forest, Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, and four other spells on the draw against an unknown deck? It’s scary how Thoughtseize’s presence makes any and all decisions very hard for all players. It will impact all formats, no exceptions, because honestly who will ever pass Ca$h$eize in Draft? Ok maybe if you’re drafting at a Pro Tour, or Worlds, or even Nationals, but still, the impact it will cause is a fact. A scary fact.
I knoq I didn’t say a lot about the card’s functionality, but really, what is there to say? Duress is nuts, and this is better than that. Pick up your copies as soon as you can, because you will need it for all your Black decks starting October the 20th.
Warren Pilferers - 4B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
When Warren Pilferers come into play, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. If that card is a Goblin card, Warren Pilferers gains haste until end of turn.
3/3
C * / ***
Hill Giant + Raise Dead, mirroring Gravedigger’s stats of being Scathe Zombies + Raise Dead. This has also two minor bonuses: It’s a Goblin, and it randomly gets haste. This will always make the cut in Limited if you’re playing Black.
Weed Strangle - 3BB
Sorcery (Common)
Destroy target creature. Clash with an opponent.
If you win, gain life equal to that creature's toughness.
C * / L *****
Weed Strangle destroys any creature, not only nonblack ones, which is a nice bonus to have. It can also win you some life, but then you have to answer the following question: Why are you playing a sorcery that costs an extra B and a “clash flip” to do everything that Tendrils of Corruption already does at instant speed? Yeah, didn’t think so.
The sad reality, for Limited, is that Weed Strangle is probably the most reliable piece of Black removal in the set. Unlike Eyeblight’s Ending it kills elves, and unlike Shriekmaw it deals with Black creatures. The price is steep, but removal is scarce in Lorwyn and we can’t afford the luxury of letting Weed Strangle go. This is a Black 1st pick in Lorwyn drafts.
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, Lorwyn Black seems to be very strong for Constructed. As a quick recap, Shriekmaw, Fodder Launch and Nameless Inversion are all good removal spells, while Thoughtseize is the best Duress variant ever. Cairn Wanderer is a head scratcher and a decent role player, Oona's Prowler is pretty much as good as I believe it to be, and Knucklebone Witch is pure evil. Let me know what you all think of Lorwyn Black, where our opinions differ, and make sure to join me again in a few days when I bring the Red cards to the table.
--St@r
Looking back at by White and Blue reviews, I was higher on Galepowder Mage than I should, and maybe too low on Militia's Pride and Mirror Entity. While I admit that I overestimated the Mage, I'm still not convinced that Militia's Pride and Mirror Entity are as good as I'm being told. About the Blue cards Jace is probably worth the 5th star, considering that I gave it a slightly lower rating because I was more afraid of Incinerate than I should (adding loyalty points is a cost and can't be responded to, of course, and I somehow failed to realize that even though it's blatantly obvious). I'll try to be more accurate with the Black cards, but keep in mind that predicting is hard and unreliable by itself, and that we're here to discuss and share ideas, not to point fingers and call names.
With all that out of our way, here's what I have to say about the Black portion of Lorwyn. Enjoy, and make sure to drop by and leave your comment. I really want to discuss the cards with all of you.
Lorwyn Black
Black Poplar Shaman - 2B
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (Common)
{2}{B}: Regenerate target Treefolk.
1/3
C * / L **
Black Poplar Shaman lacks the stats and abilities for Constructed, and isn’t great in Limited either. The toughness is nice but it costs more mana that the average Drudge Skeleton both to cast and activate. It can target changelings which is a nice bonus, but not enough. Will be the 22-23d card of your deck at best, which is fine for Sealed but lousy for Draft.
Bog Hoodlums - 5B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
Bog Hoodlums can't block.
When Bog Hoodlums comes into play, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a +1/+1 counter on Bog Hoodlums.
4/1
C * / L *
Dripping Dead, which relates to this, is a very bad card. Consider how this is way worse than Dross Crocodile, a card that sees play in 10E Limited because the power-level of the Core Set is below average for Limited play. This is a perfect example of what you should not play, ever, in any situation.
Boggart Birth Rite - B
Tribal Sorcery - Goblin (Common)
Return target Goblin card from your graveyard to your hand.
C * / L **
Tribal makes a good card become somewhat better, but it doesn’t make a bad card become playable. This is Raise Dead like 80% of the time, and Raise Dead is unplayable in Constructed and bad in Limited. This can take Tarfire back, but I’m only mentioning that so that nobody points out that I “forgot” that. It takes more than that to make Raise Dead playable (something like the cantrip bonus in Recover), and I’m only giving it two stars because the Tribal bonus may be relevant in some situation or another. Try not to play this in your Limited deck if possible.
Boggart Harbinger - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Uncommon)
When Boggart Harbinger comes into play, you may search your library for a Goblin card, reveal it, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it.
2/1
C *** / L ****
I’m an advocate of Harbingers getting three/four stars ratings, all eight of them. They are all playable in Constructed to go fetch the champions/legends/whatever, and specially in Limited - where that champion/legend/whatever is probably one of your bombs. This is a good card to keep in mind for Constructed, and a very good one to have for Limited.
Boggart Loggers - 2B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Forestwalk
{2}{B}, Sacrifice Boggart Loggers: Destroy target Treefolk or Forest.
2/1
C * / L ***
Again, bad stats and a bad ability for the cost can only make a bad card for Constructed. Boggart Loggers is playable in Limited because it’s a house against any Green deck - you either keep your unblockable bear, or deal 4-6 points of damage and slash a big tree dead. This is a good card to have, so try to grab at least one copy to keep in your Sideboard to side in against Green decks.
Boggart Mob - 3B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Rare)
Champion a Goblin (When this comes into play, sacrifice it unless you remove another Goblin you control from the game. When this leaves play, that card returns to play.)
When a Goblin you control deals combat damage to a player, you may put a 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature token into play.
5/5
C *** / L ***
When four mana in a champion buys you a 5/5 with three combat-dominating abilities or a 5/5 that can spawn wolves with Deathtouch, Boggart Mob looks disappointing. It is. The ability is only relevant if it connects, but then how relevant is a 1/1 Goblin? And if you’re connecting with a 5/5, what else do you need? Unlike some other champions that can be dominating once they hit the board, Boggart Mob seems like a win more card. It is playable in Constructed, but I think the BR Goblins deck is going to be more synergy-based (check my first Blog for my BR deck idea), and Boggart Mob doesn’t add to the synergy.
In Limited this is as big as almost any creature gets, but it does ask for a creature in exchange. I don’t think this is better than Berserker Changeling, for example, a creature that for the same cost hits for the same five damage, but has haste and fits into any tribe you want. This is playable and will always make your deck if you’re Black, but fairly unspectacular.
Cairn Wanderer - 4B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Rare)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times.)
As long as a creature card with flying is in a graveyard, Cairn Wanderer has flying. The same is true for fear, first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, landwalk, lifelink, protection, reach, trample, shroud, and vigilance.
4/4
C ***(*) / L *****
It’s been a while since a Black creature really got me thinking, and Cairn Wanderer wins that award. If it’s a vanilla 4/4 it’s worse than almost every other finisher you can get in Constructed, even though it fits into any tribe. However, when even the simplest of the keyword abilities is turned on, Cairn Wanderer starts to look interesting. Players with the Timmy/Johnny mentality will start discarding Akromas to Merfolk Looter/Bonded Fetch/Magus of the Bazaar/Careful Consideration just to play Cairn, Akroma Wanderer. That is certainly a nice thing if it works, but then why not just play Body Double and copy Akroma right away? For the same five mana you get a 6/6 body. What about Dread Return instead, which costs 1 less mana? Cairn Wanderer is not going to see play in any reanimation-style decks because it’s just inferior to whatever it’s taking the abilities from.
It will, though, see play against creature decks, as a possible finisher in MBC. Fluctuating between 4 and 6 you have Plague Sliver, Sengir Nosferatu, Stronghold Overseer and Dread, though, so Cairn Wanderer has some heavy competition. I think the Changeling ability is the most important thing about Cairn Wanderer, to top the curve for tribal decks that are lacking one playable in-tribe creature. It’s certainly splashable enough for that, so I’m torn between three and four stars here. I guess it gets a 3.5 rating then.
For Limited the simplest keyword is probably Flying, and Cairn Wanderer is then at the very least a more splashable Black Air Elemental that also happens to be all creature types. All that combined turns Cairn Wanderer into a bomb, one that you will always play because it’s so easy to splash. This is what Black creatures should look like.
Colfenor's Plans - 2BB
Enchantment (Rare)
When Colfenor's Plans comes into play, remove the top seven cards of your library from the game face down.
You may look at and play cards removed form the game with Colfenor's Plans.
Skip your draw step.
You can't play more than one spell each turn.
C ** / L *
Colfenor’s Plans feels just wrong. It’s like getting a new bike, but one that you can ride only seven times for the whole year and then the store will take the bike back. Wtf, right? Someone somewhere will try to break this, but I just don’t see that happening. Oh and this is just awful for Limited, because if you don’t get in the seven cards whatever you need to win the game, you can be 100% sure you are going to lose. And you can’t even drop two creatures or a creature and a removal spell during the same turn. Don’t play this.
Dread - 3BBB
Creature - Elemental Incarnation (Rare)
Fear
Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.
When Dread is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
6/6
C *** / L ****
Dread is another member of the new Elemental Incarnation cycle, and is a pretty decent one. You’re probably better with something like Stronghold Overseer in Standard, because the ability isn’t that relevant for six mana. No Mercy is nice but it won’t prevent a Greater Gargadon from killing you if it connects. In Limited the ability is a lot better and Fear is as good as any other form of evasion. Dread is totally busted and is the second best Incarnation for Limited play.
Dreamspoiler Witches - 3B
Creature - Faerie Wizard (Common)
Flying
Whenever you play a spell during an opponent's turn, you may have target creature get -1/-1 until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***(*)
Dreamspoiler Witches is not a Constructed card, but is your quintessential 2/2 flier with a random ability for 3C. Sorry if I’m not impressed, but hey at least the artwork is very good. This is always going to make the cut for your Limited deck, and becomes a lot better if you have a lot of Flash creatures and/or a lot of instants (and the Faerie tribe certainly has a lot of both). If you have 7-10 instant-speed cards when you see this in a pack make sure to grab it, because the ability is one of the most relevant ones in a 2/2 flier. A very good Limited card.
Exiled Boggart - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
When Exiled Boggart is put into a graveyard from play, discard a card.
2/2
C ** / L **
Don’t try to “combo” Exiled Boggart with Madness cards or whatever so that you can break the drawback. Why are you playing a bear in your Madness deck if you want it dead? Oh and why are you playing Madness in Standard, or Exiled Boggart in your Extended UG Madness deck? This is just another one of the Red/Black “drawback bears”, because apparently WotC thinks that a straight 2/2 for 1B or 1R is too good to see print, while Duress and Incinerate aren’t. Right. This is also bad for Limited because bears are almost never good enough, unless your deck can take some serious advantage of them. A “drawback bear” certainly isn’t good enough, though.
Eyeblight's Ending - 2B
Tribal Instant - Elf (Common)
Destroy target non-Elf creature.
C *** / L *****
This is the best Black common removal spell in Lorwyn, so this is obviously a pretty high pick. You’ll see some Elves but I doubt you’ll see a “mono-Elf” deck, even in Draft. Eyeblight’s Ending will always have one target or another, and is as cheap and as fast as you can hope it to be. Have fun Dark Banishing Black creatures, welcome back Rend Flesh. I know it competes with Terror, Slaughter Pact and Shriekmaw in Constructed, but this has the advantage of hitting Black creatures, and that deserves soem respect. A possible, and likely, one-of in UB Teachings. It kills Gaddock Teeg, and that seems to be a requirement for any removal spell to see play in Standard.
Facevaulter - B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
{B}, Sacrifice a Goblin: Facevaulter gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
1/1
C *** / L **
Facevaulter is an interesting creature. It offers a cheap sacrifice outlet for the Goblin tribe, and has great synergy with Knucklebone Witch and Mogg War Marshall. You have to pay a mana everytime you eat a Goblin, but this is still better than something like Nantuko Husk if you want a sacrifice outlet for the tribe. Greater Gargadon and Siege-Gang Commander are better, though, so Facevaulter will only see play if the deck needs yet another way to eat some dudes. That is possible, so this is certainly playable.
Faerie Tauntings - 2B
Tribal Enchantment - Faerie (Uncommon)
Whenever you play a spell during an opponent's turn, you may have each opponent lose 1 life.
C *** / L **
I really like Faerie Tauntings and I think there’s a way to break it for Constructed play. If you can keep a decent flow of instants and/or flash creatures, this can kill your opponent by itself (probably in multiples, though). This is a card to keep in mind in my opinion, because the potential certainly is there.
For Limited this isn’t that great because you can’t expect to cast more than 3-6 spells during your opponent’s turn, even if you draft a lot of Faeries with Flash. If that somehow develops into some archetype then Faerie Tauntings will have a place, but my first impression is that this card’s effect is just too meaningless for Limited.
Final Revels - 4B
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Choose one - All creatures get +2/+0 until end of turn; or all creatures get -0/-2 until end of turn.
C * / L ***
Final Revels feels like Infest gone wrong. And it is just that. Compare this to Fortify before you even start to think about the +2/+0 “bonus”. This card is unplayable in Constructed. For Limited this is still good as far as Infest/Hideous Laughter effects go, but it’s certainly expensive. Rather than play your Infest card early and follow it up with creatures, you have to spend your first four turns playing creatures with a bigger toughness than two, or lose them to Final Revels. This is playable but I really don’t get why this costs 4B. It wouldn’t break any format at 2BB or even 3B.
Fodder Launch - 3B
Tribal Sorcery - Goblin (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to play Fodder Launch, sacrifice a Goblin.
Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn. Fodder Launch deals 5 damage to that creature's controller.
C **** / L ****
Fodder Launch deserves some respect because Goblin Grenade/Shrapnel Blast effects are very, very good. Aaron and his boys learned the lesson, though, because Fodder Launch costs two more mana than S-Blast and is a sorcery, and they tried to make up for that by adding “Entwine 0” to the card. You get to both kill a dude and send 5 to the dome with Fodder Launch if you have a Goblin to spare, and with the ammount of good Goblin token producers in the format that’s certainly viable. Expect this to slay “Kithzilla” and similar fatties in the upcoming months, and any and all interactions with cards like Wort, Boggart Auntie are just the icing on the cake. This will see play.
For Limited this is the quintessential Black -5/-5 big removal spell. It’s slightly cheaper than Pull Under and similar spells, but asks for a creature in exchange. Then it breaks the symmetry by also removing 1/4th of target player from the game. Nice!
Footbottom Feast - 2B
Instant (Common)
Put any number of target creature cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
Draw a card.
C * / L **(*)
See Recover for a card that does more than this as far as card advantage goes and still doesn’t see Constructed play. I would love to see Recover get more, well, love, but Footbottom Feast will never ever see play in 60-card decks.
In Limited we can’t be that picky, but keep in mind that Footbottom Feast is, in reality, Raise Dead for 2 more that also Reclaims some creatures. This is always playable in Sealed (three stars) but you should try to avoid playing this in your Draft deck (two stars).
Ghostly Changeling - 2B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Uncommon)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
{1}{B}: Ghostly Changeling gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/2
C ** / L ***
Welcome back, Nantuko Shade! It’s been a while! Oh, you seem to have traded one of your B for a 2. Oh and is that an extra 1 in your ability? Right. Get the hell out of here you damned Elf Goblin Goat Shapeshifter... Kithkin Merfolk Faerie... Treefolk Spider Mutant Ninja Turtle!
For Limited everything's fine, as this is probably one of the best Scathe Zombies ever for your 40-card deck. The ability is relevant, being every creature type is certainly good, and all things considered this is a very solid creature for any Black-heavy deck you draft.
Hoarder's Greed - 3B
Sorcery (Uncommon)
You lose 2 life and draw two cards, then clash with an opponent. If you win, repeat this process. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost)
C ** / L **
I’m getting tired of seeing cards we already know and have for an extra mana or two because of a mediocre clash-based bonus. Night’s Whisper costs two, not four! And no I don’t want to pay 2 just to be able to take my chances at “The Clashing Game”. And what really makes me mad is the fact that Phyrexian Arena is out, Phyrexian Etchings is bad, and we may be forced to play this in MBC if we want to draw some cards. Argh.
It’s the same for Limited, as this is Counsel of the Soratami for 1 mana and 2 life more, because of some silly clash bonus. I’m not impressed and I don’t think I will unless the quality of clash cards improves dramatically with Morningtide.
Hornet Harasser - 2BB
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Common)
When Hornet Harasser is put into a graveyard from play, target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***
A decent creature for Limited that your opponent will always hate killing, let alone trading with. I love how this stops your opponents bears from attacking, and sometimes even a 4/4 with a relevant ability. This is a playable Limited card and you should always run it in your Black Limited deck, but this card has zero uses for Constructed play.
Hunter of Eyeblights - 3BB
Creature - Elf Assassin (Uncommon)
When Hunter of Eyeblights comes into play, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you don't control.
{2}{B}, {T}: Destroy target creature with a counter on it.
3/3
C * / L ****
If you have to go through this much trouble in Constructed just to kill a dude, you’re doing something wrong. In Limited, though, this is a very good card. There aren’t many creatures with +1/+1 counters in Lorwyn, but Hunter of Eyeblights will kill at least one creature and then serve as an ordinary, but solid, Hill Giant. This is good - but expensive - removal in a format where removal is very scarce, so this is a high pick indeed.
Knucklebone Witch - B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Whenever a Goblin you control is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Knucklebone Witch.
1/1
C **** / L ***
I wrote a full Blog about Knucklebone Witch and a deck that features it as the centerpiece, and I still have (almost) the same opinion. I still think RB Goblins is busted and I will keep trying to break it. Knucklebone Witch loves to hang around Greater Gargadon, Mogg War Marshall and Siege-Gang Commander, and that synergy isn’t going anywhere. This is going to be a staple in Standard and Block and probably a format-defining card if someone somewhere manages to really go nuts with the synergy. I will keep trying, and I suggest you do the same.
For Limited this is a fine dude if you have a lot of Goblins, but 1/1s that want to attack are always going to be lacking in Limited. You’ll have to wait quite some time to make this a 3/3 or 4/4, unless you really manage to draft all the right cards. This is playable if everything goes right, but keep in mind that things sometimes go wrong, specially when you’re drafting.
Liliana Vess - 3BB
Planeswalker - Liliana (Rare)
+1: Target player discards a card.
-2: Search your library for a card, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it.
-8: Put all creature cards in all graveyards into play under your control.
5
C ** / L ****
Liliana Vess is the worst planeswalker for Constructed. Don’t frown, Jace and Garruk are superb. The problem here is that Liliana costs five mana and sits there and does almost nothing. You will almost never be happy to use the first ability because even if you’re desperate for the loyalty boost you are using a fairly mediocre ability. At least Bottomless Pit is random discard and costs much less mana. Yes Liliana is Vampiric Tutor in a... hum... not a stick, I don’t know then. Well she can definitely tutor up a nice card, then die a horrible death due to having only 3 loyalty points and eating an Incinerate. Once the dust settles you paid 3BB for Imperial Seal + Healing Salve. Amazing.
For Limited Liliana would be a bomb just like any other planeswalker if she didn’t suck so much. Tutoring for your best card in Limited is relevant enough but you will almost never have enough loyalty points for the third ability, and the first one is still as weak as it is in Constructed. Liliana is playable as any other walker and should be picked up if you’re Black and see her, but honestly I’d rather have Shriekmaw or Fodder Launch.
Lys Alana Scarblade - 2B
Creature - Elf Assassin (Uncommon)
{T}, Discard an Elf card: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of Elves you control.
1/1
C * / L ***
Even if they colorshift Squee into Squee, Elven Nabob you’ll only kill 1/1, maybe 2/2s with Lys Alana Scarblade. Don’t play removal spells that depend on you controlling a good quantity specific creatures in your 60-card decks.
In Limited this is removal in a removal-light format. Yes, I have just said that three cards ago, and it’s still true.
Mad Auntie - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1.
{T}: Regenerate another target Goblin.
2/2
C *** / L ****
Strictly better than Goblin King in the sense that it doesn’t pump opposing Goblins, it’s also “strictly worse” in the sense that mountainwalk > tap to regenerate another goblin. In the end both cards are a little too much tribal-based for Constructed play, because they really suck unless you have 2+ Goblins in play. This is playable, specially in Limited due to the totally busted (for Limited play) regenerate ability.
Makeshift Mannequin - 3B
Instant (Uncommon)
Return target creature from your graveyard to play with a mannequin counter on it. As long as that creature has a mannequin counter on it, it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
C * / L *
This is strictly worse than Zombify, which sucks because Zombify, while playable, isn’t even that great. The flavor is awesome, but just kills the card. Don’t play this in any format.
Marsh Flitter - 3B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Uncommon)
Flying
When Marsh Flitter comes into play, put two 1/1 black Goblin Rogue creature tokens into play.
Sacrifice a Goblin: Marsh Flitter becomes 3/3 until end of turn.
1/1
C ** / L ***
Probably the weakest of the “make tokens” cycle, this is still a playable card. This is the poor man’s Siege-Gang Commander, in Black. It makes one less token but is cheaper and offers a free sac outlet for Goblins, and that makes Knucklebone Witch happy. But then you realize that you are paying 3B for a 3/3 flier that is only that big during two turns, and the dream is shattered. Oh well. At least this is better in Limited, being a nice flier that will probably make your maindeck all the time if you’re playing Black.
Moonglove Winnower - 3B
Creature - Elf Rogue (Common)
Deathtouch (Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.)
2/3
C * / L ***
Moonglove Winnower has one of the best artworks in the set. It’s a shame it was wasted in a somewhat decent Limited card that’s unplayable in Constructed. This will always trade with the biggest ground ponder your opponent controls, and if that’s a 5/7 Treefolk, more power to you. This has the benefit of being virtually unblockable, but so are almost all the 2/2 fliers that cost the same four mana. This is solid, certainly playable, but nothing to write home about.
Mournwhelk - 6B
Creature - Elemental (Common)
When Mournwhelk comes into play, target player discards two cards.
Evoke {3}{B} (You may play this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it comes into play)
3/3
C * / L *
So it’s either Mind Rot for 3B, or Hill Giant + Mind Rot? No, thanks. This is where I usually write something good or at least doable about a card, but since Mournwhelk is one of the worst cards in all Lorwyn (and other sets too) you’ll get these wise words about nothing instead. Tee hee.
Nameless Inversion - 1B
Tribal Instant - Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
Target creature gets +3/-3 and loses all creature types until end of turn.
C **** / L *****
Last Gasp will always be a playable card in Constructed, and a Tribal Last Gasp that turns on all the tribelands, all the Goldmeadow Stalwarts and Flamekin Bladewhirls, and is reusable with Haakon (and more) will always get some well-deserved respect. Don’t let the +3 half fool you, as that will almost never backfire. Nameless Inversion will slay Kithkins, Merfolks, Faeries, Elves, Boggarts, etc all day, both in Constructed and Limited, because it’s simply really solid for its cost. Thanks to all the interactions this will be better than Last Gasp almost all the time, and that’s as good as a Black common removal spell can get. Nice one, Wizards!
Nath's Buffoon - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
Protection from Elves
1/1
C * / **
Nath’s Buffoon sadly won’t get the attention it wants. It will make some lousy sideboards in Limited, and will be cut into shreds in Constructed. And there’s really nothing else to say here, so let’s move along.
Nectar Faerie - 1B
Creature - Faerie Wizard (Uncommon)
Flying
{B}, {T}: Target Faerie or Elf gains lifelink until end of turn. (Whenever it deals damage, its controller gains that much life.)
1/1
C ** / L **
There’s something nice to the fact that this is a cheap Faerie, but there is another Faerie for 1B that is way better and will probably keep this from seeing any play at all. The lifelink ability matters more in Limited, but neither Elves nor Faeries are known for their size, meaning the restrictive lifelink is much less desirable than it could be.
Nettlevine Blight - 4BB
Enchantment - Aura (Rare)
Enchant creature or land
Enchanted permanent has "At the end of your turn, sacrifice this permanent and attach Nettlevine Blight to a creature or land you control."
C ** / L ***
I think this is too cute to see any Constructed play. It does nothing until your net turn, and if you want to kill a creature every turn play Magus of the Abyss or something. Nettlevine Blight is like Braids gone wrong, and I don’t see it seeing play in 60-card decks.
This is a marginal piece of pseudo-removal for Limited, because it simply costs way too much mana (plus the time delay). I really don’t like this card for any format, but in the world of Lorwyn you have to be creative with your removal spells. There really isn’t a lot of options in this bomb-heavy set, so every card counts.
Nightshade Stinger - B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Common)
Flying
Nightshade Stinger can't block.
1/1
C *** / L **
I don’t think there’s any other 1/1 flier for a single B mana in the game. Putrid Imp is a very good card and comes close, but it only flies if you have a card to discard. I like having this (and the next card) together with Bad Moon in Standard, because Black aggro decks were severely lacking a decent one-drop. Nightshade Stinger is a very playable card that will definitely see play if a Black Aggro deck is born. Maybe now is the time, since we also have...
Oona's Prowler - 1B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Rare)
Flying
Discard a card: Oona's Prowler gets -2/-0 until end of turn. Any player may play this ability.
3/1
C ***** / L ****
I really dig this card. You can tell me I’m overrating it, I don’t care, I do think this is that good. First of all it’s a 3/1 flier for 1B, because honestly who will discard a card in order to save two life points? Unless you’re playing this in Extended or one of the older formats, and against a player that wants to have some specific card in the graveyard, nobody will discard a card in order to shrink Oona’s Prowler down. No one except you, and at any time other than the combat step, because Oona’s Prowler is the first real good discard outlet in Standard for cards like Fiery Temper and Reckless Wurm. It’s a cheap, easy and free way to enable these madness cards and even stuff like Keldon Megaliths, and on top of everything this is just sick with Bad Moon and other Faries (like Scion of Oona). This is a beautifully designed card, one of the best Black two-drops in years (if you discount Dark Confidant, this is the best one since Nantuko Shade), and is going to be a format defining card as long as there’s an aggressive Black deck around. And Oona’s Prowler will spawn Black aggro decks like there’s no tomorrow.
For Limited this is cheaper than any decent flier, and hits as hard as (or harder than) all of them. Again no one will be crazy enough to toss cards just to shrink Oona’s Prowler, except maybe some extra lands in the really late game. But then there’s the fact that this means your opponent is topdecking lands, which is always good news. This is a very solid beater for any Black decks you assemble, Faerie-heavy or not.
Peppersmoke - B
Tribal Instant - Faerie (Common)
Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
If you control a Faerie, draw a card.
C *** / L ****
Peppersmoke is the new Darkblast of sorts, and is certainly playable. It’s weaker than its Dredge counterpart, but I like how this kills a bird on turn one or kills a bird and draws me a a card some turns later. I don’t see the Tribal part being too relevant but at the very least it will untap Secluded Glen, and that certainly counts. This is a cool card to keep in mind.
In Limited, like I said multiple times already, removal is scarce and you can’t refuse Peppersmoke. You’ll almost always need the help of one of your attackers/blockers to be able to kill something relevant with this, but if it replaces itself all’s well. Pick this up higher if you have a lot of Faeries, but by all means pick this up if you can.
Profane Command - XBB
Sorcery (Rare)
Choose two - Target player loses X life; or return target creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to play; or target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn; or up to X target creatures gain fear until end of turn.
C **** / L ****
I really like the versatility of this card. All the combinations are good enough for Constructed play because there’s always going to be a dude to kill and an opponent to drain life from. This is very scary as a way to give fear to something like Greater Gargadon and drain some life, because you can win the game right there and then. The possibilities aren’t endless but are diverse enough, and this card will see play if MBC proves to be a viable archetype.
In Limited you are most likely going to kill a dude and bring one back from the dead, and that’s pretty damn good. Again versatility is key here, and even though this card isn’t cheap it’s certainly powerful enough to be a very high pick if you’re drafting Black.
Prowess of the Fair - 1B
Tribal Enchantment - Elf (Uncommon)
Whenever another nontoken Elf is put into your graveyard from play, you may put a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token into play.
C *** / L ***
There’s been some talk about a BG Elf Rack deck, and Prowess of the Fair is decent there with stuff like Smallpox. This is certainly cheap enough to see play, and provides the Elf tribe with a way to recover quickly after a mass removal spell. You can commit ~3 Elves to the board if you have this, because if they Wrath the board away you can then drop one of the elvish lords and swing with three 2/2 tokens. That’s good enough for Constructed.
For Limited this depends on how many Elves you have, but it also counts as one so it helps to keep your Elf count high for cards that keep track of it. The ability is pretty good and if you manage to draft an almost mono-Elf BG deck with 1-2 copies of Prowess of the Fair, more power to you.
Quill-Slinger Boggart - 3B
Creature - Goblin Warrior (Common)
Whenever a player plays a Kithkin spell, you may have target player lose 1 life.
3/2
C * / L ***
Useless for Constructed due to, well, everything about it, Quill-Slinger Boggart is going to be one of your main aggressors if you’re playing Black in Limited. Hill Giants are always good, and this will probably deal quite a few points of damage in the long run because White is so good in Lorwyn Limited.
Scarred Vinebreeder - 1B
Creature - Elf Shaman (Common)
{2}{B}, Remove an Elf card in your graveyard from the game: Scarred Vinebreeder gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
1/1
C * / L **
I don’t like cards like this, because you need a lot of things to go right before you start swinging with a 4/4 or bigger creature. 1/1s need to do a lot more than just sit there and wait until you have mana and dead Elves lying around, and the result is that Scarred Vinebreeder is a marginally playable Limited card.
Shriekmaw - 4B
Creature - Elemental (Uncommon)
Fear
When Shriekmaw comes into play, destroy target nonartifact, nonblack creature.
Evoke {1}{B} (You may play this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it comes into play.)
3/2
C **** / L *****
Shriekmaw is going to be a staple for the next two years, because it does something useful and is soo good at that. Sorcery Terror or Fear Nekrataal, both modes are strong enough and the interaction with Momentary Blink is a nifty bonus. This is a windmill slam first pick in Lorwyn Limited because removal is so scarce there and this is the best piece of removal in the format alongside Oblivion Ring. It’s very easy to splash for this card so expect to pick this over anything and everything whenever you sit down to draft the new format.
Skeletal Changeling - 1B
Creature - Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling (This card is every creature type even if this card isn't in play.)
{1}{B}: Regenerate Skeletal Changeling.
1/1
C * / L ***
The Changeling ability is all that matters here, because otherwise this is a slightly more expensive Drudge Skeletons. When this starts getting +1/+1 bonuses from lords and other minor bonuses that come from all the tribes things start to get interesting, so this is a playable card in Limited.
Spiderwig Boggart - 2B
Creature - Goblin Shaman (Common)
When Spiderwig Boggart comes into play, target creature gains fear until end of turn.
2/2
C * / L ***
Scathe Zombies with a decent CIP ability is a fine card for Limited. You’ll always play this in your Goblin deck. Just stay away from this when building you 60-card decks and you’ll be fine.
Squeaking Pie Sneak - 1B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to play Squeaking Pie Sneak, reveal a Goblin card from your hand or pay {3}.
Fear
2/2
C *** / L ***
This is the weakest member of the “reveal or pay 3” cycle, but is still playable because Goblin two-drops are either Mogg War Marshall, Goblin Piledriver, or suck royally. Fear is a nice thing to have both in Limited and Constructed, and the question you have to ask is a simple one: How often will I be able to play this for 1B? In Constructed you have more control, but you also do in Draft, and the result is a card that is playable in both formats.
Thieving Sprite - 2B
Creature - Faerie Rogue (Common)
Flying
When Thieving Sprite comes into play, target player reveals X cards from his or her hand, where X is the number of Faeries you control. Choose one of those cards. That player discards that card.
1/1
C ** / L ***
Blackmail on a stick is still Blackmail, and in this case probably worse because you need at least two other Faeries to get the same effect out of it, and you’re still paying two more mana for a mere 1/1 flying body. If only this had flash, or an extra power, or something, it would be far more interesting for Constructed. As it is, this is not going to make the cut. I don’t think anyone will be this desperate for a Faerie.
In Limited this card is always a player, because at the very least it gives a +1 to your Faerie count. The 1/1 flier attached to the effect is cute too because Lorwyn Limited tends to develop into stalemates that are broken by either lots of fliers or a bomb. Thieving Sprite also gives a +1 to your flier count, so it’s playable.
Thorntooth Witch - 5B
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (Uncommon)
Whenever you play a Treefolk spell, you may have target creature get +3/-3 until end of turn.
3/4
C * / L ***
Six mana needs to buy stuff like Skeletal Vampire to be viable in Constructed, and this is not like that, at all.
Turning our attentions to Limited, Thorntooth Witch is a good card because it turns your other Treefolk into Last Gasps, and you still get to keep the creatures. The body is unspectacular and the cost is steep, but the ability is good enough. This will always find its way into your Treefolk-heavy Black decks.
Thoughtseize - B
Sorcery (Rare)
Target player reveals his or her hand. Choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life.
C ***** / L *****
Ah, Cashseize, how I hate you. First of all you are almost strictly better than Duress, a card that needs no comparisons like this one. Then they had to go and make you a rare, which means that players all around the world will have to let around $80 go just to be able to compete with a Black deck. Thoughtseize discards creature cards too, and that can completely screw starting hands in all formats. You sit down at the table to play your first opponent, you don’t know what he is playing, and you draw your seven cards after deciding who goes first. Would you keep a hand of Forest, Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, and four other spells on the draw against an unknown deck? It’s scary how Thoughtseize’s presence makes any and all decisions very hard for all players. It will impact all formats, no exceptions, because honestly who will ever pass Ca$h$eize in Draft? Ok maybe if you’re drafting at a Pro Tour, or Worlds, or even Nationals, but still, the impact it will cause is a fact. A scary fact.
I knoq I didn’t say a lot about the card’s functionality, but really, what is there to say? Duress is nuts, and this is better than that. Pick up your copies as soon as you can, because you will need it for all your Black decks starting October the 20th.
Warren Pilferers - 4B
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
When Warren Pilferers come into play, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. If that card is a Goblin card, Warren Pilferers gains haste until end of turn.
3/3
C * / ***
Hill Giant + Raise Dead, mirroring Gravedigger’s stats of being Scathe Zombies + Raise Dead. This has also two minor bonuses: It’s a Goblin, and it randomly gets haste. This will always make the cut in Limited if you’re playing Black.
Weed Strangle - 3BB
Sorcery (Common)
Destroy target creature. Clash with an opponent.
If you win, gain life equal to that creature's toughness.
C * / L *****
Weed Strangle destroys any creature, not only nonblack ones, which is a nice bonus to have. It can also win you some life, but then you have to answer the following question: Why are you playing a sorcery that costs an extra B and a “clash flip” to do everything that Tendrils of Corruption already does at instant speed? Yeah, didn’t think so.
The sad reality, for Limited, is that Weed Strangle is probably the most reliable piece of Black removal in the set. Unlike Eyeblight’s Ending it kills elves, and unlike Shriekmaw it deals with Black creatures. The price is steep, but removal is scarce in Lorwyn and we can’t afford the luxury of letting Weed Strangle go. This is a Black 1st pick in Lorwyn drafts.
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, Lorwyn Black seems to be very strong for Constructed. As a quick recap, Shriekmaw, Fodder Launch and Nameless Inversion are all good removal spells, while Thoughtseize is the best Duress variant ever. Cairn Wanderer is a head scratcher and a decent role player, Oona's Prowler is pretty much as good as I believe it to be, and Knucklebone Witch is pure evil. Let me know what you all think of Lorwyn Black, where our opinions differ, and make sure to join me again in a few days when I bring the Red cards to the table.
--St@r