I don't think severed legion has anything to say about it, but every other black fatty probably does. Although I wouldn't put this past wotc considering the power creep of creatures these days (except they would make it cost :1mana::symrb::symrb::symrb: or something), I would reduce this a little.
Upping the cost to 5 is an option, or lowering the power to 4. Even as a 4/4 for 1BBB with fear, it's very good. Fear is a great ability, especially on a 4-toughness black creature.
It is a pretty weak ability, but the card is already quite strong as a 4/4 with fear for 1BBB.
I think I'd rather see it cost 2BBB, in which case the sacrifice ability is a fair addition to it.
How about 1BBB for 4/3 with fear and sacrifice one creature to regenerate it? Then it is like a small Devouring Strossus or Cateran Overlord. 3 toughness would make the regeneration ability more meaningful, but sacrificing only one creature would make it easier to pay the cost more often.
Thing is that powerwise it is not really broken or something as 5/4 fear for 1BBB, the thing is that Demigod of Revenge is more or less the bigger beater and has the deadly extra punch, and fear is only really important if your opponent actually wants to block this guy, and why should they block if they can simply damage race you to death.
Especially as its "rare" it should have the extra "umpf" and so you cant compare a rare to a common or uncommon, look at Chameleon Collosus and you quickly see its just superior, a common not even would be 4/4 for 2GG vanilla, as that alone is a point that makes green strong in Limited (simply because most burn is max 3 to kill creatures with enough tempo and most creatures with 4 thoughness need double block).
All in all i would even go the way to say the 5/4 fear vanilla is too weak to actually be a really shiny rare, simply because it misses anything that makes cards strong today in the age of Oblivion Ring, Path to Exile, Flame Javelin, or just insane big Tarmagoyfs, Nacatle, Rhox War Monks and even 6 mana drops like Brood mate Dragon will crush this card.
Especially as "rare" it needs something that gives it the real rare feeling, and a french vanilla is simply "Mew" and nobody really likes it, so its better to have that for commons and uncommons for limited where peops will like to play a fear creature, for constructed its just junk (or a semi creature if you just dont have something else or the set is simply weak overall).
So my suggestion:
Give it something that makes it a "threat" if it hits play and nobody will laugh at you.
Overmarch Spoiler :1mana::symb::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror
Fear
When ~ leaves play, each player sacrifices a creature.
Unearth :1mana::symb::symb::symb:
5/1
You see this way its an extra that will at least guarantee they wont have the 1for1 trade and it makes it less good for them to kill it, and if they dont kill it you get the 5 damage each turn, and the little Innocent Blood will at least enable you to have a bunch of usefull interactions.
P/T wise its more or less the Dross Crocodile.
As i just feel it misses the "rare" umpf to become a real card that wants you to run "mono black" (and right now everything screams against mono black), i choose to give it an extra Unearth to make it a card that (in todays view of Standard) might be able to make the red/black Unearth decks tick a little more to become a deck to play an finally a Unearth card (that isnt just a flashback burn spell) to become usefull (just see it as a potential trade in combat, kill an extra creature, unearth and get more out of it).
However the card evolves a lot, its more or less a rare Dross Crocodile with the extra that makes it feel like a worthy rare to have a deck around.
Why should mono green have a problem with this card?
actually mono green has removal too, just look for the "provoke" (lure) like abilities, you have a bunch of removal in Lignify effects and you even can simply outrace this card without a problem (as say you have elves, you get a 3/3 Deathtouch guy turn 2, perfect turn 3, turn 4 just Garruck their ass into oblivion).
And most important, if a player is willing to "not" play any form of removal, they should deserve to get a hard fist for that, as its like playing controll without a way of Wrath or playing Combo without a way of Tutors, you just miss the important parts.
And as Type 2 is right now, their is not really a point "mono green" is available, and you have no problem splashing for at least 1 color to cover the weakness you have (especially green should be able to splash).
So mono green should "Never ever" be a point to say a card is too strong or not, its just a matter of how good a rare should be to "deserve" to be a rare and not just a random uncommon that is strong.
Powerwise just look for:
Common = Dross Crocodile
Uncommon = Dross Crocodile + fear (makes it a powerhous for limited, but still dies for a lot of **** with 1 thoughness).
Rare = Dross Crocodile + fear + more thoughness
So their really is no problem in a 5/3 fear for example, but the thing is that its pretty unimpressive and has a boring look, as a rare should have a kind of ability that makes it somehow look "stylish" and new or somehow support the sets Theme for the color (making them the Build Around me corner stones, just look at Shards of Alara, nearly every Rare somehow focus on a Shard and wants to push the Shards Theme as a Corner Stone to build around it).
Creature - Horror
Fear
5/4
Thoughts?
Very Well Then I Contradict Myself.
Upping the cost to 5 is an option, or lowering the power to 4. Even as a 4/4 for 1BBB with fear, it's very good. Fear is a great ability, especially on a 4-toughness black creature.
Sacrifice two black creatures: Regenerate Overmarch Spoiler.
I think I'd rather see it cost 2BBB, in which case the sacrifice ability is a fair addition to it.
.
Especially as its "rare" it should have the extra "umpf" and so you cant compare a rare to a common or uncommon, look at Chameleon Collosus and you quickly see its just superior, a common not even would be 4/4 for 2GG vanilla, as that alone is a point that makes green strong in Limited (simply because most burn is max 3 to kill creatures with enough tempo and most creatures with 4 thoughness need double block).
All in all i would even go the way to say the 5/4 fear vanilla is too weak to actually be a really shiny rare, simply because it misses anything that makes cards strong today in the age of Oblivion Ring, Path to Exile, Flame Javelin, or just insane big Tarmagoyfs, Nacatle, Rhox War Monks and even 6 mana drops like Brood mate Dragon will crush this card.
Especially as "rare" it needs something that gives it the real rare feeling, and a french vanilla is simply "Mew" and nobody really likes it, so its better to have that for commons and uncommons for limited where peops will like to play a fear creature, for constructed its just junk (or a semi creature if you just dont have something else or the set is simply weak overall).
So my suggestion:
Give it something that makes it a "threat" if it hits play and nobody will laugh at you.
Overmarch Spoiler :1mana::symb::symb::symb:
Creature - Horror
Fear
When ~ leaves play, each player sacrifices a creature.
Unearth :1mana::symb::symb::symb:
5/1
You see this way its an extra that will at least guarantee they wont have the 1for1 trade and it makes it less good for them to kill it, and if they dont kill it you get the 5 damage each turn, and the little Innocent Blood will at least enable you to have a bunch of usefull interactions.
P/T wise its more or less the Dross Crocodile.
As i just feel it misses the "rare" umpf to become a real card that wants you to run "mono black" (and right now everything screams against mono black), i choose to give it an extra Unearth to make it a card that (in todays view of Standard) might be able to make the red/black Unearth decks tick a little more to become a deck to play an finally a Unearth card (that isnt just a flashback burn spell) to become usefull (just see it as a potential trade in combat, kill an extra creature, unearth and get more out of it).
However the card evolves a lot, its more or less a rare Dross Crocodile with the extra that makes it feel like a worthy rare to have a deck around.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
actually mono green has removal too, just look for the "provoke" (lure) like abilities, you have a bunch of removal in Lignify effects and you even can simply outrace this card without a problem (as say you have elves, you get a 3/3 Deathtouch guy turn 2, perfect turn 3, turn 4 just Garruck their ass into oblivion).
And most important, if a player is willing to "not" play any form of removal, they should deserve to get a hard fist for that, as its like playing controll without a way of Wrath or playing Combo without a way of Tutors, you just miss the important parts.
And as Type 2 is right now, their is not really a point "mono green" is available, and you have no problem splashing for at least 1 color to cover the weakness you have (especially green should be able to splash).
So mono green should "Never ever" be a point to say a card is too strong or not, its just a matter of how good a rare should be to "deserve" to be a rare and not just a random uncommon that is strong.
Powerwise just look for:
Common = Dross Crocodile
Uncommon = Dross Crocodile + fear (makes it a powerhous for limited, but still dies for a lot of **** with 1 thoughness).
Rare = Dross Crocodile + fear + more thoughness
So their really is no problem in a 5/3 fear for example, but the thing is that its pretty unimpressive and has a boring look, as a rare should have a kind of ability that makes it somehow look "stylish" and new or somehow support the sets Theme for the color (making them the Build Around me corner stones, just look at Shards of Alara, nearly every Rare somehow focus on a Shard and wants to push the Shards Theme as a Corner Stone to build around it).
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
I think it would be interesting. Forces you into a sui-black damage race.