This is a fine midpack pickup that im normally happy playing the firet copy. There are enough 1 toughness dudes that this almost always has a target and generally gives enough tempo to be a good play, and even if there arent, the cards worst case mode of being a pseudo +2/+2 combat trick for 3 usually trades 1 for 1. And this isnt even counting the 2 for 1 blowout potential.
Borrowed Malevolence has enough versatility (combat trick and/or killing 1 toughness creature) that I am okay including it as a one-of most of the time.
As a removal spell for 1-toughness creatures, it's fine. But I find it a little lacking as a combat trick--for example, you have to use both modes for your 3/2 to kill their 3/2 and not just trade...
Cheap removal for 1-toughness creatures and overcosted combat tricks are both okay 23rd cards, but never exciting. This couples both on the same card for added versatility and gives you the option of an occasional 2 for 1, making it a very solid card. I always want one of these in my deck and I might play the second copy on occasion. Not a super early pick though since you only really need one.
Good card for basically any black deck, regardless of strategy/archetype. I've yet to cut the first copy and wouldn't be embarrassed to play 2, although any copies are potential sideboard cuts if I haven't seen any 1-toughness creatures in the first couple games.
Even though it is a good card I consider it a mid-late pick due to its relatively low power level, and early on I'm prioritizing filling out my curve with solid creatures and just taking cards with a higher power level (i.e. true removal, bombs).
This thing is so deceptively powerful. His threat of activation ceiling is pretty high, while just a 2/3 with prowess is very reasonable inclusion. I happily run upwards of three of him in my blue decks.
This thing is so deceptively powerful. His threat of activation ceiling is pretty high, while just a 2/3 with prowess is very reasonable inclusion. I happily run upwards of three of him in my blue decks.
3?
Shoot, I think most of the time you'd do fine if you jammed 15 of them alongside some non-creatures to trigger prowess. With even one prowess trigger these beat or at least trade with most of the creatures in the format. Good early game, good late. Good regardless of what else your deck is trying to do.
This thing is so deceptively powerful. His threat of activation ceiling is pretty high, while just a 2/3 with prowess is very reasonable inclusion. I happily run upwards of three of him in my blue decks.
3?
Shoot, I think most of the time you'd do fine if you jammed 15 of them alongside some non-creatures to trigger prowess. With even one prowess trigger these beat or at least trade with most of the creatures in the format. Good early game, good late. Good regardless of what else your deck is trying to do.
I suppose you're not wrong, but 3 is normally the maximum of any one card I tend to see in draft, and playing too many copies of one card always comes back to haunt me if it's not removal.
But 15-skaab.dec sounds like quite a dream
I like Borrowed Grace quite a bit if the deck has a somewhat high creature count, at least 15 or hopefully more, and I would prioritize drafting this in pack 2 if my deck was white and had a high creature count. The only type of deck I feel it doesn't fit at all is a defensive one with a low creature count, but in white that type of deck won't be frequent. There is room in a deck, though, for only a small number of creature-boosting spells, so in a deck which has only an average creature count I would need to figure out which combat tricks I would want to play.
One bonus this has over the average combat trick (at the cost of being less efficient before 5 mana) is that even the threat of activation when you are attacking with 2+ creatures forces your opponent to make potentially suboptimal blocks to play around it. This ranks similar around Borrowed Malevolence to me. I wouldn't take this too highly, but almost all decks will play at least one copy of it, and like NFLed mentioned, white decks in this format tend to generally be the type of deck that would have enough creatures to play this card.
Hamlet Captain is really good in just about any deck, and helps with humans in an insane way. This guy is a very high pick for me.
Edit: what's with the sudden death of the thread and Hamlet Captain being on the thread title and home page, but not have its own post? Is my phone acting up?
Has anyone here ever put Boon of Emrakul on their own creature for the power boost? Given that Boon is the best black removal, it seems like an edge case, but I'm curious...
The best black common in the set. Efficient removal that has a ton of synergy with some of the most powerful things black can do in the format (delerium and Ironclad Slayer. Slightly weaker than the other best commons in the set, but I wouldn't be unhappy taking this out of a weak pack.
Has anyone here ever put Boon of Emrakul on their own creature for the power boost? Given that Boon is the best black removal, it seems like an edge case, but I'm curious...
I haven't done it yet, but I did have a draft opponent do it to good effect, turning their 3/4 lifelinker into a 6/1 and forcing me to trade with a bigger creature that otherwise neither the 3/4 nor the Boon could have handled.
Has anyone here ever put Boon of Emrakul on their own creature for the power boost? Given that Boon is the best black removal, it seems like an edge case, but I'm curious...
I had a really controlling U/B deck where I threw this onto a Wretched Gryff for an insane clock. However, I still feel like you'd rather use it as removal unless you're finishing out the game.
Even though it is a good card I consider it a mid-late pick due to its relatively low power level, and early on I'm prioritizing filling out my curve with solid creatures and just taking cards with a higher power level (i.e. true removal, bombs).
3?
Shoot, I think most of the time you'd do fine if you jammed 15 of them alongside some non-creatures to trigger prowess. With even one prowess trigger these beat or at least trade with most of the creatures in the format. Good early game, good late. Good regardless of what else your deck is trying to do.
I suppose you're not wrong, but 3 is normally the maximum of any one card I tend to see in draft, and playing too many copies of one card always comes back to haunt me if it's not removal.
But 15-skaab.dec sounds like quite a dream
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Edit: what's with the sudden death of the thread and Hamlet Captain being on the thread title and home page, but not have its own post? Is my phone acting up?
I haven't done it yet, but I did have a draft opponent do it to good effect, turning their 3/4 lifelinker into a 6/1 and forcing me to trade with a bigger creature that otherwise neither the 3/4 nor the Boon could have handled.
I had a really controlling U/B deck where I threw this onto a Wretched Gryff for an insane clock. However, I still feel like you'd rather use it as removal unless you're finishing out the game.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)