Relentless Dead BB
Creature - Zombie (M)
Menace
When ~ dies, you may pay B. If you do, return it to its owner's hand.
When ~ dies, you may pay X. If you do, return another target Zombie creature card with converted mana cost X from your graveyard to the battlefield.
2/2
Picture attached for reference.
I do think I like this card for cube though, seems like it does a lot of heavy lifting even without other zombies in a deck.
I don't like needing the B open, but I could be wrong in the difficulty of it being open. I'd need to test it before calling it great, because a 2/2 menace for BB is not worth it if you can't keep the B open consistently. But if that proves to be easier in practice than theory, then clearly this guy is pretty nice.
Yeah, this seems great? It's all upside except for the BB mana cost. There aren't THAT many incidental zombies to get back, but it's reasonable for a deck to have like 5 zombies.
Also worth noting that this can chump block forever as it lacks the can't block/CITP clause of most endlessly recurrable creatures. Seems like an easy test.
Huh. I like this guy, but there aren't actually that many targets in my cube for his second ability. Hopefully still good enough just for 2/2 menace that I can buy back when I sac/trade/chump.
I like the card, not sure about that BB cost though. Being a zombie and having synergy with other non-zombies may be enough to persuade me though. This would be an easier include if we just didn't get Bearer of Silence and the new flying discard outlet. I definitely want to test it, just not sure what I'd be able to cut.
I was reading this with the menace and wasn't sold but a black 2 drop with evasion? I am listening. Add 1 good recurssion ability, and 1 situational and you are in business. Getting back a skinrender or Grave Titan, Yes please. Oh and you can do both in the same turn. I am going to look at my zombie count, and zombie lord choices again.
I was reading this with the menace and wasn't sold but a black 2 drop with evasion? I am listening. Add 1 good recurssion ability, and 1 situational and you are in business. Getting back a skinrender or Grave Titan, Yes please. Oh and you can do both in the same turn. I am going to look at my zombie count, and zombie lord choices again.
I was reading this with the menace and wasn't sold but a black 2 drop with evasion? I am listening. Add 1 good recurssion ability, and 1 situational and you are in business. Getting back a skinrender or Grave Titan, Yes please. Oh and you can do both in the same turn. I am going to look at my zombie count, and zombie lord choices again.
This is a common misconception, but Grave Titan isn't a zombie
At a quick Glance I have 22 warriors and only 4 zombies 3 of which are 1 drops so his 3rd ability isn't as good as Blood-Chin Rager's incidental tribal. I think the biggest issue I have with it is that it is super black intensive and is surprisingly clunky with Gravecrawler. I may actually have to go and try removing shadow after all for awhile because this guy looks very interesting.
This thing is quite powerful, and it's making me rethink my black section a bit. Right now, there aren't a ton of zombies that make it in smaller cubes of their own merit outside of stuff like Gravecrawler and Carnophage, but if we get a few more powerful ones that care about synergy, it could be an interesting subtheme worth supporting.
As it sits, I'm not sure this quite makes it. It's a fine guy, but I think you really need to be able to get value out of that second ability.
He's value and evasion by himself, most of the time his second triggered ability is going to get some random 1-drop. Honestly, the ceiling for that ability is probably just Skinrender, lol.
I don't have many zombies in my cube, but I have enough that I'm wondering if this or the new vampire lady 2 cost is a better drop in.
I might have to do something silly and put both in. Blood Scrivener is out, but I have a bit of problem cutting Hexmage, since it's such a good planeswalker killer, and I have quite a few walkers in the cube.
He's value and evasion by himself, most of the time his second triggered ability is going to get some random 1-drop. Honestly, the ceiling for that ability is probably just Skinrender, lol.
Seems good but not great. The Evasion is nice, but the BB cost combined with needing B to recur it (especially since you need to leave it open ...since it doesn't recur from the 'yard) will make deck selection for it limited. It will often play like a card that needs a BBB cost to work right, and I don't play many decks that can support that anymore.
At first, I was super excited about this guy, but now I'm somewhere in the middle. There are two things I don't like about this card. First, it's a death trigger and not just an ability to recur him back from the 'yard. As wtwlf points out, this will sometimes mean you need BBB available. Second, I don't like that the first ability brings him back to your hand instead of the battlefield. I know that's the equivalent of complaining because my ice cream doesn't have enough sprinkles, but I like sprinkles. The second ability on this guy, while sweet, doesn't seem like something that will come up that often. I may be surprised, as there are several zombies in the cube, but on paper it just doesn't seem like it will trigger that often. What I do like about him, however, is that he's a solid aggressive black creature that's not just another one mana 2/1. He's hard to block and he can be hard to get rid of (assuming you have the black mana available). He'll find a home in my cube, for sure. I don't know how long he'll stay around, but he's on the inclusion list.
I still think this is a good creature. I'm worried about the BB cost combining with the need for more B mana in the activated ability, but being able to "Evolutionary Leap" itself is a strong ability on an evasive threat. I will be testing this card to see for sure, but it's probably good enough to make the cut for now.
This thing is quite powerful, and it's making me rethink my black section a bit. Right now, there aren't a ton of zombies that make it in smaller cubes of their own merit outside of stuff like Gravecrawler and Carnophage, but if we get a few more powerful ones that care about synergy, it could be an interesting subtheme worth supporting.
As it sits, I'm not sure this quite makes it. It's a fine guy, but I think you really need to be able to get value out of that second ability.
This was my thinking.
I think the best way to properly support him would be to add cards that are borderline includes without him, but the zombie synergy might push all cards into the playable direction...
While creating some cool interactions that make cube enjoyable.
Gray merchant and Geralfs messenger are the two cards that Come to mind.
Both just miss my list at the moment, but with synergies like this, may be worth exploring again.
This card will definitely get better over time as we (hopefully) get more quality zombie cards. Right now I'm still on the fence on him but I still want to tear him out regardless. On the other hand, a part of me wants to cutdown one BB card, and it's not going to be Hymn / Sinkhole / Bloodghast.
Creature - Zombie (M)
Menace
When ~ dies, you may pay B. If you do, return it to its owner's hand.
When ~ dies, you may pay X. If you do, return another target Zombie creature card with converted mana cost X from your graveyard to the battlefield.
2/2
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/675954-relentless-dead
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It is hard to justify a CC cost, but this tries very hard. What do you think?
I do think I like this card for cube though, seems like it does a lot of heavy lifting even without other zombies in a deck.
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Seriously, 10 cards in and we already have two great black 2 drops. I am officially stoked for this set.
EDIT: 40 cards in more like it... oops.
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Also worth noting that this can chump block forever as it lacks the can't block/CITP clause of most endlessly recurrable creatures. Seems like an easy test.
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Not Grave Titan, though.
This is a common misconception, but Grave Titan isn't a zombie
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I think I'm going to test this over Vampire Hexmage, there's way too many abilities and tribal synergy that can't be ignored.
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As it sits, I'm not sure this quite makes it. It's a fine guy, but I think you really need to be able to get value out of that second ability.
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I might have to do something silly and put both in. Blood Scrivener is out, but I have a bit of problem cutting Hexmage, since it's such a good planeswalker killer, and I have quite a few walkers in the cube.
Fleshbag Marauder is also brutally good.
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This was my thinking.
I think the best way to properly support him would be to add cards that are borderline includes without him, but the zombie synergy might push all cards into the playable direction...
While creating some cool interactions that make cube enjoyable.
Gray merchant and Geralfs messenger are the two cards that Come to mind.
Both just miss my list at the moment, but with synergies like this, may be worth exploring again.
Last Updated 02/07/24
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