So I know this thread is for the CURRENT state of this deck, but seeing the new product shots for WWK stuff..... there is a Mono Black Vampire deck, alot of great looking Vampire products, ect.
This ties into the current build of the deck how you might ask? Well, I am just wondering what the WEAKEST card in our deck is? If there is some kind of new amazing Vampire, what would be the first card we would drop from the deck?
Hexmage, as good as she is, could easily be relegated to the sideboard or excluded altogether if a more efficient and deadlier beater appears in the 2cmc slot. I would also say the same for Bloodghast.
Bloodwitch could also see relegation to the sideboard if we see a spell or creature that provides more card advantage, such as a playable vampire token generator or something along that line (a more playable Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet for example).
BloodQuake is the name of this season's Red-Black midrange deck. It has a solid matchup against Boros, Elves, and Vampires, a strong matchup against white decks / control decks, and can beat Jund.
A sideboard MUST be 15 cards. If you have a sideboard, it has to contain 15 cards *exactly*. If you were to want to use an 18 card sideboard, you would be disqualified from whatever event your participated in.
It's getting comical how badly you want that deckname to stick. It's hard to find a thread where you aren't throwing it in everyone's faces. Also, you need to play against some better pilots if you think that deck is actually good against the staples.
To stay on topic though, the OP hit most of the decks that deal with the GY, although there is the cool Open the Vaults/Sphinx of Lost Truths deck, not that it is very competitive.
As for the sideboard of 18 question, it isn't really worth answering. Increasing the limit by 3 cards wouldn't change all that much since everyone would still be on an even playing field, it would just decrease the choices we have to make.
Malathir, the Shadowborn - 3BBB
Legendary Creature - Shade Warrior
Shroud
Shadoweave BBB (During your end step, you may pay BBB and exile Malathir, the Shadowborn. If you do, at the beginning of your upkeep return Malathir, the Shadowborn to the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. It gains Haste and Intimidate until end of turn. Use this ability only once per turn.)
Other Shade creatures you control get +1/+1.
A legion of shades amassed at his command, Malathir gazed through the rift at the light-filled world beyond. "For eternity," he whispered as he charged onward into the light.
6/6
Quote from Nekyia »
Vindicator Trainee - WB
Legendary Creature- Human Assassin {R}
Intimidate
Whenever Vindicator Trainee deals combat damage to a player, exile target creature. Now that i know the truth, I will make the guilty pay.
2/3
When Shadowsworn Vindicator attacks, choose target creature an opponent controls. That creature blocks Shadowsworn Vindicator if able.
Shadowfeed - Discard a black card from your hand: You may return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. Shadowfeed only as a sorcery.
"Betrayed by the light, embraced by shadow. At last, I have found true strength."
2/2
[+1]Put a 1/1 Shade creature token with flying into play.
[-2]Add BBBto your mana pool.
[-6]Until end of turn, you may play black cards from your graveyard as though they were in your hand.
[4]
Vixeras, the Wakening Dark - 4BB
Legendary Creature - Shade Assassin
Deathtouch
All creatures able to block Vixeras, the Wakening Dark do so.
Sacrifice a creature: Vixeras, the Wakening Dark gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Twilight Kiwi - Excellent work as usual. I like the Chill mechanic on the creature, and the potential the creature would have in a deck with multiple Chill cards. Frostmirror Visions is some creative hate vs. Venser's copy strategy, so great job there too.
BlackMegatog - Nice creature, but the idol is broken beyond belief. Absolutely godlike. It's just too much, haha.
Cardamne - Creature is okay, but I really love the enchantment. Chaos indeed! That would make a really cool Planechase effect too.
Venser - I dig the creature, feign is pretty interesting. The enchantment is very cool, but I can't decide if its balanced or not, mostly due to the second ability, which in concert with the first is a very powerful sweeper. Still, since it would hit you too, I don't know, maybe it's doable. Either way, great work, nice creativity.
Gerrard's Mom - Love the creature, very powerful and yet possibly balanced in newer sets where we're seeing steady power creep. Insightful Anger is great card draw too, potentially too good for its cost, but I like it.
Zas - N/A
Top 3:
1. Twilight Kiwi
2. Gerrard's Mom
3. Venser
All damage that would be dealt to you is dealt to Shadow Warden instead. If the source of that damage is a creature, its controller sacrifices that creature.
4/6
Formerly sworn enemies of the shadowlord, the angels now serve as his most devoted of guardians.
Shadowblade of Izurnal - BB
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has protection from white and from green.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, put a corruption counter on Shadowblade of Izurnal.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each corruption counter on Shadowblade of Izurnal.
Equip BB
Some say the shadowblades of Izurnal are entities themselves - that they hunger for the souls of the righteous.
KoolKoal: Nice, sort of an Astral Slide in land form. Not sure why it deserves the subtype Plains though. That just seems to be adding a little bit of power to the card for no real reason. Flappy: I like it. It's not too powerful since they can still manage to overwhelm you, yet it can have a gamechanging effect that is worthy of being a legendary land. The only thing I'm iffy on is the b/w portion of the activation cost. It's really hard to see this land in green/black. Krey: Just insane. I mean, it's a really cool card with some interesting flavor, but far too powerful. Jimmy Groove: I'm not crazy about the name, but it's an interesting card and certainly very powerful. Possibly too powerful. Maybe if it could be tweaked to happen on some trigger other than every upkeep, it could become more balanced. MagicProfessor28: Not bad, though personally I'm not a huge fan of poison counters in the game. Without letting that sway my critique, I think it's a well designed card that could create some interesting situations. Dranith: N/A
Like a gaping wound in the formerly clear, blue skies, the Black Spire floats menacingly on the horizon. Shrouded in dark mist and circled by strange, shadowy creatures, it stands out among the beautiful s****eps of the angels like a tainted mockery.
It is here, inside the spire, that Shadowlord Malathir has begun to slowly rebuild a force of shade warriors by capturing and corrupting the peaceful denizens of this plane.
More than just a lair, the spire is the magnificent result of years of study and obsession by Malathir, who has acquired an immense knowledge of the magical arts by stealing countless tomes and scrolls from the s****eps of the angels. At first, Malathir only wanted to find a way to escape the plane and return to his homewold of Xorothil, but as his knowledge and power grew, so did his ambitions and desires. Within the spire, he now seeks to create an interplanar gatekey that will allow him to transport his citadel between worlds. No longer content to simply return to Xorothil and win his battle against the plane of Lysiria, he now wants to see his shadow spread across multiple worlds - a multi-planar kingdom ruled by the shadekind.
The angels have thus far failed to breach the citadel and destroy Malathir for what he has done to their people, but hope has not yet been lost. They can feel the corrupting influence of the spire radiating across their lands, and though they do not know what dark magic may be the source of it, they have realized their time may be short. If the spire is to be destroyed, it must be soon.
Izurnal, the Black Spire
Legendary Land (Mythic) T: Add B to your mana pool for each corruption counter on Izurnal, the Black Spire. B,T: Put a corruption counter on Izurnal, the Black Spire. You lose 2 life.
Twilight Kiwi:
Great card, the kind that would cause me to fire up workstation and start deckbuilding. Aurafall would be a really interesting mechanic. I like that you kept the colors of the old minion but added a third to signify the change the wizard has undergone. The shuffling of a card involved in the mechanic is also reminiscent of the former card in just the right way.
BlackMegatog:
Nice card both mechanically and flavor-wise. Great accompanying story and flavor text. It would be interesting to see whether or not this could be powerful in a constructed environment or if it would be too fragile. Well done.
Cardamne:
Interesting card, except I don't see why you would ever cast it normally rather than reinforce it (though I admit, it could just be me missing something as I didn't play when Reinforce was around). I suppose tokens being slightly more vulnerable could be a reason, but I would like something more possibly. Still, great card especially within the colors.
Venser:
It looks like you forgot to switch the name of the pump ability from Cracklebolt Captain to the new version. I also don't really see the blue in the card at all, and it seems weak as a whole for its enemy pair cost, particularly because the pump causes it to be sacrificed. Maybe a simple "use this ability only once per turn" clause would be fine.
Gerrard's Mom:
Very simple and perfectly kept the design of the original intact while adding the flavor of the new plane. This card seems exactly like what the challenge asked for. Even on its own, the card is interesting and in my opinion, quite playable, especially with some of the enchantment tricks Kiwi's plane would introduce were it a set or block. Great job.
Zas:
N/A
Top 3 Overall:
Gerrard's Mom
Twilight Kiwi
BlackMegatog
Molten Flow: Far, far, too powerful imo. Even casting it for 5 mana is a mini-wildfire (a one-sided one at that) and as you're able to feed more mana into it it just becomes a ridiculous game ender. If it were closer to Wildfire, causing the caster to sacrifice lands and damage his own creatures as well, it might be more balanced. Still, it's an exciting card to think about, so that earns some points. I'll give it a 6/10.
Revane's Call - XXG
Sorcery
Search your library for X Elf creature cards with converted mana cost X or less and reveal them. Put any revealed card named Nissa's Chosen onto the battlefield and the rest into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Into the world of light Malathir and his shades rode, advancing as cold and inevitable as death itself. Below them, an equal numbered army of paladins and knights awaited unmoving, the sunlight playing over their shining platemail to create glittering diamonds that stung the shadowborn's eyes. The time had come at last. The planes were merging once more, as they did only once every ten thousand years - Xorothil the Shadowland and Lysiria the Everlight - two mirror planes of impossibly different beings and cultures.
Malathir kicked his nightmarish shadowsteed into a quick gallop, raising his deathlance as he sped downward towards the gleaming wall of steel. Though thousands of shades rushed behind him, there was only a whisper of sound.
Malathir was only yards away from breaking the line of knights before him and beginning his dark slaughter when reality itself seemed to almost peel away. His visions blurred and the world around him darkened. Was it some wizard's spell? He fought to remain conscious as the sky spun around him, a vortex that seemed everything and nothing all at the same time.
It was over as soon as it began. He felt his black metal gauntlet slam hard into a stone wall and he hit the ground hard. He shook his head and opened his white, pupil-less eyes. His steed and his lance had disappeared. Around him lay scrolls, books, and many other things he did not recognize. It was all in disarray, though whether it was from the tumult of his own violent arrival or was someone elses doing, he was not sure. A window nearby revealed a bright blue sky where birds and even what looked like a few small drakes could be seen flying in the distance. The freshness of the air was unpleasant in Malathir's nose.
A scuffle came suddenly from behind him. He wheeled around and with a thought conjured a shadowblade into his hand, the dark, swirling sword trailing wisps of darkness behind it as he brought it to bear. He paused suddenly as he found himself gazing upon what looked to be a wounded - or at least disoriented - human. He lowered his blade, but did not dismiss it.
"Where is this place?" Malathir asked simply in the human tongue of the Lysirian, his voice soft and smooth. He was more concerned with where he was and what type of wizardry was powerful enough to displace him in such a way than he was curious about the being before him. "Speak, human."
As the human struggled to his feet, Malathir noticed his white garb was adorned with several belt straps and pouches, along with several sheathes containing knives of various sizes. A warrior of some sort? An assassin like our own? Malathir wasn't sure, but kept the shadowblade's dark flare very apparent so that the strange human could see it.
"We are..." The human choked, but then went into a fit of coughs, an ample amount of blood spattering onto the stone floor. The human crashed to the ground again. Malathir saw that the human's side was caked in bright, red blood.
Malathir chuckled darkly to himself. "Humans," he said. Then he bent down and rolled the man over onto his back. He placed his gauntlet-covered hand over the human's ashen face and spoke a word of power. Instantaneously, the man's eyes shot open wide and he screamed, but only for a second. His face remained a mask of terror, but no longer did any sound emit from his gaping mouth. First, his pupils slowly faded away, leaving emotionless white pools behind. Then the veins beneath his skin began to show, turning black like a withered, charred tree. The blackness soon spread completely over his body until his skin itself had simply dissipated, replaced instead by a smoky layer of darkness that seemed in perpetual motion.
At that moment, a door up ahead burst open. Several human-like beings rushed in the door brandishing what looked to Malathir like some strange pikes.
"Rise, my servant," Malathir commanded. "Let us see if you can be of more use to me in this form."
The former human assassin did rise, with newfound strength and malice. His pupil-less eyes narrowed hungrily at the approaching humanoids and he drew several of his throwing daggers from their sheaths.
Hungry for the battle that was so mysteriously stolen from him, Malathir could only smile and raise his shadowblade towards the oncoming foes.
When Shadowsworn Vindicator attacks, choose target creature an opponent controls. That creature blocks Shadowsworn Vindicator if able.
Shadowfeed - Discard a black card from your hand: You may return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. Shadowfeed only as a sorcery.
"Betrayed by the light, embraced by shadow. At last, I have found true strength."
2/2
This thread ignite ny burning design to go Mono Green Stompy again. YEHEY!! Back then in Lorwyn, stompy green is almost impossible because of the iriitating Bitterblossom Tokens..
You should probably stick to the FNM section for decks like this. In a competitive environment there is no reason to try to force a deck around a theme even if it makes you play subpar cards.
Got in some good testing on this deck tonight. I liked it a lot. I think I agree with you guys that it might need 27 land as crazy as that seemed to me at first. As others have said, you really want 3 land in your opening hand most of the time. I found myself going down to 6 cards often.
Beat 5 Color Control, Jund, Naya, Time Sieve, some sort of U/B mill deck (this one was actually very close because every card we play can turn into 2-3 so you help them out) and Mono-white Soldiers. All games were best 2 out of 3, but no sideboards were used.
I honestly don't think I'd change much about the deck, and I certainly wouldn't cut Esper Charm like Jordman mentioned above. The discard is a huge part of this deck imo, and I won any game where I could turn 3 Blightning or Charm them, turn 4 Bloodbraid into Blightning/Charm. It's just too devastating for most decks.
Edit: I'll also say, just on the other side of the spectrum, that this deck is more than capable of outright failing from the get-go. It lacks the consistency of decks like Jund and sometimes you can just get bad draws and end up dead before you get off the ground. This is partially due to the mana base but also the mixture of cards. That's to be expected I guess, not sure if anything should be changed just due to that, but I wanted to toss the warning out there before anyone goes on a shopping spree. It's a fun deck, but might not be as competitive as some others.
Hexmage, as good as she is, could easily be relegated to the sideboard or excluded altogether if a more efficient and deadlier beater appears in the 2cmc slot. I would also say the same for Bloodghast.
Bloodwitch could also see relegation to the sideboard if we see a spell or creature that provides more card advantage, such as a playable vampire token generator or something along that line (a more playable Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet for example).
It's getting comical how badly you want that deckname to stick. It's hard to find a thread where you aren't throwing it in everyone's faces. Also, you need to play against some better pilots if you think that deck is actually good against the staples.
To stay on topic though, the OP hit most of the decks that deal with the GY, although there is the cool Open the Vaults/Sphinx of Lost Truths deck, not that it is very competitive.
As for the sideboard of 18 question, it isn't really worth answering. Increasing the limit by 3 cards wouldn't change all that much since everyone would still be on an even playing field, it would just decrease the choices we have to make.
1. Jimmy Groove
2. Krey
3. Flappy
Malathir, the Shadowborn - 3BBB
Legendary Creature - Shade Warrior
Shroud
Shadoweave BBB (During your end step, you may pay BBB and exile Malathir, the Shadowborn. If you do, at the beginning of your upkeep return Malathir, the Shadowborn to the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. It gains Haste and Intimidate until end of turn. Use this ability only once per turn.)
Other Shade creatures you control get +1/+1.
A legion of shades amassed at his command, Malathir gazed through the rift at the light-filled world beyond. "For eternity," he whispered as he charged onward into the light.
6/6
Shadowsworn Vindicator - WB
Creature - Shade Assassin
Deathtouch
When Shadowsworn Vindicator attacks, choose target creature an opponent controls. That creature blocks Shadowsworn Vindicator if able.
Shadowfeed - Discard a black card from your hand: You may return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. Shadowfeed only as a sorcery.
"Betrayed by the light, embraced by shadow. At last, I have found true strength."
2/2
Malathir, Eternal Shadow - 2BB
Planeswalker - Malathir
[+1]Put a 1/1 Shade creature token with flying into play.
[-2]Add BBBto your mana pool.
[-6]Until end of turn, you may play black cards from your graveyard as though they were in your hand.
[4]
Vixeras, the Wakening Dark - 4BB
Legendary Creature - Shade Assassin
Deathtouch
All creatures able to block Vixeras, the Wakening Dark do so.
Sacrifice a creature: Vixeras, the Wakening Dark gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
5/5
BlackMegatog - Nice creature, but the idol is broken beyond belief. Absolutely godlike. It's just too much, haha.
Cardamne - Creature is okay, but I really love the enchantment. Chaos indeed! That would make a really cool Planechase effect too.
Venser - I dig the creature, feign is pretty interesting. The enchantment is very cool, but I can't decide if its balanced or not, mostly due to the second ability, which in concert with the first is a very powerful sweeper. Still, since it would hit you too, I don't know, maybe it's doable. Either way, great work, nice creativity.
Gerrard's Mom - Love the creature, very powerful and yet possibly balanced in newer sets where we're seeing steady power creep. Insightful Anger is great card draw too, potentially too good for its cost, but I like it.
Zas - N/A
Top 3:
1. Twilight Kiwi
2. Gerrard's Mom
3. Venser
Shadow Warden - 2BBB
Creature - Shade Angel (R)
Flying, deathtouch
All damage that would be dealt to you is dealt to Shadow Warden instead. If the source of that damage is a creature, its controller sacrifices that creature.
4/6
Formerly sworn enemies of the shadowlord, the angels now serve as his most devoted of guardians.
Shadowblade of Izurnal - BB
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has protection from white and from green.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, put a corruption counter on Shadowblade of Izurnal.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each corruption counter on Shadowblade of Izurnal.
Equip BB
Some say the shadowblades of Izurnal are entities themselves - that they hunger for the souls of the righteous.
Flappy: I like it. It's not too powerful since they can still manage to overwhelm you, yet it can have a gamechanging effect that is worthy of being a legendary land. The only thing I'm iffy on is the b/w portion of the activation cost. It's really hard to see this land in green/black.
Krey: Just insane. I mean, it's a really cool card with some interesting flavor, but far too powerful.
Jimmy Groove: I'm not crazy about the name, but it's an interesting card and certainly very powerful. Possibly too powerful. Maybe if it could be tweaked to happen on some trigger other than every upkeep, it could become more balanced.
MagicProfessor28: Not bad, though personally I'm not a huge fan of poison counters in the game. Without letting that sway my critique, I think it's a well designed card that could create some interesting situations.
Dranith: N/A
Top 3:
1. KoolKoal
2. Flappy
3. JimmyGroove
It is here, inside the spire, that Shadowlord Malathir has begun to slowly rebuild a force of shade warriors by capturing and corrupting the peaceful denizens of this plane.
More than just a lair, the spire is the magnificent result of years of study and obsession by Malathir, who has acquired an immense knowledge of the magical arts by stealing countless tomes and scrolls from the s****eps of the angels. At first, Malathir only wanted to find a way to escape the plane and return to his homewold of Xorothil, but as his knowledge and power grew, so did his ambitions and desires. Within the spire, he now seeks to create an interplanar gatekey that will allow him to transport his citadel between worlds. No longer content to simply return to Xorothil and win his battle against the plane of Lysiria, he now wants to see his shadow spread across multiple worlds - a multi-planar kingdom ruled by the shadekind.
The angels have thus far failed to breach the citadel and destroy Malathir for what he has done to their people, but hope has not yet been lost. They can feel the corrupting influence of the spire radiating across their lands, and though they do not know what dark magic may be the source of it, they have realized their time may be short. If the spire is to be destroyed, it must be soon.
Izurnal, the Black Spire
Legendary Land (Mythic)
T: Add B to your mana pool for each corruption counter on Izurnal, the Black Spire.
B,T: Put a corruption counter on Izurnal, the Black Spire. You lose 2 life.
He doesn't kill her due to first strike on Baneslayer.
Twilight Kiwi:
Great card, the kind that would cause me to fire up workstation and start deckbuilding. Aurafall would be a really interesting mechanic. I like that you kept the colors of the old minion but added a third to signify the change the wizard has undergone. The shuffling of a card involved in the mechanic is also reminiscent of the former card in just the right way.
BlackMegatog:
Nice card both mechanically and flavor-wise. Great accompanying story and flavor text. It would be interesting to see whether or not this could be powerful in a constructed environment or if it would be too fragile. Well done.
Cardamne:
Interesting card, except I don't see why you would ever cast it normally rather than reinforce it (though I admit, it could just be me missing something as I didn't play when Reinforce was around). I suppose tokens being slightly more vulnerable could be a reason, but I would like something more possibly. Still, great card especially within the colors.
Venser:
It looks like you forgot to switch the name of the pump ability from Cracklebolt Captain to the new version. I also don't really see the blue in the card at all, and it seems weak as a whole for its enemy pair cost, particularly because the pump causes it to be sacrificed. Maybe a simple "use this ability only once per turn" clause would be fine.
Gerrard's Mom:
Very simple and perfectly kept the design of the original intact while adding the flavor of the new plane. This card seems exactly like what the challenge asked for. Even on its own, the card is interesting and in my opinion, quite playable, especially with some of the enchantment tricks Kiwi's plane would introduce were it a set or block. Great job.
Zas:
N/A
Top 3 Overall:
Gerrard's Mom
Twilight Kiwi
BlackMegatog
Revane's Call - XXG
Sorcery
Search your library for X Elf creature cards with converted mana cost X or less and reveal them. Put any revealed card named Nissa's Chosen onto the battlefield and the rest into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Challenge: Create a treefolk planeswalker.
Into the world of light Malathir and his shades rode, advancing as cold and inevitable as death itself. Below them, an equal numbered army of paladins and knights awaited unmoving, the sunlight playing over their shining platemail to create glittering diamonds that stung the shadowborn's eyes. The time had come at last. The planes were merging once more, as they did only once every ten thousand years - Xorothil the Shadowland and Lysiria the Everlight - two mirror planes of impossibly different beings and cultures.
Malathir kicked his nightmarish shadowsteed into a quick gallop, raising his deathlance as he sped downward towards the gleaming wall of steel. Though thousands of shades rushed behind him, there was only a whisper of sound.
Malathir was only yards away from breaking the line of knights before him and beginning his dark slaughter when reality itself seemed to almost peel away. His visions blurred and the world around him darkened. Was it some wizard's spell? He fought to remain conscious as the sky spun around him, a vortex that seemed everything and nothing all at the same time.
It was over as soon as it began. He felt his black metal gauntlet slam hard into a stone wall and he hit the ground hard. He shook his head and opened his white, pupil-less eyes. His steed and his lance had disappeared. Around him lay scrolls, books, and many other things he did not recognize. It was all in disarray, though whether it was from the tumult of his own violent arrival or was someone elses doing, he was not sure. A window nearby revealed a bright blue sky where birds and even what looked like a few small drakes could be seen flying in the distance. The freshness of the air was unpleasant in Malathir's nose.
A scuffle came suddenly from behind him. He wheeled around and with a thought conjured a shadowblade into his hand, the dark, swirling sword trailing wisps of darkness behind it as he brought it to bear. He paused suddenly as he found himself gazing upon what looked to be a wounded - or at least disoriented - human. He lowered his blade, but did not dismiss it.
"Where is this place?" Malathir asked simply in the human tongue of the Lysirian, his voice soft and smooth. He was more concerned with where he was and what type of wizardry was powerful enough to displace him in such a way than he was curious about the being before him. "Speak, human."
As the human struggled to his feet, Malathir noticed his white garb was adorned with several belt straps and pouches, along with several sheathes containing knives of various sizes. A warrior of some sort? An assassin like our own? Malathir wasn't sure, but kept the shadowblade's dark flare very apparent so that the strange human could see it.
"We are..." The human choked, but then went into a fit of coughs, an ample amount of blood spattering onto the stone floor. The human crashed to the ground again. Malathir saw that the human's side was caked in bright, red blood.
Malathir chuckled darkly to himself. "Humans," he said. Then he bent down and rolled the man over onto his back. He placed his gauntlet-covered hand over the human's ashen face and spoke a word of power. Instantaneously, the man's eyes shot open wide and he screamed, but only for a second. His face remained a mask of terror, but no longer did any sound emit from his gaping mouth. First, his pupils slowly faded away, leaving emotionless white pools behind. Then the veins beneath his skin began to show, turning black like a withered, charred tree. The blackness soon spread completely over his body until his skin itself had simply dissipated, replaced instead by a smoky layer of darkness that seemed in perpetual motion.
At that moment, a door up ahead burst open. Several human-like beings rushed in the door brandishing what looked to Malathir like some strange pikes.
"Rise, my servant," Malathir commanded. "Let us see if you can be of more use to me in this form."
The former human assassin did rise, with newfound strength and malice. His pupil-less eyes narrowed hungrily at the approaching humanoids and he drew several of his throwing daggers from their sheaths.
Hungry for the battle that was so mysteriously stolen from him, Malathir could only smile and raise his shadowblade towards the oncoming foes.
New Minion:
Rancor is awesome in the current Standard environment.
Beat 5 Color Control, Jund, Naya, Time Sieve, some sort of U/B mill deck (this one was actually very close because every card we play can turn into 2-3 so you help them out) and Mono-white Soldiers. All games were best 2 out of 3, but no sideboards were used.
I honestly don't think I'd change much about the deck, and I certainly wouldn't cut Esper Charm like Jordman mentioned above. The discard is a huge part of this deck imo, and I won any game where I could turn 3 Blightning or Charm them, turn 4 Bloodbraid into Blightning/Charm. It's just too devastating for most decks.
Edit: I'll also say, just on the other side of the spectrum, that this deck is more than capable of outright failing from the get-go. It lacks the consistency of decks like Jund and sometimes you can just get bad draws and end up dead before you get off the ground. This is partially due to the mana base but also the mixture of cards. That's to be expected I guess, not sure if anything should be changed just due to that, but I wanted to toss the warning out there before anyone goes on a shopping spree. It's a fun deck, but might not be as competitive as some others.