Pointed Discussion

this is my favorite printing of it

Mana acceleration at its finest. It used to be black and not green that had the fastest mana acceleration, and it was all thanks to Dark Ritual. As a common, every black mage had a playset of Dark Rituals in his deck. First turn Hypnotic Specters were the norm. Players also rushed Erg Raiders, Black Knights, and Nether Shadows onto the battlefield enchanted with Unholy Strength all on the first turn. Alternatively, they could hold onto their Dark Rituals until turn 3 and then unleash the mighty Sengir Vampire. Black players who preferred combat tricks and finesse to raw power would often use Dark Ritual to summon a first turn Nettling Imp, Sorceress Queen, or Royal Assassin.

One of the all-time great cards for black, and a must-include 4 card addition to virtually any deck outside of standard.

Endless possibilities abound with this guy, from getting out of the gates quickly with something like a kicked Gatekeeper of Malakir on turn 2, to burying your opponent with 2 or 3 of them along with a Drain Life.

5/5, one of the few cards that I would rate 6/5 if possible.

this card alone pretty much convinced me that i'd be playing black for life.

The Mother of All Combo cards

You cannot run a mono-{b} deck without a playset of these. In control, it means dropping your fatties and still having Doom Blade free, or turn 2 double Hymn to Tourach. In Aggro, it means a turn 1 Phyrexian Arena or turn 3 Demigod of Revenge following a turn 2 Buried Alive and Duress

If there was a "6th man" to the power-9, you'd be looking at him :)

Broken!