Too much mana for its size and for what it does. In my experience it'll generally die before making any real impact on the game, sadly.
Mode
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
In general he's indeed not that useful, but it's a fun Johnny card. I'm afraid that was the reason why they refrained from desinging this card for mid-game since a land-stealing ability, even when created as "semi-drawback", can become very powerful.
Use him with along with Rainbow Vale and keep control of his counters with Chisei, Heart of Oceans, Power Conduit, Ferropede or Clockspinning. Or just bring a Zuran Orb or possibly even Overgrown Estate to prevent your opponents from regaining their lands while providing a huge lifegain for yourself. In this case Knight of the Reliquary might be another card you want to take, the mana cost even suits to the latter mentioned card.
Oh, and be careful not to lock down your teammate in a multiplayer game.
Designer_Genes
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
Nice use of design space with the line "you control but don't own."
nammertime
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Play in an EDH deck.
Tommy9898
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
A fun card to reanimate if you don't feel like winning immediately with Akroma, angel of wrath. It would be so much more fun to play with anyways. "Ok, you are out of lands and you managed to survive it, now lets do it again. Dread return!"
GradiustheFox
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
There are plenty of fun ways to abuse this. You just have to plan ahead for its use and help it out a little, which isn't so hard to do with the mana boost it provides while crippling your opponents ability to kill it. Makes me ponder a land-focused deck.
IshubarashI
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Devastating summons? Or maybe just some land devouring *tog, to add a little injury to insult
AXER
★☆☆☆☆ (1.9/5.0)(5 votes)
I Unsummoned this guy each time my opponent summoned it. Thrice and it never lived to see its ability triggered!!!
The best combo with this card is zuran orb. You get your land, and once there is not enough land to fulfill the upkeep (or they kill the herald of Leshrac) you sacrifice all there lands and gain 2 life for each. I use it in my deck and its an awesome combo.
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In multiplayer game, not only you would have less trouble with the upkeep cost, you'd also become everyone's target. That's where the fun is :)
Mike-C
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Wow.. Some drawback.
phyrexiantrygon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not only is it a cool design idea, there is no drawback, unlike pretty much every other Cumulative Upkeep card...
MagicShine
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Practically unplayble in EDH. Whenever someone in my playgroup slaps this down they get physically kicked out of the game.
At each of your upkeeps, the Herald's ability puts an age counter on it, then you gain control of a land controlled by an opponent for each age counter or sacrifice it. You use the Power Conduit to keep the number of age counters on it at zero (so at each upkeep you put on a counter and gain control of just one of your opponent's lands). Then, when your opponent runs out of lands, use the Bazaar Trader to give them back one land each turn.
DarthParallax
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
absolutely THE best Cumulative Upkeep I have ever seen. Strictly better than that dumb red mana ramper (dumb as in good).
I didn't read teh rest very carefully. With a 'cost' like that, this should win you the game unless you're drunk.
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nice sinergy with Infernal Denizen. Sacrifice their swamps, then gain control of their creatures!
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best cumulative upkeep, EVER.
wyump
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play this, take all their lands, then play Ixidron
Hunter06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Never use him in a game where your opponent barrows your lands, lol 4.5/5 Stars
bloodsuck
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
When you can't pay the cumulative upkeep any longer, sacrifice all the stolen lands to Copper-Leaf Angel. Your friend's reaction should be entertaining...
ParishInquisitor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like it. The cumulative upkeep here is certainly no drawback, though he will become removal bait. I kinda want to throw him in my mono-black EDH deck, just because.
On a side note, does anyone else think they should print a card for Leshrac, Walker of the Night himself?
Ob Nixilis, The Fallen...landfall? +3/+3 & 3 damage, cumulatively, each turn...at minimum (that's if you don't drop any lands).
BobbySinclair
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing card, just a tad expensive to be super amazing, since most of your opponents will try to eliminate him promptly. Works well with combos which make you sacrifice lands if you're worried about your opponent receiving them back.
LordOfGraves
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@MattLynn sorry, that doesn't work. landfall triggers when a land comes into play under your control, which is not the same thing as taking control of a land
Jannissary
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Very, very, very slow.
Neat use of cumulative upkeep and probably fun in multiplayer/EDH, but I don't think I'd probably use it even then.
Lord_of_phyrexia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For a second I thought his name was Harold
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Veteran Explorer into this is pretty funny. You and your opponent ramp, then you start stealing his ramp :)
Good for stax (where you can afford this mana cost - like in EDH). You can steal their lands and than sacrifice them to your smokestack. Then when it is their turn again, they have even less permanents to sacrifice. When this guy dies, there will be hardly anything to give back.
Brutal.
Kadaver666
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Use him and then a land sac outlet to start checking the lands you stole back at the other guy, would be an amazing Jund edh haha.
Atali
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Considering its Coldsnap and thus meant to be themed with Ice Age, Zuran Orb is the clearly intended combo.
Comments (40)
Use him with along with Rainbow Vale and keep control of his counters with Chisei, Heart of Oceans, Power Conduit, Ferropede or Clockspinning.
Or just bring a Zuran Orb or possibly even Overgrown Estate to prevent your opponents from regaining their lands while providing a huge lifegain for yourself. In this case Knight of the Reliquary might be another card you want to take, the mana cost even suits to the latter mentioned card.
Oh, and be careful not to lock down your teammate in a multiplayer game.
"Ok, you are out of lands and you managed to survive it, now lets do it again. Dread return!"
How to use it:
At each of your upkeeps, the Herald's ability puts an age counter on it, then you gain control of a land controlled by an opponent for each age counter or sacrifice it. You use the Power Conduit to keep the number of age counters on it at zero (so at each upkeep you put on a counter and gain control of just one of your opponent's lands). Then, when your opponent runs out of lands, use the Bazaar Trader to give them back one land each turn.
I didn't read teh rest very carefully. With a 'cost' like that, this should win you the game unless you're drunk.
4.5/5 Stars
On a side note, does anyone else think they should print a card for Leshrac, Walker of the Night himself?
Ob Nixilis, The Fallen...landfall? +3/+3 & 3 damage, cumulatively, each turn...at minimum (that's if you don't drop any lands).
sorry, that doesn't work. landfall triggers when a land comes into play under your control, which is not the same thing as taking control of a land
Neat use of cumulative upkeep and probably fun in multiplayer/EDH, but I don't think I'd probably use it even then.
Brutal.