yes please
the nice thing is, maybe your opponent will let you hit him for a turn or two until he realizes he has to kill you anyway and take the 4 damage (or waste a removal spell lawls) increasing his total damage output to 5 or 6
Dingo777
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
if you use something to make opponents block it, you also need a way to save it from death, each block does not activate its ability, it is an extreme sort of thing, but maybe death baron and the unscythe, 5 dmg with death touching, in first strike so that it survives
otherwise, you are better off leaving it as a choice, or giving it death touch (Death Baron again) and fear, or flying, give it a chance to eliminate something
RobinHood3000
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(8 votes)
Pretty mediocre, in my mind. Give Lure to that weak body? Immediate two-for-one, and you just spent 6 mana - five of it colored, two of them enemy-colored - to cost your opponent four life. Tragically inefficient, considering that if you're constantly swinging with to try and draw a block, you can't even block with him. The opponent could just block it, burn it, or ping it to call it a day, or ignore it and spend four turns smacking face instead of worrying about it.
snoregore
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(4 votes)
All you have to do is get unstoppable ash on the field, and hes this guy becomes your power card. Whos has a lot of 6/6's to block?
GainingGround
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(3 votes)
i agree with RobinHood3000
Asarkun
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I think of it as a 1/1 Unblockabel for 2 Mana, unless you use lure or something like that.
If your opponent doesnt block it, its the same as unblockabel and you have better choises for an unblockabel creature, than that thing for 2 Mana.
If you use lure, than its not bad but honestly... you can do really bad stuff with lure anyway and this zombie fellow isnt that hard to get rid off.
Qazior
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Equip with Unscythe, so this will be killer of kings
ESUpin
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(6 votes)
The only use I see for it is in a Zombie deck, where it would get pumped up.
Vinifera7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is a Zombie, but Tidehollow Strix seems better in every way for the same exact mana cost. With the Strix, you can pretty easily get in four points of damage anyway.
I'm also wondering why this isn't an Artifact Creature, as the flavor text and artwork would imply.
Tezz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
its a Vedalken with all etherium ripped from his body? bleegh
Delta556
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yep, dont block this little guy......BAM Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni! Now whacha gonna do 8^)~
Zeofar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
See, the thing about this card is that you don't force them to block it(Lure); you force them to block it. What you do with this is equip it with Quietus Spike. The decision for your opponent is obvious; 4 life and a creature is better that half their life. Enchant it with Lightning Talons and the choice is more difficult. Unscythe, Killer of Kings is overkill, but still a great idea. Of course, removal, yadda yadda, but this shouldn't be your sole strategy.
If you want to go the other route (fake unblockability), then you'll probably want some instant speed pumps. The Ninjas work well with this, too (Inkfathom Infiltrator is better, if we're going into Extended). Although, be warned; the surprise will be lost after the first time.
themonkey74
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a great card in my U/B zombie deck. Usually opponents let it though at first rather then take the 4 damage, but then Cemetery Reaper and Death Baron come out and now they have to deal with a creature that you let through for 3, or you block and take 4 and lose a creature. This card winds up doing at least 4+ damage to an opponent or it eats up a removal spell that would otherwise be targeted at a zombie lord. Not bad for 2 mana.
aba1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
great attacker or blocker ur opponent will just take it n eventaully relize it to much of a pain n take 4
Kweane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I suppose we forget we're in the format that doesn't need a creature to deal with creatures?
hunter2gr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Type your comment here.
Musume
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ RobinHood3000
Obviously, you won't get a lot of mileage out of this card unless you can turn either outcome (blocked or not blocked) to your advantage. I play a U/B mill deck with Bloodchief Ascension as my win condition, so I'd actually prefer to have my opponent block it. And even if they choose not to, I can slap a Mask of Riddles on it and gain card advantage. If my opponent chooses E: "none of the above" and plays creature removal on him, that just means one less Lightning Bolt, Path to Exile, or whatever that I have to worry about when I bring out my Vampire Nighthawks and Hedron Crabs.
AkaruiRain
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just take the 4, its not worth it when more comes.
Guntz1092
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
pft, and who says blue/black zombies was a bad idea??
NuclearMECCA
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Most people seem to love or hate this guy. I happen to love it. Most opponents won't bother to block him, so nothing wrong with one damage every turn. Boost it with a zombie lord and opponents will want to block it. That's when you throw in Agony Warp for laughs. Also autoinclude in any deck running Lich Lord of Unx.
Best way to look at it as a card that compliments others while not being the main focus. In other words, don't bother with Lure or even winning with this guy or worrying about burn. If he's burned, then one less burn spell for your other creatures. This guy will not win the game, just make your opponents worried early game while they have to deal with this guy and your winning strategy like mill for example.
Baconradar
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(10 votes)
As others have pointed out, this isn't really a good card. It's essentially a worse than unblockable 1/1 for two different coloured mana, which is a bad deal however you look at it.
Trying to combo or synergise with this guy is pretty pointless in my opinion, because he really is just the above. Giving your opponent a choice is always a bad thing. He belongs simply in the slot where you would put, say, a dimir infiltrator, recognising that he is worse. I have one in an aggressive B/U ninja deck and he's ok there, though often I think something like a zephyr sprite or an aggressively costed black creature would actually be better.
If you must build around him, he should go in a 'pick your poison' deck which gives the opponent the maximum number of choices at all times, in order to grief them.
i think this little guy is under rating he can make your oppinent have to make an annoy desicion early game and you can later use him for a sac or batter yea have a Fatal Blow waiting in hand and when they choose to block really make them regret it
JFM2796
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you look at this guy's flavor text, "Ennor" is the guy quoted on Esper Charm.
solidzaku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This actually isn't a terrible card, it's just that people aren't putting much thought into it. Darksteel Plate this thing and laugh your way to the bank with a Bloodthirst-centric deck.
SinForSanity
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I played with a couple of these in Alara Reborn limited. They weren't too bad in that format because they were almost a guaranteed four damage. They don't have too much use elsewhere, though.
Binaro
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think this is a great card, especially if you're also playing green. Give it some frightening damage pump and that would make your opponent want to block. Once they do, give it a more frightening green pump to make it withstand the damage. Now your opponent just lost 4 life and a creature.
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
sadly the life loss can't trigger more than once (e.g. by using Lure) since the ability only triggers once for the creature's state of going from "unblocked" to "blocked". (i think otherwise it would have to read something like "Whenever a creature blocks ~, defending player loses 4 life.") i like that card, though. since it's a zombie, it can easily be pumped up by zombie lords (like Death Baron or Undead Warchief) in a tribal deck without directly having to aim for a specific combo. it will be able to hit hard either way. since there aren't that many particularly powerful 2cc zombies, this dude might sometimes find a use to fix the mana curve. and he also works nicely with really Undead Alchemist.
Kryptnyt
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
He's alright. Agree with mode that tribal is pretty much his best bet. It's also an esper card that isn't an artifact. Does that make it a Grixis card? They should have used watermarks.
blindthrall
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(5 votes)
This card is an excellent test of skill for the other player. For every turn they let it through, your respect for them should go down a notch. Smart players look at this and accept the fact that they just lost 4 life.
It's a Black Blue zombie tribal that's unblockable or does 4 damages for two , there are not much blue zombies out there for this cost and with a reliable capacity . For it's cost he does the job even if i'd prefer as a basis a black cat instead but i don't buy too much cards nor trade ( since i only play with friends who also don't buy many cards ) .
DoragonShinzui
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I don't see what everyone's complaining about. This card is four life loss for , at the very least. Combined with the mind games it propagates, this Ghoul can be startlingly effective in the right hands.
Mr.Wimples
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pauper ninjas perhaps?
Stuflames
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I could see this being decent with equipment for overall positive trading ability, more threatening power and difficult to avoid life loss without the high enemy repeatedly.
Its usefulness over, say, the cheaper triton shorestalker is pretty debatable.
Comments (37)
the nice thing is, maybe your opponent will let you hit him for a turn or two until he realizes he has to kill you anyway and take the 4 damage (or waste a removal spell lawls) increasing his total damage output to 5 or 6
otherwise, you are better off leaving it as a choice, or giving it death touch (Death Baron again) and fear, or flying, give it a chance to eliminate something
If your opponent doesnt block it, its the same as unblockabel and you have better choises for an unblockabel creature, than that thing for 2 Mana.
If you use lure, than its not bad but honestly... you can do really bad stuff with lure anyway and this zombie fellow isnt that hard to get rid off.
I'm also wondering why this isn't an Artifact Creature, as the flavor text and artwork would imply.
If you want to go the other route (fake unblockability), then you'll probably want some instant speed pumps. The Ninjas work well with this, too (Inkfathom Infiltrator is better, if we're going into Extended). Although, be warned; the surprise will be lost after the first time.
Obviously, you won't get a lot of mileage out of this card unless you can turn either outcome (blocked or not blocked) to your advantage. I play a U/B mill deck with Bloodchief Ascension as my win condition, so I'd actually prefer to have my opponent block it. And even if they choose not to, I can slap a Mask of Riddles on it and gain card advantage. If my opponent chooses E: "none of the above" and plays creature removal on him, that just means one less Lightning Bolt, Path to Exile, or whatever that I have to worry about when I bring out my Vampire Nighthawks and Hedron Crabs.
Best way to look at it as a card that compliments others while not being the main focus. In other words, don't bother with Lure or even winning with this guy or worrying about burn. If he's burned, then one less burn spell for your other creatures. This guy will not win the game, just make your opponents worried early game while they have to deal with this guy and your winning strategy like mill for example.
Trying to combo or synergise with this guy is pretty pointless in my opinion, because he really is just the above. Giving your opponent a choice is always a bad thing. He belongs simply in the slot where you would put, say, a dimir infiltrator, recognising that he is worse. I have one in an aggressive B/U ninja deck and he's ok there, though often I think something like a zephyr sprite or an aggressively costed black creature would actually be better.
If you must build around him, he should go in a 'pick your poison' deck which gives the opponent the maximum number of choices at all times, in order to grief them.
(i think otherwise it would have to read something like "Whenever a creature blocks ~, defending player loses 4 life.")
i like that card, though.
since it's a zombie, it can easily be pumped up by zombie lords (like Death Baron or Undead Warchief) in a tribal deck without directly having to aim for a specific combo. it will be able to hit hard either way. since there aren't that many particularly powerful 2cc zombies, this dude might sometimes find a use to fix the mana curve.
and he also works nicely with really Undead Alchemist.
It's also an esper card that isn't an artifact. Does that make it a Grixis card? They should have used watermarks.
Deadly Allure? Yep.
For it's cost he does the job even if i'd prefer as a basis a black cat instead but i don't buy too much cards nor trade ( since i only play with friends who also don't buy many cards ) .
Its usefulness over, say, the cheaper triton shorestalker is pretty debatable.