Actually, negative numbers are treated as zero for the purposes of stat calculation, so no growth for Mr. Shadow here. This is an interesting answer to games where you get stuck at two mana and are being viciously pounded by your opponent. Not only is he huge in those scenarios, your opponent might stop trying to attack you for fear of making him even bigger.
jimjoebob456
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(16 votes)
If you have negative life, does it get +X/+X? Seems like it would, but just wanted to check.
Edit: Looked this up. I think it does add it, see last line of rule below: 107.1b Most of the time, the _Magic_ game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can't choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on. However, it's possible for a game value, such as a creature's power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison that would determine the result of an effect needs to use a negative value, it does so. If such a calculation yields a negative number, zero is used instead, unless that effect sets a player's life total to a specific value, sets a creature's power or toughness to a specific value, or otherwise modifies a creature's power or toughness.
2nd Edit: And from the worldwake FAQ making it official:
* If your life total is less than 0 and an effect (such as the one from an opponent's Abyssal Persecutor) is keeping you from losing the game, Death's Shadow's ability will actually increase its power and toughness. For example, if your life total is -2, Death's Shadow gets +2/+2.
They stated that yes, having negative life will give it +X/+X, in spite of that going against the main competitive rules.
I think it's a large waste of potential. A 13/13 for 1 could have been really interesting. Abyssal Persecutor, for example, has a very interesting drawback. You can't win, and they can't lose? Sure, it's (really) easy to play around, but it's by far more interesting. I know it's mythic, but that isn't an excuse for this card to be this uninteresting. Apparently they couldn't be assed to give it trample, either, for whatever reason. For the first half of a game (except suicide decks), this is deadweight. It could turn a game around at death's door, but if they've gotten you that low, most likely they'll just finish you off.
Demonic_Angel13
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
If they dont have creatures, as some decks dont by turn 3, you win.
mutantman
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a really difficult card to evaluate in terms of power level, but I think I can safely say that at least the flavor is a home run and the design in general is awesome.
In B/W you could run Platinum Angel with Indestructibility, and this guy.
mdakw576
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(3 votes)
this guy's concept is funny, but unfortunately he doesn't have any form of evasion (intimidate, flying, trample, etc.), so he'll just get blocked by a weenie by mid-late game when he will finally not self-destruct from having <0 toughness
Mode
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
This card suits greatly into suicide black decks. Since these decks are using your life total as an expandable resource, you can get a great body for very little mana. Once you're at 12 or less life you can cast him. If you feel Hatred for your opponent he better shouldn't let this guy hit him ;)
Even at 9 life you can kill an unharmed opponent with 20 life this way. Possibly consider giving the Avatar trample with O-Naginata or something similar to ensure the win.
By the way, i would not have expected to see a one-drop with a body greater than Phyrexian Dreadnought.
Johnald
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This guy + Abyssal Persecutor + Platinum Angel + Bazaar Trader. Slap yourself with a high amount of damage to throw your life into the negative. Donate Abyssal P with Bazaar Trader and swing for massive damage with Death's Shadow.
BelloAbril
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I see this as a one of in Grixis decks, 1 mana win cons must be answered and card advantage isnt an issue by the point you will be playing this guy.
Besides that i see no use in Standard, with all the creature hate and having as requirement for the caster to be near death, not a good option.
Xarule
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Went to the prerelease yesterday and one of my opponents had this, I used smother on it and brought it over to my side with Agadeem Occultist, this thing would have ruined me otherwise. It was the only decent move I pulled off in the whole tournement
Laguz
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(9 votes)
Now i know why dead reckoning can only target creatures.
Folesauce
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(6 votes)
Don't think this will see play outside the kitchen table.
iplay
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
This card is excellent with Morbid Bloom. You cast this turn one, it dies. Then several turns later you cast Morbid Bloom for 13 Saproling tokens.
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(16 votes)
Yes. Just yes. Wizards got this one right. It isn't overpowered to ludicrous levels like some other black cards in Zendiblock, and it is, darn it all, FUN.
Other solid suiciders are Sign in Blood or the fetches. I'm sure there are more that I'm simply forgetting.
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lich any one?
Motion2Dismiss
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I run two of these in my casual Lich deck as alternate win conditions, since I often risk decking myself in multiplayer using life-total-trading cards like Mirror Universe and Reverse the Sands. And even before Lich hits the board, this card's still pretty damn good in a deck with four copies of Death Wish.
So a suicide deck is needed to make the most out of this guy. I thought of adding this to a casual deck, definitely with Platinum Angel, but honestly there's no point. Yes he is a potential fatty that's dirtcheap, but it requires a platinum angel (not cheap) and something like 6 turns give or take. By then you could have a better creature or have won the game with another deck. However, I dig that he's like another Phyrexian Dreadnought, which is appealing on so many levels.
majinara
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Interesting card, but the effort required to make it efficient ain't worth it.
I think he has great potential in a red black pandemonium/electropotence type deck. He comes into play as a 13/13 so that seems like a nice amount of damage on turn four.
Or black white with angelic chorus and sanguine bond .
I have a friend that runs a Black/Red deck that wins standard tournaments using this and Ad Nauseam with a ton of other 1 costs, like bolts, paths, GG's, and Goblin Bushwhacker so he can pull in all the DS's and drop two or three of the Shadow's with a bushwhacker to give them haste and just swarm over his opponent.
turn one spoils of the vault naming death's shadow is always fun.
zk3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You could have platinum angel lying around with it You could also have Miren, the Moaning Well to guarantee you end at 13 life if your angel gets bladed
MiniWraith
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Who cares it doesn't have a rainbow of abilities or any form of protection ? It's interesting, fun, and will certainly find home in some mono suicide decks out there. Just be sure to take a picture of your opponent when you drop this out of frickin' nowhere, at three or so life, when you are about to lose. 5/5 just for not being just another Chuck Norris-type card, while keeping the fun factor at high levels.
Flinging won't work - if you have 13 or more life it will get put into the graveyard as soon as it hits the battlefield, with no chance to do anything in between.
BrokenBoySoldier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
shame he doesn't have intimidate or deathtouch, I mean an extra one or two mana cost wouldn't make much of a difference surely?
VoidedNote
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hatred and this guy work really well. You pay X life, and deal 2X instead if they choose not to block!
Zulp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Flavorwise, does anyone else get dubious impressions from this card? It seems weirdly noble for a black creature. It does a great job of protecting you when you're weak. I mean, they obviously meant it to appear as if it's feeding off of its summoner's life force to become stronger, but under the right circumstances it can almost appear altruistic.
djbon2112
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
@Zulp Personally, not really. It's flavour is summed up with the title: Death's Shadow. It grows stronger the closer to death you are. Now, it may be dubious flavour that your death's shadow is fighting FOR you, but having it based off an opponent's life total would probably make a rules nightmare ;-)
A neat little toy for suicide black decks that sees little play in the current standard environment, because there is not currently a card that lets you pay life in such large amounts to make this card useful quickly (Ad Nausaum, unfortunately, is gone with Alara) . This might be fun to use against Valakut decks, though: Opponent: "I swing with my Primeval Titan, and use Valakut to direct an extra six damage at you." You: "Well, that's fine. Death's Shadow just powered up quite a bit, and I block (and kill) your Titan because of Valakut's damage." Opponent: "..." This is a novel situation, though, as most Valakut decks would kill your Shadow before this could ever happen. An amusing thought, nonetheless. 3/5 in general, but 4/5 in a deck built around it (which likely extends beyond standard).
Tovaras
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This card makes Vendetta a better choice than Doom Blade
bijart_dauth
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
it would be funny to give this lifelink.
TheDonMega
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Oh no I only have 5 life left and 6 mana open, what ever will I do....ranger of eos up two of these bad boys and make your opponent cry!
raadface
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
probably the only card i would want to top deck when i was around 1 life, well, that and maybe near death experiencelol
littlebeast
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(7 votes)
So you have a 13/13 Death's Shadow because of your Lich? Autochthon Wurm sneers at your puniness!
Ragamander
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
Am I correct in thinking that Death's Shadow's toughness will increase fast enough to prevent its demise if it is dealt exactly lethal damage at the same time as its controller is dealt damage?
Say I have 10 life and a Death's Shadow, and my opponent attacks me with a Sun Titan (6/6) and a Celestial Colonnade (4/4). Neither has first strike nor double strike. I block the Sun Titan, and my 3/3 Death's Shadow is dealt 6 damage at the same time as my life is reduced to 6, upping my Death's Shadow's toughness to 7 as a state-based effect at the same time as state-based effects check for lethal amounts of damage. My Death's Shadow survives.
If so, that's amazing. This card just keeps getting better and better. Fantastic with cards that require payments of life as a "drawback," fantastic as a late game comeback/finisher (especially since it leaves plenty of mana for an emergency Fling, fantastic with stuff like Dead Reckoning.
I have no idea why this is not seeing any play.
Ndoki
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Hrm, this plus Lich plus a drain life on yourself just for fun.
Studoku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This + repeatable phyrexian mana costs. Fun times.
Gabriel422
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(8 votes)
Phyrexian Unlife = you'll have a 13/13 for quite a while
+ Dark Tutelage = make it larger than 13/13 even (see rulings)
Also, Momentous Fall this always bring you back up to 13 life, while drawing you 13+ cards when you have Phyrexian Unlife in play.
ddong
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
last second fling in response to their lightning bolt which was supposed to kill you... priceless
AlrinKharr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of The Mimeoplasm's best friends for gaining +1/+1 counters, and it's so easy to get him into the graveyard.
ChampionofSquee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Gabriel422: the momentous fall combo doesn't always get you 13 life/cards b/c his p/t isn't always 13. You check what the creature's p/t is when it gets sacced not what it says on the card. I.E. if you attack with a timbermaw larva and then use momentous fall you don't get 2 card and 2 life you get 2+the # of forests you control in life and card draw.
I use this guy alongside cards with Morbid so that early o I can use him to get demon tokens or something or I can just use him as is later.
Superllama12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Phyrexian Ingester an opponent's Death's Shadow once. This was after that same friend traded me the Ingester, calling it a useless piece of trash
Hugo1
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Could be a nice combo with Tree of Redemption. Switch the life, take some damage, switch back when you're about to die.
DacenOctavio
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This creature lends itself to fast strategies involving mean, heavy hitters like Kiln Fiend and Immolating Souleater. Shocklands and fetchlands become even better when you drop 8/8s for {B} while you're at 5 life. Fling does become a finisher. Bob and Dark Tutelage become a violent stimulant. Trying to summon him before you embark on a journey of painful self-annihilation only results in a dead avatar that triggers sweet morbid abilities. Like Skirsdag High Priest. Then you can Unearth him whenever. The Vorthos in me is very pleased.
LordRandomness
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Surely there's some way to abuse having a 13/13 in your-
Sutured Ghoul likes eating these guys, and if you draw them early you can graveyard 'em for {B}.
This is a card that I always admired, for it's amazing design and flavour. It's one of those cards that makes me proud that I chose to play Magic: The gathering. Goodjob Wizards.
DarthParallax
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
Johnny Combo Player? Timmy Power Gamer?
Meet Vorthos, Dark Lord of Inevitable Doom Player
gman92
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Mimeoplasm's breakfast. 13/13 that is instantly dropped to the graveyard for ? Yes, please!
atemu1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Use Platinum Angel to get negative life and then say it's simple addition. Take down said opponent, disciple of griselbrand this to gain X + 13 life and then watch your opponent start cussing you out.
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"If your life total is less than 0 and an effect (such as the one from an opponent's Abyssal Persecutor) is keeping you from losing the game, Death's Shadow's ability will actually increase its power and toughness. For example, if your life total is -2, Death's Shadow gets +2/+2."
I just wanted to point out how awesome that is. Kind of a shame that you can't pay life that you don't have though ^^'
OMFG this is ridiculous in any deck with "pay life." Phyrexian Unlife + Dismember, Blinding Souleater, Hex Parasite or any other way that you can pay infinite life and this wins.
Edit: Oops, you can't pay life if you don't have it! Yeah, that would have made Phyrexian Unlife waaay overpowered but there's still Ob Nixilis, Vampire Lacerator and Dark Tutelage.
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Death's Shadow is a highly powerful if you're playing a deck that has all of those 1-cost pain cards, like Vampire Lacerator, Carnophage, and Vault Skirge (although that technically costs 2 and it can heal you).
Now this is a great card. It has such tempting power and immediately sends you scouring for ways to get the most out of a 13/13 for a single . The fact that this is as discussed as it is lends some credence to that idea. This is everything Dread Slag wanted to be.
Here's the obligatory chart of Death's Shadow Power/Toughness based on your life total.
@Equinox523: Thank you, we had trouble doing the arithmetic five year olds can do.
TheWrathofShane
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Phyrexian Unlife. In a sense, he will get +1/+1 for each poison counter that card gave you. Seems like deaths shadow could be a nice little better in an unlife combo deck.
BibboTheFirst
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is now even cooler with the upcoming Varloz, the Scar-striped. I'll take 13 +1/+1 counters for one black mana, thank you very much.
Quite possibly my favorite black card. The one mana cost, the creature growing stronger as your life total diminishes, the art, the flavor text; it's all so wonderfully black!
M3DK1T
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"Death's Shadow's ability applies only while Death's Shadow is on the battlefield. In all other zones, its power and toughness are 13."
This means that for one black mana, you're getting 13 +1/+1 counters from Varolz. Yes, I'd say that's a steal of a deal. It has great synergy in a deck focussed on Varolz' ability to give everything scavanage. Another card that goes very well in the same deck is Phyrexian Dreadnought for it's ability to be played for 12 counters regardless of the mana used.
Hussalo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I got a playset coming to run a Dredge/Varolz deck in modern. Should be fun.
kinghydra510
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
2 words guys. Phyrexian. Unlife. Nuf said.
doitpow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Varolz done.
Fictionarious
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Some people say that Abyssal Persecutor is the Blackest card in Magic: the Gathering. Nope.jpg
OstravaBoletaria
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@BibboTheFirst and Corpsejack Menace as well, because why not. 26 +1/+1 counters for one black... thats pretty awesome
LuigiNumber1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card would have been a pretty great reprint in Innistrad in my opinion.
Arcesious
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I really hate this card. A person I know thought it would be a great idea to bring this into a secret alliance 60-card deck game once and everyone died reaaaaaaaaaal quick. With Varolz and Lotleth troll this is such a cheap way to win a game. Completely takes out all the fun of a balanced exchange the way people try to use it.
SirLibraryEater
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is certainly in the finals for the most flavorfully black card in the history of ever.
Just scavenge the crap out of him with Varolz, the Scar-Striped and the result will be more than pleasant.
Iryanmadayana
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card.
It is, potentially, very large, and can swing a game back in your favor if you are behind, so it has Timmy appeal. It has an interesting mechanic to abuse, plus tricks with effects that rely on a card's printed power, so it has Johnny appeal. If abused properly, it is actually quite a strong card in the right environment (hey, it was successfully used in competitive legacy decks), so it has Spike appeal. It has awesome flavor and a cool art, so it has Vorthos appeal.
And it does all of these things while being strictly speaking very simple. Really, the only disadvantage is that it tends to be much less useful in commander (unless you have a Varolz-deck, I suppose).
Death's Shadow deserves a 5/5, not because of raw power, but because of excellent card design.
j_mindfingerpainter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
They were afraid it would be too f*ck*ing ridiculous with trample.
Comments (100)
Edit: Looked this up. I think it does add it, see last line of rule below:
107.1b Most of the time, the _Magic_ game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can't choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on. However, it's possible for a game value, such as a creature's power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison that would determine the result of an effect needs to use a negative value, it does so. If such a calculation yields a negative number, zero is used instead, unless that effect sets a player's life total to a specific value, sets a creature's power or toughness to a specific value, or otherwise modifies a creature's power or toughness.
2nd Edit: And from the worldwake FAQ making it official:
* If your life total is less than 0 and an effect (such as the one from an opponent's Abyssal Persecutor) is keeping you from losing the game, Death's Shadow's ability will actually increase its power and toughness. For example, if your life total is -2, Death's Shadow gets +2/+2.
I think it's a large waste of potential. A 13/13 for 1 could have been really interesting. Abyssal Persecutor, for example, has a very interesting drawback. You can't win, and they can't lose? Sure, it's (really) easy to play around, but it's by far more interesting. I know it's mythic, but that isn't an excuse for this card to be this uninteresting. Apparently they couldn't be assed to give it trample, either, for whatever reason. For the first half of a game (except suicide decks), this is deadweight. It could turn a game around at death's door, but if they've gotten you that low, most likely they'll just finish you off.
Since these decks are using your life total as an expandable resource, you can get a great body for very little mana.
Once you're at 12 or less life you can cast him.
If you feel Hatred for your opponent he better shouldn't let this guy hit him ;)
Even at 9 life you can kill an unharmed opponent with 20 life this way.
Possibly consider giving the Avatar trample with O-Naginata or something similar to ensure the win.
Aside from Dead Reckoning, Sutured Ghoul also likes getting stiched together with the remains of this guy.
By the way, i would not have expected to see a one-drop with a body greater than Phyrexian Dreadnought.
Besides that i see no use in Standard, with all the creature hate and having as requirement for the caster to be near death, not a good option.
Other solid suiciders are Sign in Blood or the fetches. I'm sure there are more that I'm simply forgetting.
Or black white with angelic chorus and sanguine bond .
You could also have Miren, the Moaning Well to guarantee you end at 13 life if your angel gets bladed
5/5 just for not being just another Chuck Norris-type card, while keeping the fun factor at high levels.
Opponent: "I swing with my Primeval Titan, and use Valakut to direct an extra six damage at you."
You: "Well, that's fine. Death's Shadow just powered up quite a bit, and I block (and kill) your Titan because of Valakut's damage."
Opponent: "..."
This is a novel situation, though, as most Valakut decks would kill your Shadow before this could ever happen. An amusing thought, nonetheless.
3/5 in general, but 4/5 in a deck built around it (which likely extends beyond standard).
Autochthon Wurm sneers at your puniness!
Say I have 10 life and a Death's Shadow, and my opponent attacks me with a Sun Titan (6/6) and a Celestial Colonnade (4/4). Neither has first strike nor double strike. I block the Sun Titan, and my 3/3 Death's Shadow is dealt 6 damage at the same time as my life is reduced to 6, upping my Death's Shadow's toughness to 7 as a state-based effect at the same time as state-based effects check for lethal amounts of damage. My Death's Shadow survives.
If so, that's amazing. This card just keeps getting better and better. Fantastic with cards that require payments of life as a "drawback," fantastic as a late game comeback/finisher (especially since it leaves plenty of mana for an emergency Fling, fantastic with stuff like Dead Reckoning.
I have no idea why this is not seeing any play.
+ Dark Tutelage = make it larger than 13/13 even (see rulings)
Also, Momentous Fall this always bring you back up to 13 life, while drawing you 13+ cards when you have Phyrexian Unlife in play.
I also liked the turn one Spoils of the Chamber option.
Sutured Ghoul likes eating these guys, and if you draw them early you can graveyard 'em for {B}.
Dead Reckoning (Ragged Veins optional) and Bioplasm?
The Mimeoplasm?
Ad Nauseum/Spoils of the Vault/Plunge into Darkness?
Phyrexian Unlife, True Conviction, and Rain of Gore?
Timmy Power Gamer?
Meet Vorthos, Dark Lord of Inevitable Doom Player
13/13 that is instantly dropped to the graveyard for
I just wanted to point out how awesome that is. Kind of a shame that you can't pay life that you don't have though ^^'
Edit: Oops, you can't pay life if you don't have it! Yeah, that would have made Phyrexian Unlife waaay overpowered but there's still Ob Nixilis, Vampire Lacerator and Dark Tutelage.
Other spells to consider playing with Death's Shadow would include Dismember and Demon of Death's Gate.
Here's the obligatory chart of Death's Shadow Power/Toughness based on your life total.
20 Life: -7/-7
19 Life: -6/-6
18 Life: -5/-5
17 Life: -4/-4
16 Life: -3/-3
15 Life: -2/-2
14 Life: -1/-1
13 Life: 0/0
12 Life: 1/1
11 Life: 2/2
10 Life: 3/3
9 Life: 4/4
8 Life: 5/5
7 Life: 6/6
6 Life: 7/7
5 Life: 8/8
4 Life: 9/9
3 Life: 10/10
2 Life: 11/11
1 Life: 12/12
Varolz
That is all
This means that for one black mana, you're getting 13 +1/+1 counters from Varolz. Yes, I'd say that's a steal of a deal. It has great synergy in a deck focussed on Varolz' ability to give everything scavanage. Another card that goes very well in the same deck is Phyrexian Dreadnought for it's ability to be played for 12 counters regardless of the mana used.
Phyrexian.
Unlife.
Nuf said.
done.
Nope.jpg
and Corpsejack Menace as well, because why not. 26 +1/+1 counters for one black... thats pretty awesome
t2: swamp, varolz.
t3: swamp, death's shadow, scavenge on varolz.
t4: swamp, death's shadow, scavenge on varolz. tainted strike. unnatural predation. boom.
and that's not the best option with this combo.
It is, potentially, very large, and can swing a game back in your favor if you are behind, so it has Timmy appeal.
It has an interesting mechanic to abuse, plus tricks with effects that rely on a card's printed power, so it has Johnny appeal.
If abused properly, it is actually quite a strong card in the right environment (hey, it was successfully used in competitive legacy decks), so it has Spike appeal.
It has awesome flavor and a cool art, so it has Vorthos appeal.
And it does all of these things while being strictly speaking very simple. Really, the only disadvantage is that it tends to be much less useful in commander (unless you have a Varolz-deck, I suppose).
Death's Shadow deserves a 5/5, not because of raw power, but because of excellent card design.
Don't scavenge this guy. Take the Plunge.