Pointed Discussion

Fun in Casual, not really built for Constructed tables, I'd say.

Play it in a B/U control deck with Sphinx of Jwar Isle and Reassembling Skeleton. Add in some extra removal, some counterspells, and you're set.

I think this will be very interesting in multiplayer.

Thank you Wizards for giving us a playable Traveling Plague :D
It could still have been cheaper, but Johnny will find a way to have his fun with that card.

Doesn't strike me as anything to write home about.

This set is just oozing flavor.

And much easier to say than Takklemaggot.

Since when did Lich King play MtG?

This and Jinxed Idol are going in a multiplayer "Hot Potato" Deck. This sounds like a ton of fun to use when the board's full of creatures.

It's like The Abyss. Only it sucks. Good flavor, but I hope I never have to crack one of these.

What I think is interesting how they changed the wording from older auras that returned to play. Compare it to traveling plague. The traveling one does not target. As such, when returned to play, it can be put on creatures with shroud or something your opponent controls, and kill them. That's pretty nice. Same with screams from within. For necrotic played, they specifically added a target clause, to prevent that from happening, and thus having weakened the effect down a lot
Not to mention that this version of the plague auras only works while two or more players have creatures. The older ones simply kill everything on the board, no matter who controls what or how many, which is far better.

should have made it an enchantment that says "target player must sac a creature at upkeep" to make it more useful against eldrazi and such

Good in a sac deck. You can sacrifice a creature before your upkeep, get the benefit, and send it on back. Not every card can be a constructed staple, but building weird decks that work every once in a while is what makes magic fun.

I preferred Takklemaggot because if you didn't have a valid target your opponent had to pick one of his own. Seems like here if you don't have one it goes into your graveyard. Multiplayer would work well though.

I got one in the prerelease but didn't end up playing it, but I'd be interested to see how viable someone could make it in sealed or draft. It's spot removal that can deal with almost any threat, and while it also gets rid of your own biggest threat, if you sustain one less creature than the opponent until the board is clear then you won't be at a card disadvantage. Actually, if you get multiples you can kill four creatures of your choice with only 3 cards (some random creature + 2 Necrotic Plagues). Of course, having the mana to cast 2 in a turn is the trick. =P

As someone mentioned, it'd also be good with Reassembling Skeleton, and would allow you to keep the plague 'alive' until the board is totally clear for some potentially serious card advantage. Of course, the trick in this case is to survive until you've successfully cleared the board - but then, you'll be eliminating the biggest threat each turn and can use the skeleton to block.

It seems like a pretty comboable card that could work very well with tokens, cheap creatures or creatures with recursion. It probably deserves a 2.5-3 rating for its power level on its own, but I'd love to see someone's draw drop if you set up a card advantageous board sweep with it.

Aura Finesse?

Funny thing I used this at the pre-release and used it to great effect by keep reviving my reassembling skeletons... outside of sealed though its true it doesn't have too much power, but its a case of I still love it, very much a black flavour to me.

Best place for it imo is a form of control deck using reviving blockers and other such gems.

This and Algae Gharial together could be interesting, especially in multiplayer.

Bloodghast.

This could be quite useful with Mortician Beetle. Either your opponent use the plauge to target your fatties, in which case your beetles will quickly grow out of hand, or if they target your bettles they will expose themselfs to your vampire nighthawks or any other strong threat you have out.

Either case, it's win - win for you.

One of the most obvious ways of using this is having creatures with Shroud or Troll Shroud on your side of the board. If you have Thrun out, and a Reassembling Skeleton, your opponent won't be able to keep creatures in play.

Nim Deathmantle + Any Creature. Although Death Cultist, Blistergrub, or Perilous Myr are particularly fun & highly annoying for an opponent.

Fantastic flavour, mediocre card. Should have cost 1B, seeing as you're giving up the speed of Doom Blade (it's an enchantment, and the creature only actually dies on the opponent's upkeep) in exchange for the longer term effect (which doesn't give you any card advantage unless your deck is built around it).

Still, love the flavour. They could easily have just made an enchantment reading "each player sacrifices a creature during their upkeep" but this really captures the feeling of creatures "catching" the plague. And of course, once everything is dead, the plague dies down. Awesome. Would love to see more plague themed cards. Maybe something that affects lands, or even artifacts?

Been Waiting A Long Time For This?
Frostmourne hungers...

Great in the right deck. I run a B/W pestilence deck for multiplayer. Use all white creatures with protection from black. Between this and pestilence, I can just sit back until the board is clear, then attack unchallenged.

Awesome flavour.

OK for removing indestructible creatures, but kinda expensive and slow as a kill spell.

So, what we're basically saying is here is that there's a really bad case of death going around?


...So is it viral or bacterial?

Magic VD

This would be nuts in a multiplayer game where all of your creatures have either shroud, hexproof, or protection.

The art of this card feels like something from the really early sets, like Alpha. I'm not saying that it's bad art, in fact it's really good art and I like it, but it has that same kind of atmosphere, I think.

Is this kinda shooting yourself in the foot with this and hexproof/troll shroud? Since you still control the second ability, even though an opponent's choosing the targets, it's the target of an ability you control, so they can still remove your trolls. You'd need shroud to stop them killing your stuff.