As a source of card of advantage for yourself, black has many superior alternatives. You can get this same effect cheaper, and without the poison, from Ancient Craving and Ambition's Cost. And while those are fine cards in casual games, they're not on the upper end of black's draw power even in that format.
As for a means of damaging / poisoning a player, it's even more overcosted. Did Famine ever appeal to anyone? How about one without the life kickback? It's similar to six damage for five if you look at it from the poison side of things, yet that's still lackluster. Do infect decks ever consistently reach their fifth land drop? For either damage or poison, it should only ever be used for the final & lethal points: otherwise there is no good excuse to ever turn a Concentrate on an opponent.
ThisisSakon
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(5 votes)
"I am weak. Make... Me... Weaker"
Lol wat. I have to agree, never smart to concentrate your opponents...
guitargamer79
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(10 votes)
People are so looking at this card for the wrong reasons. This is pretty much going to be the game ender in most INFECT decks. Giving 3 poison counters to somebody not coming from a permanent on the board is a HUGE deal! the drawback you give them is totally worth it. I promise you this will see play in constructed and will *** off so many people in the process. With all the free spells in New Phyrexia and pump and proilferate spells in Standard, getting your opponent to 10 poison counters is not as hard as it seems with this bad-boy around. Don't underestimate this card at all, worst case scenario, it's three cards for you late game, which is huge late game.
infernox10
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Yeah, where this card is sort of bad for draw reasons (use Sign in Blood), I'm thinking this will see play in Infect decks as a finisher.
Three poison counters that aren't from a creature?
That's pretty big.
This will be pretty nice in Limited, not quite sure about Standard,
But word to the wise:
USE IT AS A FINISHER, NOT BEFORE.
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
GOOFY. limited game ender I Sign in Blood myself....but im gonna caress your ass phyrexian style.
The reason this doesn't cost 2B, 1BB, or BBB is that at that cost, drawing three cards and losing three life is REALLY strong. Still, it would have made the card a lot cooler.
MrBarrelRoll
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
3 cards. 3 damage. 3 poison. 5 mana. DERP
Why oh why doesn't this cost 3? Keeps with the 'theme of 3s' this card almost had going on, and it would have been more like a grown up Sign in Blood.
majinara
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(5 votes)
FIve mana for 3 poison counters... well, a giant growth on an unblocked creature does the same, for one mana.
SIlverSkyz
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(32 votes)
All of you are looking at this wrong.
It enables the legendary TRIPLE KILL!
Enemy_Tricolor
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(7 votes)
SilverSkyz, you have given me a quest. From this day forward, I will not rest until I have beaten someone by Decimator Web-ing them and then finishing them off with this. And then saying "Now...you're...ideal", in the same cadence as that Kiefer Sutherland character from Dark City.
Rikiaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best finisher in a Poison Control deck. A nearly unstoppable (Aside from counterspells) 3 Poison Counters for 5 is good in my book. And if you aren't facing Infect and you need to draw some it's nice for that too.
MrQuizzles
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
This is a very good finisher for limited. You'll find that people will take a lot of poison counters in order to preserve their board position. Just when they think they're about to start blocking, you whip this out and end it right then and there.
StreamHopper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Oh my God, you people are retarded. It's three direct poison counters. Three. That's one, two, three. Immediately. It was meant to be a finisher and nothing else. As a finisher- it's everything we need it to be.
PEVE_O
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
if you use it on an opponent make sure it finishes them.
rinoh20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
its confusing, this card. it looks like sign in blood, but would be better as a poison deck lava axe instead, getting in those last few poison counters.
Macsen
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love black. This card may suck, but it has more flavor than jesus.
Luke_BPC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's a fun, versatile card. Can be a finisher, can fetch you another finisher if it still won't do it. This helps infect, making it more of a threat in the late game, catching your opponent off guard, and keeping them on their toes after seeing this hit once. And it's not over-costed. If you manage to get your opponent down to six poison, you can proliferate with the Clasp and follow with this.
zachpoo
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This card single-handedly won me three games at the pre-release....and contributed greatly to several more...I love it...
RobinHood3000
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Is it just me, or does the guy in the card art look a lot like Candle Jack from Freakaz
nimzo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
For me, one of the strongest card in the block, maybe the more influential one. Now, we all know about the danger of the 7th poison counter against a black-infect deck (or the 6th with the zero activation cost of Throne of Get on the battlefield). If you are not running with some counterspell, this card is obviously a 4 or 5 turn kill spell, at uncommun range. And some counterspell like Ricochet Trap are not terrible if the opponent doesn't run an infect-deck. With some powerful infect creature, I think any black deck have to run with two or three of this. And in some crappy situation, you can target yourself... So I give a 5/5 because of the existence of this threat in standard: we have to calculate our attack/block choice in regard of a possible Caress of Phyrexia in the opponent hand.
Deepfried-Owls
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One can also run Black/Green for that greed creature that keeps you from getting poison counters...
But then it becomes a very very expensive sign in blood.
Like most people have said, use as a finisher for infect or maybe even black draw decks with UW dreams.
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great in limited formats where you're not really sure how the game will play out. Late game drawing (but dangerous against infect decks) or a finisher for your own infect deck. Good draft pick for when you're sitting on the fence about going infect.
Studoku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Drafted 2 of them in an NPH-NPH-NPH draft and had a lot of fun with them. I managed to win two games with them just by targetting my opponent.
Currently using them in my Melira infect deck. 7 power of phrexian hydra + 3 poison counters works pretty well.
DeathDark
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Costs quite a bit compared to, say, Sign in Blood. However, the offensive capabilities of this card in the right deck are pretty good, while using it when your opponent isn't running infect is also helpful.
Corey_bayoudragonfly
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Whereas Sign in Blood is the draw card that can be used as a final blow if necessary, this is a final nail in an infect-y coffin, but can still, say if you're not playing against infect, be used to concentrate in dire straits. Versatility is good. (The card is still roughly average, however)
SarpNasty
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Not the greatest card, but it actually fit my deck perfectly. I can easily go balls to the wall in my first 3-4 turns with my U/B infect deck and get my opponent to 6 or 7 poison counters with Blighted Agent and some pump spells, but it require a lot of early game aggressive cards. The fact that I can play this on turn 5 means that I don't have to use deck slots on mid game control.
NoobOfLore
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Win more if you're not playing against infect, and finish off an opponent if you are playing with infect. Not a bad card, it has use in a lot of situations.
Just make sure your opponent doesn't live to see use of those cards.
Sour_Diesel
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Should have cost BBB
Arachibutyrophobia
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Silverskyz: omg, that is amazing!
Mike-C
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The card is dope.
Reign274
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Well I didn't play it in the prerelease.
Someone used it on me...when I had no poison yet.
Reminds me of the time someone bloodgift demoned me when I was at 15 life.
Oh man, I guess I'll take some damage to draw a card/three cards. And I didn't have to pay mana. I must say thank you, sir.
People these days...
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
1 titanic growth on a blighted agent = 5 poison counters. 1 Titanic Growth on a blighted agent with livewire lash = 9 poison counters. Ranger's guile to counter spot removal and deal another poison counter, 3 more if you got the lash on. If your not 1 shotting your opponent, your not playing infect right.
This is to slow and waste of a deckslot in an infect deck. If you dont kill your opponent with those 3 counters, this is very bad to play.
LordRandomness
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
The value is in the versatility. If you're running it in Infect, you can use it to either finish off the enemy OR give yourself some cards if you need them.
Totema
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Needs... More... Ellipses...
Immerwolf
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
That's it, Snake. Hurt... me... more. Make me feel alive again.
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"You know, there's a certain sport I excel at." "What's that?" "Competitive ***-toss!"
Pollinosis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Seems like a bad version of Ambition's Cost at first, but then you realize the card can be used to finish off an opponent. 3.5/5
lilwolf2005
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SIlverSkyz
If you are playing best of three games with another player and you kill them with more than one of this card's effects, it really should count as two or three wins, because you deserve it. Lol
doitpow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With an opponent at 3 life, 7 poison counters, with 2 cards remaining in deck, this card wins you the game three times for 5 mana.
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The flavour text is poison counters speaking to R&D.
Silence9
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ignore the first two parts. This is a finisher in an infect deck. Absolute worst case you can Ancient Craving to draw 3.
Comments (44)
As a source of card of advantage for yourself, black has many superior alternatives. You can get this same effect cheaper, and without the poison, from Ancient Craving and Ambition's Cost. And while those are fine cards in casual games, they're not on the upper end of black's draw power even in that format.
As for a means of damaging / poisoning a player, it's even more overcosted. Did Famine ever appeal to anyone? How about one without the life kickback? It's similar to six damage for five if you look at it from the poison side of things, yet that's still lackluster. Do infect decks ever consistently reach their fifth land drop? For either damage or poison, it should only ever be used for the final & lethal points: otherwise there is no good excuse to ever turn a Concentrate on an opponent.
Lol wat. I have to agree, never smart to concentrate your opponents...
Three poison counters that aren't from a creature?
That's pretty big.
This will be pretty nice in Limited, not quite sure about Standard,
But word to the wise:
USE IT AS A FINISHER, NOT BEFORE.
3 damage.
3 poison.
5 mana. DERP
Why oh why doesn't this cost 3? Keeps with the 'theme of 3s' this card almost had going on, and it would have been more like a grown up Sign in Blood.
It enables the legendary TRIPLE KILL!
It's three direct poison counters.
Three. That's one, two, three.
Immediately.
It was meant to be a finisher and nothing else.
As a finisher- it's everything we need it to be.
But then it becomes a very very expensive sign in blood.
Like most people have said, use as a finisher for infect or maybe even black draw decks with UW dreams.
Currently using them in my Melira infect deck. 7 power of phrexian hydra + 3 poison counters works pretty well.
Not a bad card, it has use in a lot of situations.
Just make sure your opponent doesn't live to see use of those cards.
Someone used it on me...when I had no poison yet.
Reminds me of the time someone bloodgift demoned me when I was at 15 life.
Oh man, I guess I'll take some damage to draw a card/three cards. And I didn't have to pay mana. I must say thank you, sir.
People these days...
This is to slow and waste of a deckslot in an infect deck. If you dont kill your opponent with those 3 counters, this is very bad to play.
"What's that?"
"Competitive ***-toss!"
If you are playing best of three games with another player and you kill them with more than one of this card's effects, it really should count as two or three wins, because you deserve it. Lol