This card is amazing in pretty much all zombie decks. I love the art, too! :D
KikiJikiTiki
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
An excellent choice for a reprint. I don't see zombie tribal power being that great at the moment, but that's another thing that Innistrad might manage to change, though vampires are probably going to continue to be the black tribe of choice.
TheSwarm
★☆☆☆☆ (1.9/5.0)(8 votes)
I really hope zombies become a tribe. REEALLy hope.
DlCK
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(9 votes)
Bringin' back the zombie power. Vampires are the creature type for kids anyway, I'm more of a classic zombie guy myself. Rotten flesh > Pale face make-up.
In the battle of the undead tribes, I prefer the vamps over the zombros. I refuse to let Twighlight alter my perception of vampires. I've always thought that they were a cool creature type in magic.
I realize this comment had little to do with this card...
roguepariah
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Makes for a really long prerelease game when your opponent plays pacifism on your vengeful pharaoh and no one draws anything to deal with this.
I welcome the zombies w/ open arms. I made many zombie decks back when there were only 3 vamps in existance. Filling the gy w/ fresh recruits makes the cemetery reaper that much better. If only Liliana were here to see this.
Justice1337
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Zombies own u. Vampires used to be cool in magic, then they printed Sorin and made him their fanboi for everything black. I'd like Twilight not to influence my view of vampires, but Sorin has this faux white hair that's swept over his brow in the way all the schoolkid posers do it. I'm done with it.
Zombies on the other hand, are awesome, and they're much more personable and human than people give them credit for. Just look at Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, Thraximundar, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge, Lord of Tresserhorn and the list goes on.
This is a great reason to play a zombie deck, or even one with just a few and maybe some repeatable token generation. Locking the board out of creatures usually means that your opponents can't win until they deal with it.
Kitty_the_Kat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Unfortunately Grave Titan isn't a zombie, and if he was this card would be much more powerful.
The real power in this card is the feeling of hopelessness you can inspire in an opponent. Clever use of cards such as Curse of Death's Hold can hose down small cards (and multiple copies of them can really cripple some opponents), while your opponent looks at the creature cards in his hand, knowing that as soon as he plays one of them it'll be dead before summoning sickness wears off.
And, of course, if your opponent can play more than one creature you are playing the colour that has rather a lot of kill spells.
Andromeiylochk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
more, and a drawback that is only margianally problematic makes The Abyss cost fifty cents...
...okay then.
OmegaSerris
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Does anyone else think the last ability has a typo? It seems like, being a trigger on a permanent, it should say "each end step" not "the end step." The latter implies that it only triggers once, the turn it was played, as it would say on a instant, sorcery or at the end of some activated ability. I know what it means and I'm not arguing otherwise, I'm just saying that they could have worded it better.
Otherwise, fun card. Seems a bit expensive for constructed, but I'm going to test it out anyways. Maybe I'll be surprised. Looks amazing for Zombie-EDH though.
Albertworsoe
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Let's say my opponent has this thing in play, and my only creature is a Thopter Assembly. Do I sacrifice it or return it to my hand, and if I do return it to my hand, do I sacrifice a token?
boneclub
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Albertworsoe: You can choose how to stack the triggers. So you can choose to return the Assembly first, and then the Call activates and makes you sac a token.
Moleland
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
I found an annoying bug with this on DOTP2. It won't force a player to sac creatures with hexproof...
"Each end step" would mean everybody's end step. "The end step" means your end step. if it meant it only triggered once, it would say "the next end step." Hope that answers your question
Also, this card is ridiculously awesome. It that Betrays, artificial evolution to make it a zombie or target the enchantment (the latter is preferred, because who the hell runs eldrazi as a main function), and this card. The whole field is yours.
hot4boys
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
THE LE REDDIT MEME ARMY LEEJUN LOVES THIS CARD! 5 STARS IF YOU AGREE LOL XD!
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Andromeiylochk It's not just that. It's because The Abyss is extremely old. Any card from sets that are that old that have a decently high demand will cost a crapload. Look at the power nine for example.
Also, the drawback is not marginally problematic. It means that if your opponent board wipes, then your enchantment is gone. There's a built-in work-around. With the abyss, you have to kill it with enchantment removal. It's not gonna go away just because you have nothing left and decide to board wipe.
There's another reason for it too. The abyss can be used as a control card which says 'you sacrifice a creature each turn'. You don't need cards to support it. This card forces you into zombies, and it forces you to play creatures.
MASSIVE difference.
Deadling
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Moleland Actually, it makes the player sac the creature. It doesn't target the creature, so you're dead wrong. Not even giving yourself hexproof from something like a Witchbane Orb, would stop the effect.
Comments (27)
Vampires are the creature type for kids anyway, I'm more of a classic zombie guy myself.
Rotten flesh > Pale face make-up.
Rise from the Grave
Call to the Grave
I realize this comment had little to do with this card...
Aside from that, it does wonders with cemetery reaper or reassembling skeleton.
Screw grave titan. He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk.
Zombies on the other hand, are awesome, and they're much more personable and human than people give them credit for. Just look at Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, Thraximundar, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge, Lord of Tresserhorn and the list goes on.
This is a great reason to play a zombie deck, or even one with just a few and maybe some repeatable token generation. Locking the board out of creatures usually means that your opponents can't win until they deal with it.
And, of course, if your opponent can play more than one creature you are playing the colour that has rather a lot of kill spells.
...okay then.
Otherwise, fun card. Seems a bit expensive for constructed, but I'm going to test it out anyways. Maybe I'll be surprised. Looks amazing for Zombie-EDH though.
"Each end step" would mean everybody's end step. "The end step" means your end step. if it meant it only triggered once, it would say "the next end step." Hope that answers your question
Also, this card is ridiculously awesome. It that Betrays, artificial evolution to make it a zombie or target the enchantment (the latter is preferred, because who the hell runs eldrazi as a main function), and this card. The whole field is yours.
It's not just that. It's because The Abyss is extremely old. Any card from sets that are that old that have a decently high demand will cost a crapload. Look at the power nine for example.
Also, the drawback is not marginally problematic. It means that if your opponent board wipes, then your enchantment is gone. There's a built-in work-around. With the abyss, you have to kill it with enchantment removal. It's not gonna go away just because you have nothing left and decide to board wipe.
There's another reason for it too. The abyss can be used as a control card which says 'you sacrifice a creature each turn'. You don't need cards to support it. This card forces you into zombies, and it forces you to play creatures.
MASSIVE difference.
Actually, it makes the player sac the creature. It doesn't target the creature, so you're dead wrong. Not even giving yourself hexproof from something like a Witchbane Orb, would stop the effect.
"*Sigh* Fine."
"What? You're all in the grave? Ok, I guess I don't need to be here any more then..."