This guy looks really good. Zombie tribal just might work.
NecroticNobody
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
The problem to me is his toughness. It's just a little to low for my liking. Other than that, he seems quite solid, a limited finisher most likely.
mutantman
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(34 votes)
So it mills them whenever it damages them? Finally, a zombie that actually eats brains!
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
He's really cool, and I like the effect, but I don't like how its a replacement effect. It essentially slows down your clock, 20 life to X cards. To really utilize him you have to use other mill cards like Traumatize.
roguepariah
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
Trepanation Blade could be fun. (on a separate zombie) Especially if you get lucky and hit a streak of 10 cards or so without a land. And you can always unsummon him if your opponent lets your zombies through thinking they'll just lose a few cards off their library.
DarthParallax
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Now that brain that you gave me. Was it Hans Delbruck's?
Igor: No.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Ah! Very good. Would you mind telling me whose brain I DID put in?
Igor: Then you won't be angry?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: I will NOT be angry.
Igor: Abby someone.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby someone. Abby who?
Igor: Abby... Normal.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby Normal?
Igor: I'm almost sure that was the name.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Is that what you're telling me?
sonorhC
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Ah, another way for mill to get past the legendary Eldrazi!
Has anyone else noticed that it doesn't say "under your control" at the end of the ability?
kor6sic6
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
Holy crap. This guy would be perfect for my EDH zombie mill deck. Holy crap. Time to preorder a set.
The_Grizz
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
You need to be careful with is card. Combined with other zombie token gen. I've seen it make so many zombies that if it was killed the tokens would just sweep you away. And with a Grimgrin, Corpse-Born on the field you truly are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Russian.Thunder
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(5 votes)
YES! Finally giving some love back to the Zombies! And now they ACTUALLY eat brains! I can turn my old Grixis deck into a Zombie mill.
5/5
I love you so much Richard Garfield, why aren't you behind every set?
nimzo
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Favorite card, concept and art from Innistrad!
@NecroticNobody: 2 Toughness is perfect, because the idea is attacking with other Zombies, then with the token...
4/5 :)
Igooog
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
SOO HAPPEH I PULLED THIS FROM MY FIRST (and only, so far... but sure to be more!) INNISTRAD BOOSTER. It just piles up on the mill effect by making all of those tokens, you really only need 4 other zombies in your deck to make this thing effective. Never really thought of unsummoning him... good idea once you have about 10 tokens or so...
NoobOfLore
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
This was the key. Zombie swarm mill is now a legitimate possibility.
R_O_L_E_S
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
This is two separate abilities, right? So any mill effect that has an opponent put a creature in their graveyard generates a zombie? And if I use a Cellar Door targeting the opponent and the milled card is a creature, I should get two zombies, right?
PhyrexianFryCook
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I believe they've stopped putting "under your control" after token effects in general. Unless specified the controller of the token creating effect puts them into play.
MindAblaze
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
So it says if a zombie you control would deal combat damage to a player, instead... How does this effect "if the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player..." equipment such as sword of body and mind? Does it prevent the swords trigger or is it assumed the damage still got through even if the value is zero? Edit...Judges ruling; the alchemist creates a replacement effect so you don't get the swords trigger.
Finally noticed that this has two abilities, not one long one - sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you. This card is fantastically quirky and I love it.
htgtmd
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Free tokens and turns your zombies into milling machines
chrishocker
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
So my opponent's life total is 60 instead of 20. Nothing wrong with that at all.
No one sees a problem with that?
Valyant
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(7 votes)
What happens when you have 2 on the battlefield. For each creature milled you get 2 zombies?
The_Stray
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
@chrishocker: Sure, you have to dig deeper. This is meant to supplement a Mill strategy. Also, it Exiles annoying creatures and turns ALL your zombies into Millstones. Also massive fun with Trepanation Blade, as you attack, mill, get zombies, then hit, mill some more, get more zombies. Against a creature heavy deck this will get you an ever-growing horde of zombies with will mill exponentially more with each attack phase.
@ Valyant: Yes. With two on the table, for each creature card exiled you get two zombies (see the Rulings)
swensonator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I am using a Grave Titan with him, and If they destroy them all I use a Sutured Ghoul to get a massive trampling zombie, then equip him with a Lightning Greaves so he can attack right away. If he destroys 6 of my tokens I could get a 12/12 trampling zombie, right? Holy Crap Batman!
yesnomu
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If you can get through even once, this guy causes a cascading effect that will almost certainly win you the game. Clear the way with Silent Departure or Feeling of Dread, then make some zombies. The exiling is what makes the card--no, opponent, you're not going to get value out of the mill. Good luck casting that Skaab Goliath!
Especially fun: turning an opponent's Forbidden Alchemy into a token-maker for you. When they're looking at those four cards, they're still in the library...
I think he is more of a sideboard card. A kid I played put this out about halfway through the game, which ended up slowing him down big time. I do like his second ability, but unless you are doing a straight up zombie mill deck, he is not the best choice.
MisterAction
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
To those of you recommending we unsummon him to turn milling into damage when it's too late to block, I suggest you instead use Ether Well. Same finisher potential, but if that very specific win condition doesn't come up you can still exile any targetable creature and guarantee yourself a zombie token.
Okuu-chan
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
My most epic game turnabout with this card:
1. My brother is playing a B/G reanimator with Rise from the Grave. Note that it turns whatever it reanimates into zombies. I'm running U/B zombie mill with this. 2. Thanks to Distortion Strike and Trepanation Blade, I'm able to get in a whole bunch of zombies and RFG a whole lot of my brother's fatties. 3. My brother still gets to Rise his Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger and in desperation, hardcasts Sisters of Stone Death. 4. He attacks, and uses Sisters to steal my alchemist. In my shock and horror, I realize that his Vorinclex is a zombie. 5. My win condition is turned against me, but my brother doesn't successfully mill too many creatures, as he holds back on attacking due to me still having a bunch of zombie tokens. 6. I then draw Death Baron. 7. My brother forgets he can steal Death Baron with Sisters of Stone Death. He dies horribly.
gotthembarrels
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Altar of Dementia is absolutely INSANE with this guy. Just imagine... 1 undead alchemist+3 tokens (or any other creatures and of any amount)+alter of Dementia are on the battlefield, and say your oppenent is going to, say, doom blade your alchemist. In response, sac the tokens, and if your lucky, you could get up to SIX tokens, then sac those and just repeat. Last week, took a guy from 46 cards in his library to 0 by doing this. ITS INSANE.
sqweebag
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
if you have to of them on the field the mill ability does not stack becuase it has already replaced the damage with mill from the first copy of undead alchemist, however his second ability does stack. when a creature is put into a graveyard from their library the first undead alchemist will exile the creature but the first and second one still make the tokens.
Tiemuuu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can't believe that no one has mentioned Geth, Lord of the Vault already. That's about as sick as a combo can go
zharnotczar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
He's really good if you have an unsummon to bounce him back to your hand to deal real combat damage. Just hope you're not playing against a burning vengeance deck.
Amazing card. In a blue mill deck he can: ·Protect you while you mill your opponent ·Combo with just about any mill card ·Provide an alternate win condition after he dies ·Absorb removal so that you can play Blightsteel Colossus or some other massive creature without fear ·Trepanation Blade
courtb13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing card, and has amazing mill qualities...but since it doesn't do direct combat damage, was wondering if anyone could tell me if fog works against it?
skormeus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is an SOB with Noxious Ghoul . just swing and watch yourself have the only creatures on the board.
Yezzerat
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Does not stop Fog, as someone had asked. Same rulings as Szadek, Lord of Secrets. Defending player chooses which order replacement effects occur. "For example, the player can choose to first have Mending Hands prevent 4 of the damage and then apply Szadek's ability so that it gets only one counter."
Alternative rules text: Each opponent gains 40 life... oh and have some zombie tokens too.
Kindulas
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
What's that Lich Lord of Unx? You wish both your abilities made zombies?
braindead684
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey remember when me, Undead Alchemist, Death Baron and Jace Memory adept paid you a visit. You don't, that more than likely because we ate your brain.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
For mill decks, the real jewel here is his second ability. Use your own mill effects to beef up your side of the battlefield, and when you're secure enough you can begin the onslaught to wrap the game up.
This guy turned out to be the key to making my casual mill deck work in multiplayer. Normally, it runs out of gas after finishing off one other player. But now, the more players I kill off the stronger I get, until the board is overwhelmed with brain-eating zombies. And even if he gets bolted, I will likely have an army of chump blockers to keep me in the game. I love it.
TzarChasm
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Combos hard as f*ck with Traumatize.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
To clarify, no it does not get through Fog, Holy Day or anything the likes of them. The Alchemist's effect triggers "whenever a zombie would deal combat damage to a player". When Fog is cast, the zombies would NOT deal combat damage to a player, therefore the effect is not activated.
pedrodyl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Gives all your zombies Mill-link
Hobaley
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This + Talrand and a bunch of cheap mill spells (like Mind Sculpt, Dream Twist) helped me build a versatile mill and/or horde deck.
What if I told you that I could make your Incinerate generate a random number of 2/2 creatures between 0 & 7 tokens? You would say that's a good deal right? Well with this guy Mind Sculpt does just that.
When an opponent starts the game with 7 cards in hand they have 53 cards you need to mill. 7 cards is 13% of that total. When an opponent has 20 life, 3 damage is 15%. So they are very close. However, with this guy on the field not only are you doing 13% of the opponent's "life" but you are also potentially generating creatures which is incredible. This guy also adds TONS of value to all of your removal spells. Not only do you remove one of theirs but you gain one of your own in exchange. They lose a 7/7 and you gain a 2/2, they lose a 1/1 and you upgrade it to a 2/2 of your own. If mill is EVER going to be standard viable this guy is the key.
Cellar Door also works extremely well with this guy netting you roughly 2 guys per successful creature. Also consider that for every creature you remove its one less creature your opponent has to use against you and they are exiled so they can't get them back.
Luther_Zenn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Things can get interesting quickly with this and Mesmeric Orb...
SnackyNorph
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
More than my favorite Innistrad. It's my favorite zombie. Never enjoyed killing someone as much as when a swarm of zombies mills their entire library. Multiple on the field is just gravy... He's nasty with Grave Titan and Endless Ranks of the Dead. Absolutely one of my favorite rares in the game. 5/5
EDIT: I really, really hope Dimir sticks to its roots and continues to be the milling guild in Gatecrash. This guy will be just another layer of icing on a delicious mill cake. With things from Innistrad like this, Endless Ranks of the Dead, Army of the Damned, to the zombies in Dark Ascension, to Jace, Memory Adept...I can't wait to make this deck.
Xycolian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I reallllly want to put this in my mill deck because it's so fun and weird, but I'm usually too busy answering threats or setting up my defense to spend 4 mana on a creature with only 2 toughness :\
And here's the kicker- even if they mnage to kill him, you'll have an army of zombies and you can just switch to a full assault on their life. Just make sure you have some defenses set up- a few relatively cheap defenders like Fog Bank, Doorkeeper, Wall of Denial, or Primal Clay will do just fine. And mabe a ring of Ivos Isle for Hexproofing.
Villainous1
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
*gasp* I think this guy practices... human transmutation! D:
Holy McBob!!! This guy must be dealt with or a Zombie swarm is coming. the key to this card is it doesn't have to be from combat damage. The Breaking part ofBreaking // Entering, mind sculpt could net you quite a bit of zombies. The down side is your not doing any combat damage when you connect. You could get cute and destroy your own guy in combat to get lethal in. but honestly this with 4x a set of standard mill spell cards will have you the game in most cases
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Throw *just* him into a dedicated mill deck and you not only have a means to get rid of the Legendary Eldrazi and such, but you also get a secondary win condition.
Kontrah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I built a zombie deck for my friend's birthday, this guy is in it, and is a beast.
I think he liked swinging with Army of the Damned tokens and milling over forty cards from his opponent's mono-green hexproof deck.
What he (a new player) does not yet appreciate however, is that the mere presence of this card totally hoses Dredge or self-mill strats.
And you can always sacrifice, bounce, or otherwise kill your own alchemist if you absolutely need to deal damage instead of milling the library. Very useful, especially since your opponent will often decide not to block, knowing that his life total is protected.
BalZac
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy is a house. Most under-rated MTG card of all time. A ton of fun to drop this guy and get the zombie swarm going.... And it will go. This guy just drips flavor.
All in all, I love this card and all the possibilities it brings. 5/5
Xhinope
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've heard there's a card that basically says "Target player mills 1 each time they mill a card"
Does anyone know what it's called? I'd be quite interested! And it'd work rather well with a card like this!
Dankirk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With Altar of Dementia and a mill spell to start the snowball you'll pretty much mill creature heavy decks in one swift go.
However, note that the combat damage replacement and the exiling thing make this a bad play with certain type cards that might seem good at first: Sword of Body and Mind - No combat damage, no mill or tokens Paranoid Delusions - No combat damage, no cipher Haunting Echoes - Creatures aren't in his graveyard to be exiled. If you did some early milling, exiling his creatures lowers your chances of getting zombies to finish the game. Wight of Precinct Six - Again, the creatures aren't in your opponents graveyard
questionflanger
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
When people see this guy hit the battlefield, panic ensues. He really will change the entire game if your opponents don't deal with him immediately. He makes a great team with Lich Lord of Unx; the X number of zombies gets bigger in a hurry. Attacking with Trepanation Blade usually puts a blocker or two behind you. It's been said here but bears repeating, Altar of Dementia turns this guy into a game ender. Even if he's the only zombie in your blue deck, you can really hose those graveyard reanimators you play against.
Comments (69)
Especially if you get lucky and hit a streak of 10 cards or so without a land.
And you can always unsummon him if your opponent lets your zombies through thinking they'll just lose a few cards off their library.
Igor: No.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Ah! Very good. Would you mind telling me whose brain I DID put in?
Igor: Then you won't be angry?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: I will NOT be angry.
Igor: Abby someone.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby someone. Abby who?
Igor: Abby... Normal.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Abby Normal?
Igor: I'm almost sure that was the name.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Is that what you're telling me?
5/5
I love you so much Richard Garfield, why aren't you behind every set?
@NecroticNobody: 2 Toughness is perfect, because the idea is attacking with other Zombies, then with the token...
4/5 :)
It just piles up on the mill effect by making all of those tokens, you really only need 4 other zombies in your deck to make this thing effective.
Never really thought of unsummoning him... good idea once you have about 10 tokens or so...
Zombie swarm mill is now a legitimate possibility.
Edit...Judges ruling; the alchemist creates a replacement effect so you don't get the swords trigger.
No one sees a problem with that?
@ Valyant: Yes. With two on the table, for each creature card exiled you get two zombies (see the Rulings)
Especially fun: turning an opponent's Forbidden Alchemy into a token-maker for you. When they're looking at those four cards, they're still in the library...
1. My brother is playing a B/G reanimator with Rise from the Grave. Note that it turns whatever it reanimates into zombies. I'm running U/B zombie mill with this.
2. Thanks to Distortion Strike and Trepanation Blade, I'm able to get in a whole bunch of zombies and RFG a whole lot of my brother's fatties.
3. My brother still gets to Rise his Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger and in desperation, hardcasts Sisters of Stone Death.
4. He attacks, and uses Sisters to steal my alchemist. In my shock and horror, I realize that his Vorinclex is a zombie.
5. My win condition is turned against me, but my brother doesn't successfully mill too many creatures, as he holds back on attacking due to me still having a bunch of zombie tokens.
6. I then draw Death Baron.
7. My brother forgets he can steal Death Baron with Sisters of Stone Death. He dies horribly.
1 undead alchemist+3 tokens (or any other creatures and of any amount)+alter of Dementia are on the battlefield, and say your oppenent is going to, say, doom blade your alchemist. In response, sac the tokens, and if your lucky, you could get up to SIX tokens, then sac those and just repeat. Last week, took a guy from 46 cards in his library to 0 by doing this. ITS INSANE.
Turn 4: Undead Alchemist
Turn 5: Traumatize
Turn 6: /trollface
·Protect you while you mill your opponent
·Combo with just about any mill card
·Provide an alternate win condition after he dies
·Absorb removal so that you can play Blightsteel Colossus or some other massive creature without fear
·Trepanation Blade
This guy turned out to be the key to making my casual mill deck work in multiplayer. Normally, it runs out of gas after finishing off one other player. But now, the more players I kill off the stronger I get, until the board is overwhelmed with brain-eating zombies. And even if he gets bolted, I will likely have an army of chump blockers to keep me in the game. I love it.
Mind Sculpt does 7 cards for 2cmc. Incinerate does 3 dmg for 2cmc.
When an opponent starts the game with 7 cards in hand they have 53 cards you need to mill. 7 cards is 13% of that total. When an opponent has 20 life, 3 damage is 15%. So they are very close. However, with this guy on the field not only are you doing 13% of the opponent's "life" but you are also potentially generating creatures which is incredible. This guy also adds TONS of value to all of your removal spells. Not only do you remove one of theirs but you gain one of your own in exchange. They lose a 7/7 and you gain a 2/2, they lose a 1/1 and you upgrade it to a 2/2 of your own. If mill is EVER going to be standard viable this guy is the key.
Cellar Door also works extremely well with this guy netting you roughly 2 guys per successful creature. Also consider that for every creature you remove its one less creature your opponent has to use against you and they are exiled so they can't get them back.
EDIT: I really, really hope Dimir sticks to its roots and continues to be the milling guild in Gatecrash. This guy will be just another layer of icing on a delicious mill cake. With things from Innistrad like this, Endless Ranks of the Dead, Army of the Damned, to the zombies in Dark Ascension, to Jace, Memory Adept...I can't wait to make this deck.
3.5/5
And here's the kicker- even if they mnage to kill him, you'll have an army of zombies and you can just switch to a full assault on their life. Just make sure you have some defenses set up- a few relatively cheap defenders like Fog Bank, Doorkeeper, Wall of Denial, or Primal Clay will do just fine. And mabe a ring of Ivos Isle for Hexproofing.
I think he liked swinging with Army of the Damned tokens and milling over forty cards from his opponent's mono-green hexproof deck.
What he (a new player) does not yet appreciate however, is that the mere presence of this card totally hoses Dredge or self-mill strats.
And you can always sacrifice, bounce, or otherwise kill your own alchemist if you absolutely need to deal damage instead of milling the library. Very useful, especially since your opponent will often decide not to block, knowing that his life total is protected.
All zombies
Any Mill card
Cellar door
Ghoulcaller's Bell
Nephalia Drownyard
Lich lord of unx
Diregraf Captain + mindcrank (all the chump block possibilities)
Endless Ranks of the dead (make your horde grow, obviously)
Geralf's Mindcrusher
Returned Centaur
Rotcrown Ghoul
Grisly Spectacle
Thought Scour
...and probably many more that I may have missed!
All in all, I love this card and all the possibilities it brings. 5/5
Does anyone know what it's called? I'd be quite interested! And it'd work rather well with a card like this!
However, note that the combat damage replacement and the exiling thing make this a bad play with certain type cards that might seem good at first:
Sword of Body and Mind - No combat damage, no mill or tokens
Paranoid Delusions - No combat damage, no cipher
Haunting Echoes - Creatures aren't in his graveyard to be exiled. If you did some early milling, exiling his creatures lowers your chances of getting zombies to finish the game.
Wight of Precinct Six - Again, the creatures aren't in your opponents graveyard
usually works out to:
"Pay {1}, Get More Zombies"