Pointed Discussion

Why would we want this... AGAIN

We want this again because they are toning down kill spells and burn, as well as counters. Limited will be dominated by this and Tormented Soul.


Or, I could be wrong. Who knows. 3.5/5

I don't see why so many people dislike this. Paying life for power is a good way of teaching new players what it means to be playing black. Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with +3/+1 on one of your creatures. Sure, its CMC:P/T ratio isn't as good as Unholy Strength's, but it still does pack more power in one single card.

Ok y'all this card in not that bad, let me throw out a scenario.


Drop a swamp and a duty bound dead
Second turn drop another swamp and this dark favor.
On turn two you have a 4/4 come on people that's pretty good for only losing one life

Perfect flavor for black, life for power.

I keep a copy of this in my B/W exalted deck. Being an aura this is susceptible to the classic "2 for 1" deal when the enchanted creature is removed, but this is definitely effective if your opponent takes a few turns to draw the right card.
3/5.

It's bad for following reasons Binaro. If you have a burn spell, for example, you can point it at your opponent and burn him/her for some damage, or kill a creature of theirs. Simple and veratile. If you got a creature, you can play it, attack, block, and thus deal damage to your opponent, kill creatures, or protect yourself, nice too.
This? It's very narrow. First, if you don't have a creature, then it's a dead card. It's also a dead card if you have a creature but don't want to attack with it, or that can't be enchanted (because of shroud or protection or something), or maybe the opponent has an indestructible or regenerating blocker. But let's say you got a suitable creature: if you have bad luck, your opponent will kill it, bounce it, steal it, prevent it from attacking or blocking or anything else like that. Then you not only lost a creature, but also the enchantment. You lost two cards at once, which is a great deal for your opponent, and hefty loss for you.

And if you combine all those disadvantages, you end up with a bad card.

See Sinister Strength
But yeah, good choice for a core set. Very black, very middle of the road power-wise. Not a fan of this art, it's very cosplay. I did ok at the prerelease with this and tormented soul.

@majinara :

That's the disadvantage of Auras in general. That's how they've always been since the beginning of Magic. You're not really pointing out anything new about an Aura's drawbacks that most players don't already know.

If this were ranked as an uncommon it would have a way higher rating. People are inclined to underestimate common cards. This can be a fantastic card. I mean think about Vampire Nighthawk? This is a very good common. Glad it was reprinted.

Hmm...

Is high power considered better than high toughness?

Because if not, Divine Favor is much better

I like this card from a practical point-of-view. If you're building decks with a budget for standard, this card is great little boost for decks using lifelink. Put on Vampire Nighthawk or Tithe Drinker and now your budget/casual deck has a beater.