Pointed Discussion

3.5 just because of the creature type :)

Doesn't require mono-black. Doesn't leave you completely vulnerable if you bring it out as soon as possible. This is a good shade.

Spooky man, is this leftover art from Innistrad?

Regarding the art: When you see it, you'll defecate cinder blocks.

Overpriced card. Amazing, terrifying art.

People are too quick to dismiss shades. They excel in control where you leave your mana open on your opponents turn. In forces your opponent to make difficult decisions. Do I lose a creature to the shade or can I afford to wait another turn to build up?

HINT: the answer is that both are the wrong decision. Stalling is what you want to do, and these do an excellent job.

While it doesn't have the inherent card advantage (relevant!) of Liliana's Shade, it does a better job speedbumping aggro.

This is a pretty solid shade. Pros like me like the extra toughness that this creature has.

Will stomp your face and not die in draft.

I'm sorry, but in the whole of the history of Magic there's really only been one actually playable shade, Nantuko Shade, which is probably why it was given the rare slot. Still, I have a soft spot in my heart for Nakaya Shade, a creature that could have shone in Pauper if only it had been given a better rarity.

All I ask
All I want
Is a shade whose starting power is actually relevant.

And I want my playable insects to stop being insect horror shade hybrids and just be insects instead.

this guy was a boss in sealed, walling when I needed to stabliize and a finisher after i killed his threats.

one of the annoying thing about shades in general is that when you don't have the mana to pump them, they're weak creatures that die to anything. This guy's baseline allows him to wall small threats.

It's also important to note that you don't have to play mono black, which is huge in sealed. And if you get two of them, their high toughness means you can swing in for zero and still get them to survive a chump. I had two of them in sealed, and no matter which one you blocked, you where going to take some damage or lose a creature. Shades are great for control.

This guy isn't overpriced. At least not that much. Sure, Liliana's Shade brings out a Swamp for the same exact cost, but it's a 1/1 and can only boost with . Here you have something that can take hits and doesn't need to get +2/+2 — you could just as easily use , , or whatever you have at your disposal. Or if you have Training Grounds, all you need is . That, in a way, gives it even an advantage over Nantuko Shade. Of course it's situational, but it's there and players will use it. All in all a solid card. 4/5

I've always been worried about Looming Shade being too fragile before you have a chance to pump him.

And now, they give us a 0/4 with a less Black-intensive pumping ability.

It's not as good as the 4-cost flying one, but it's certainly something to look for!

soo, do we get this creature or not? Master doesn't care for flavor text.

This is an immensely underrated card in draft. On defense, it is at the very worst a wall, and frequently it's a blocker with however much power is needed to kill an attacking creature. On offense, it practically guarantees either a dead chump blocker or at least four damage. It's extremely mana-intensive, of course: Make sure to continue developing your board as needed rather than feeding everything to the shade. It's not likely to die in the meantime: Right off the bat it does not die to Annihilating Fire, and a single pump will put it out of Auger Spree kill range.

Where the shade truly excels is in the late-game, particularly in multiples. There's no right way to block them when you have mana to burn, since you can allocate power however you choose. The shades have inevitability: They will kill anything that blocks them, hit for two or four whenever they go unblocked, and will almost always survive to do it again, turn after turn after turn.

Obviously this is not a card you would run in a speedy Rakdos deck, or as an off-colour splash in a mostly non-black deck. Where it shines is in slower, grindy control decks: Slower Rakdos builds (the kind that might runSewer Shamblers and lots of Auger Sprees and Annihilating Fires, and scavenge-centric Golgari decks, especially alongside the likes of Axebane Guardians and supplementary Gatecreeper Vines.

Perilous Shadow is not a fast card, and it can certainly be argued it is not an efficient card, but it is undeniably one of the most bulky and flexible beatsticks you will ever see at common. A definite 3.5/5, and my favorite common in the set.

Is it just me, or is this creature's shape (head, limbs) very similar to the Shadows from Babylon 5?

I always thought Magic was almost perfect, but needed more cross-overs with 90s TV sci-fi...

1/5. An 0/4 for 4 with a +2/+2 pump for 2? This isn't catching my eye in draft.

For some reason, I find it so easy to forget that this guy can actually attack.
Such a boss in limited.

I'm really surprised this isn't uncommon. All other shades have to pump or die to damage-based removal. At most, you should only need to leave one black mana untapped when facing a red mage to get him through round one. He is really sturdy and can be used in multicolor.
Perfect design on this one Wizards. Keep up the good work.

Is this guy Simic?
Because uffffff dat creature type is off the chain

Seriously, what a cool shade though, a 0/4 for 4 is easy to dismiss, but if you've ever played with or against shades, you know what these guys are capable of.

*cough*cough*Crypt Ghast, this, and Liliana's Shade. Non-Green pump and mana ramp. Booyah.