Pointed Discussion

For reanimate deck, this card plays both the weenie killing role as well as the dumping-fatty into the graveyard role.

Turn all that card advantage into something more tangible.

I love the flavor of this card. It feels very evil. >D
And it gives me an idea for a super powered version of it. Think Consume Spirit....

I like how Zur has made yet another cameo.

"Jesus dude, I know you have an ego, but seriously...GET OUT OF MY ART BOX."

The moment that made this card crystallize with me: I was playing Graveborn vs my friend's mill deck running four copies of Nihilith. He has one in play and 3 suspended with less than 5 time counters. I cast this discarding 4 cards, which triggers the Nihiliths to burst out of suspend, and promply die to Dreams. I was a happy player.

Once upon a time, I ran this in a Death's Shadow deck.

So, I have four lands (Swamp, two Mountains, and a Graven Cairns), and my hand has been almost wholly useless so far. Finally I top-deck a playable card: Abyssal Persecutor, but I have to keep it open as a blocker. My opponent attacks me down to 12. Next turn I draw up to 8 cards in hand, so I figure I might as well play a Death's Shadow as a pitiful 1/1. My opponent attacks me down to 8 life and casts Rhox, with mana open to regenerate. On my next turn I draw Sickening Dreams. I look at my hand, pause for a bit, and say, "I win." My opponent is still at 20.

I discard 6 cards to Sickening Dreams, bringing my opponent to 14 and me to 2, with 1 card left in my hand. He regenerates his Rhox (tapping it) but loses his other creatures, and my Abyssal Persecutor bites the dust. My Death's Shadow is pumped from a 5/5 to an 11/11 as it takes the 6 damage, so it survives. I attack my opponent from 14 to 3 and cast my last card: Lightning Bolt.

Good times.

Someone got another idea for this card in Commander:

General - Maralen of the Mornsong
Sickening Dreams
Ad Nauseam
Elixir of Immortality
Swamps
*Deck*

@DacenOctavio - Since the Nihilith ability is a "may" ability this speaks less to this card's power and more to your friend's stupidity.

The great thing in contrast of Putrid Imp, Last Rites and Zombie Infestation, is that this is Uncounterable discard. If you are playing a Reanimator deck of course.

Definitely agree with the Reanimate deck comments.
I ended up drawing 3 copies playing last night and it was fantastic to get creatures into the grave while mopping the floor with a bunch of 2 and 3 toughness creatures.
If nothing else its worth losing a card to trash token creatures.
Fantastic card...

This card is the ultimate token killer since you can dial in how much damage you need to do.

Never mind Leng doesn't work

The "dreams" cycle is interesting: There's a rare one for each colour, then a common and uncommon one for black.

Thing is, in graveborn you have a bunch of huge fatties that are evasive and thus token blockers aren't a major concern. I'd rather use putrid imp, zombie infestation, or strongarm tactics to fuel the bomb discard in reanimation.

But that's not to say this is a bad card in any way. It's a mono black X- damage spell which is awesome. It hits everything which is cool. And it probably combos with other deck types like madness better than with reanimation.

"Cards? Where we're going, we don't need cards."