As awesome horror cards keep getting printed I have my fingers crossed for a horror lord.
Dabok
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Oh my god! The first ability is already good in itself, the second one just made the card! The synergy of the abilities is so good, that this card is almost "autonomous", which isn't very common in a card mind you!
I am so glad this card exists. This really gives mill decks some teeth! Plus, if your mill engine isn't already up and running, its second ability will definitely help that!
SyntheticDreamer
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
I am so glad this is the Dimir prerelease promo. It's a one-card mill engine and win condition!
the le reddit r/mtg army and its leejun loves this card! 5 stars if you agree!
Oatbran
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
So, ghost quarters gets rid of those pesky dual lands, and provides mill advantage for dimir. Any instant also becomes a combat trick for this card.
Flyheight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Boom Tube, meet your little brother: Boomipede. This card scares me for the prerelease. Mill is going to be a real threat thanks to every dimir player having access to this.
LordOfTheFlies87
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Very cool. Great art.
enjoy
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
thank goodness it's the prerelease card for Dimir =D
Cyberium
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Free spells like Gitaxian Probe and Ornithopter are so relevant :D
Purplerooster
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This can get huge fast. Just make sure it doesn't get buried in Tormod's Crypt.
It turns everything you play into a mini - mind funeral. How nice.
4wolf359
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My Mimeoplasm EDH decks focuses heavily on mill to fatten up the graveyards. Not only does this guy do that job better than anything in my deck, he also makes a great target for Gloppy himself.
if only it could be saved from rest in peace...i'd love to exile as I mill !
handoflazav_414
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best promo card ever! I am gonna wipe the floor with this guy at the prerelease! So I heard you had a bug/horror problem...
General_Naga
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Is it just me or does this and the rest of the Dimir in the set possibly make Mill EDH a thing? I don't care. I'm putting this in a deck and I'm gonna grind some libraries.
Blackworm_Bloodworm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
U/B mill / mill control has been waiting for a card like this which fills each of its possible roles while also being strong enough to earn a spot. Easily the Dimir crown jewel of the set.
@Superllama12: Yeah. Let's just hope it stays that way...
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fear the Gigantic centipede! Its claws will rip you in half! Its legs will impale you! Its scream causes hysteria!
Existential
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Mental Vapors, Paranoid Delusions, and, of course, Whispering Madness. Simply beautiful. Go with Crypt Ghast to get it out earlier, and Realmwright for excellence. Since Realmwright is brilliant mana fixing, you could tri-colour; I recommend Esper. Extort and Cipher already work well together, and an Inaction Injunction isn't bad, at least not in casual/ constructed. If you don't mind playing out of standard, there is Mind Funeral and, obviously, Glimpse the Unthinkable. But Jace would be tasteless. Simply tasteless.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Between the TWO Ravnica Blocks, Dimir now has actual competition with Orzhov thanks to....dear GOD how MERCILESS did they really have to be? xD However, considering JUST the set "Gatecrash", Dimir is also competing with the very impressively revamped Simic. Still, I think this guy happens to be my favorite PreRelease Rare, and while I'd rather play pretty much any other guild in the PreRelease or get any other Intro Pack than the Cipher one (it's got nice cards in it, but only the rares, really.), I STILL might consider it a matter of Vorthosian Integrity to admit I am Dimir when I register for the tournament.
Or I could infiltrate the Orzhov Syndicate and steal all their wonderful toys. Like a Boss. >B)
Hunter06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I got two of these in the Prerelease, lol 3.5/5 Stars
grynning
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Holy crap was this thing a house in 2HG sealed today. We were only able to stop it by using an Assault Griffin with Holy Mantle as a chump blocker for many turns while it got up to 45/45.
Twylyght
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I saw one of these hit 30/30 tonight at the THG... I also then saw it get hit with Grisly Spectacle. Priceless.
Toquinha1977
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played Dimir in the prerelease and this guy can help win the game for you, but in a really fast format (Boros and Grull are really dominant), you'll really need to find a way to stall 'em out while this happens, which is going to be tough when there's a dearth of removal, board wipes, and walls in black/blue.
SRSFACE
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, looking at Cipher's wording a little more closely, I just realized the way it works is by re-casting the cipher spell every time that guy hits an opponent. That means every cipher triggers this guy's ability again.
Won me the game every single time I got him out in pre-release. He's your best friend alongside Duskmantle Guildmage.
Ferlord
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
Consuming Aberration: AKA, the reason why people went Dimir during the Prerelease.
MisterAction
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I decked a guy at the prerelease with no other mill besides this.
This card was crazy at the prerelease. Opponents groaned when ever it hit the table. Some cursed. I actually had to face one. It was 18/18. I casted Diluvian Primordial and used his Grisly Spectacle. He lost his creature and then milled himself out.
Taudisban
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy plus Gift of Orzhova wrecked at the prerelease. He was always at least a 6/6 for five, and giving him evasion could push that easily to 9/9 or 10/10. Swinging with just a single creature while you build board presence was also good in the format considering that the most played sweeper was Aetherize, and it isn't as playable on a single attacker.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A crushing monster.
In one pre-release game, I cast it, and it was like 4/4 initially. The following turn, I cast Death's Approach, killing a blocker and triggering CA, then followed with Balustrade Spy, milling, and triggering milling again - then went to town with a 17/17, and my opponent had 17 life...
On the other hand, in a second game, it got to like 25/25, but was useless due to having no evasion, my opponent (also Dimir) having Mortus Strider... And luckily, he never got his second black mana, or he would have made a Grisly Spectacle out of my library...
convolution
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Absolutely killer as Commander.
Start milling everyone while waiting for late game. Get Helm of Kaldra or sword of vengeance out. Pop this guy out for 5 mana. Swing for 30. GG
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card will be good in any format.
Andyman119
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I was wondering why nobody had mentioned splashing green for rancor, which also brings in Vraska to your wedge, which is awesome for an evasion granting deck. overall i think green splash will trigger more ciphers and get bigguns like this through, and also bring in some powerful support like grisly salvage and jarad's orders to look for great mill stuff
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have won a game at the prerelease with this being a 16/16.
masterpierround
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Dies to ELIXER OF IMMORTALITY, for god's sake. I don't like it, but it can be useful. Also, how do I use auto-card?
Torquebacklash
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I misplayed the hell out of him at the prerelease. He is easily the best of the promo options gatecrashed offered. Really nice. Snowballs well.
I love this flavor of mill so much. Sure, it's less reliable than "mill x" or whatever, but it's so much fun watching an opponent sweat as they mill an indeterminate number of cards, and there's always the chance that they'll rip off like seven or eight cards.
Mind Funeral has already been mentioned. Splash white in your mill deck, and you can be even more of a jerk and include a playset of Path to Exile to help get that land count down. And don't forget Ghost Quarter.
2-Bravo
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Not sure if anybody caught onto this, but I noticed a card that combos very neatly with this guy. Essence Harvest will force a mill before it resolves, meaning that Consuming Aberration actually grows prior to determining what the value of X is. If you set up the graveyard earlier for the Aberration to be exceptionally large, you could potentially end the game on the spot.
Warning: Above listed strategy is prone to cards such as Tormod's Crypt.
Evilsqirrel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combos very well with cipher. Cipher casts the spell again, which triggers the ability. Pair this with Talrand, Sky Summoner, Sage's Row Denizen, and Undercity Informer for some serious mill power. Perhaps you could throw on Riot Gear to prevent unexpected death of your biggest creature.
This card is awesome and is super awesome when played in multiplayer game.
dhinge
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
I was up 20 to 9 against somebody, he threw this out then Cryptic Command next turn, tapped all my creatures, played two more spells, and had milled me enough just with this card to kill me in one turn. A little overpowered?! You don't even need mill to have this be effective.
Smoke_Stack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
exceedingly strong, particularly with the cipher mechanic. I actually just put him out late game after milling half of their library with Traumatize or whatever and then use a Rogue's Passage to swing for all their life. If nothing else, he is a five cost that should be exceedingly big when you play him and can block most fatties with favorable results. I would love to use this in a deck with Tamiyo and some cheap spell I could keep re-casting until they had nothing left to mill.
Un4gvnsoal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you want to lose friends fast play this paired with duskmantle guildmage and mindcrank for an instant multiplayer win. lol
Splizer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
DAMN, Dimir got all the cool stuff! If 60 cards proves too much for your mill engine, then this guy can eat up blockers over and over or just smack your opponent to death. OR be a large, meaty wall until your milling engine does finally kill 'im.
This thing is KING in multiplayer Commander. It regularly gets above 30/30 and grows even bigger very quickly. I've never seen a bigger removal magnet in my life! Awesome power; throw a Whispersilk Cloak on it and have some fun.
toXicus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played this against a blue-green self-mill aggro deck. It just felt unfair. "Oh, so your creatures have power and toughness equal to the number of creatures in your graveyard? Well mine have power and toughness equal to the number of cards in your graveyard." And then death happened.
100
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The first ability is enough to make this an above-par card, but that second ability? Probably why it's the highest rated nonland card in the set (as of when I write this comment)
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Essence Harvest; you even mill them more before it resolves. You can easily nail someone for 20+ in casual multiplayer without issue, even if he starts as like a.. 5/5.
Dragonshoredreamz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Was always drawn to the incredible artwork. Such a wild card to play with as well.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Poor Hans had better get running. Not that it'll save him.
cobaltblue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This dude is a huge badass. I think he's definitely the most underplayed card in this set...at least where I play. I get him on the field, and even experienced players are like...that's a thing...yikes.
I like it , it's huge and i feed him with a dimir card nobody mention or forget about cause it was out in RTR : Chronic flooding Players always tap their lands , they don't have the choice and when this comes out it's ugly. Take care of Izzet and Essence Backlash that can kill you straigh when this guy try to come make some noise.
TheMentalProdigy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best Dimir card in the entire block, and synergizes with pretty much any Dimir deck, as a win condition or win-more or game changer. He activates off of the spells you play and the copies of ciphered spells, he is basically a Lord of Extinction that gives up counting the cards in its owners graveyard for the ability to pretty much feed itself.
This card is boss. 5/5
Sonserf369
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
That second ability should have been Mirko Vosk's.
Westertin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Have this with a gravecrawler and a Grimgrin for instant win
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Basilisk Collar and you'll be doubling your live total every turn after a couple spells.
No, I absolutely hate this guy. My friend runs a playset and literally this is the only card in his deck that wins him the game. It's really irritating how he is not only a self-sufficient and incredibly efficient mill engine that gets unbelievably huge in no time. I can't say how many times this guy has swung for 40 while unblockable. Top it off, he's nearly impossible to burn, and even kill spells arn't amazingly effective because unfortunately, Dimir is a guild of counters. Really, its only weakness is grave hate, which thankfully the last few blocks have a good amount of, but it still bothers me that I have to retool my deck anytime I fight a guy running this.
What!!!! its not rated 5 stars.For real is anybody reading this card? It says whenever you cast a spell,not when you cast a blue spell,not when you cast a black spell "Whenever" i think this card is awesome an for under $2 you cant beat that well worth the mulla,this card will deff be going up inn price mark these words lol.
Casting this in a six-way EDH game right after a boardwipe is very satisfying. Copying it is even moreso.
Getting hit with an Azorius charm right as you're about to land a hit with your 109/109 Aberration that's unblockable because of Rogue's Passage is probably the biggest buzzkill I've ever experienced in Magic.
The art is my favorite thing. He looks like he has a bushy moustache. "I do say, my dear gent, that library of yours is certainly a bother, don't you think? Let's get rid of that pesky thing, what do you say?"
IAmTheIceman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In a good game, by the time you get this card out, your opponent should be milled through at least 12-20 cards (maybe :/). Seeing as how the second ability just makes it even more powerful with every card you play after it's on the battlefield, it has potential...
...as a mass-milling suicide bomb lmao Once this thing's been beefed up good enough, play Grisly Spectacle and destroy this card. Your opponent should be thouroughly milled down. Not a great power strategy, but it can happen pretty fast compared to Jace milling effects.
I play this in my Dimir mill deck as the win-con. His second ability combos of of Cipher, which means hitting with my Invisible Stalker and his 3+ Ciphered spells turns into a world of hurt and feeds him even more. Isochron Scepter and other repeatable-cast abilities also let him get large. A great card to give a mill deck some head-smashing power.
Sucal
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
About to explode. With this guy and Phenax on the field, you can be doubling his power every turn without them having any way to respond.
Vastator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
UPDATE:
Most recent game running this in an mill-infect deck, got this sucker up to 36/36 from */* in one turn by swinging for a total 30 card mill with Mind Funeral
Jeez, I just took another look at the artwork. There aren't any scale birds; that's a scale human! This thing is MASSIVE. Just how does it hide under the streets of Ravnica?
talcumpowder0046
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Multiplayer Madness! Nice that mill gets something besides Nemesis as a finisher, too.
K34
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Combos with itself...
Jumpernot
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card upsets my friends so much, here's a few little nasty combos i've found - Artful Dodge unblockable and everyone mills a land, for 1 Mana then flashback if you want :)
Has anyone put Sword of Body and Mind and Trepanation Blade on this thing? If you haven't, do it, it's fun, except your friends might not like you that much anymore lol.
Comments (101)
5/5
I am so glad this card exists. This really gives mill decks some teeth! Plus, if your mill engine isn't already up and running, its second ability will definitely help that!
This card scares me for the prerelease. Mill is going to be a real threat thanks to every dimir player having access to this.
Spell rupture is also a nice card when this guy's on the field.
if only it could be saved from rest in peace...i'd love to exile as I mill !
So I heard you had a bug/horror problem...
@Superllama12:
Yeah. Let's just hope it stays that way...
But Jace would be tasteless. Simply tasteless.
Or I could infiltrate the Orzhov Syndicate and steal all their wonderful toys. Like a Boss. >B)
3.5/5 Stars
Won me the game every single time I got him out in pre-release. He's your best friend alongside Duskmantle Guildmage.
In one pre-release game, I cast it, and it was like 4/4 initially. The following turn, I cast Death's Approach, killing a blocker and triggering CA, then followed with Balustrade Spy, milling, and triggering milling again - then went to town with a 17/17, and my opponent had 17 life...
On the other hand, in a second game, it got to like 25/25, but was useless due to having no evasion, my opponent (also Dimir) having Mortus Strider... And luckily, he never got his second black mana, or he would have made a Grisly Spectacle out of my library...
Start milling everyone while waiting for late game.
Get Helm of Kaldra or sword of vengeance out.
Pop this guy out for 5 mana.
Swing for 30.
GG
Mind Funeral has already been mentioned. Splash white in your mill deck, and you can be even more of a jerk and include a playset of Path to Exile to help get that land count down. And don't forget Ghost Quarter.
Warning: Above listed strategy is prone to cards such as Tormod's Crypt.
Methinks Essence Harvest.
And then death happened.
Fun.
Chronic flooding
Players always tap their lands , they don't have the choice and when this comes out it's ugly.
Take care of Izzet and Essence Backlash that can kill you straigh when this guy try to come make some noise.
This card is boss. 5/5
Heck, just flashback Dream Twist while you're at it...
Then someone played Grisly Spectacle and we all laughed.
i play this guy with Leyline of Anticipation, Skeletal Grimace and 4 copies of Hidden Strings.
I'M LITERALLY DROWNING IN MY FRIENDS SALT.
your big brother is calling.
Getting hit with an Azorius charm right as you're about to land a hit with your 109/109 Aberration that's unblockable because of Rogue's Passage is probably the biggest buzzkill I've ever experienced in Magic.
"I do say, my dear gent, that library of yours is certainly a bother, don't you think? Let's get rid of that pesky thing, what do you say?"
...as a mass-milling suicide bomb lmao Once this thing's been beefed up good enough, play Grisly Spectacle and destroy this card. Your opponent should be thouroughly milled down. Not a great power strategy, but it can happen pretty fast compared to Jace milling effects.
Most recent game running this in an mill-infect deck, got this sucker up to 36/36 from */* in one turn by swinging for a total 30 card mill with Mind Funeral
Keening Stone is a must if you have this card.
EDIT: I might be a bit slow, but since it says "whenever you cast a spell" this thing mills as soon as it hits the field right?
This is even more broken than Grave Titan
Artful Dodge unblockable and everyone mills a land, for 1 Mana then flashback if you want :)
Essence Harvest gain life and kill someone for 3.
Altar Of Dementia Mill someone for 2.
Tempt with Reflections stuff gets really out of hand here.
Phenax, God of Deception The missing link to being perfect.
rest in peace just got a whole lot more playable
edit:
@K34: More like combos with spells. period.
Best reason I can think of to run Grixis