Pointed Discussion

Don't fear the reaper!

Because this card is meh. A 6/5 flier for 6 is just fine, it didn't need to eat 1/4 of your life.

The reminder text is just to remind you that yes, it really is that bad.

Combine with Terminate to get Dead Reaper

Play this when you're at 5 life, because you'll lose anyway.

When people ask Mark Rosewater why Wizards prints crap rares, he responds "That card's not for you." Ok, then who was this card for exactly? Beginning players who are looking for a reason not to play this game?

He's begging for a Swords to Plowshares.

Guys, context is everything. Remember that this came in Portal, which had no instant speed removal, and also very few huge fliers. It's also black, so one of the main means of removal is gone. In case you're wondering, here are the only fliers with power 5 or more in the set:

Archangel (5/5)
Cloud Dragon (5/4)
Djinn of the Lamp (5/6)
Ebon Dragon (5/4)
Fire Dragon (6/6)

This could kill all of them. It also illustrates a core concept of black as a color: its willingness to do anything to win, including wager life.