Pointed Discussion

Szadek with Protective Bubble.

more like Szadek lord of plastic +1+1 counters Amiright?

I love this guy, but the only way I can ever effectively use him is in a necro deck. Otherwise he gets chump blocked and he pretty much becomes useless... Well I guess he kinda becomes a Diabolic Edict. But still that late in the game there are to many ways to deal with him.

Szadek is a master of secret information and the unknown. If his full potential is to be properly utilized then evasive and shroud enchantments are necessary, so that he doesn't get caught or killed.

Quite true. Sadly, Ravnica block is lacking in mechanics that make something unblockable except for things like Ethereal Usher, which is in his own guild.

Why not Szadek+Whispersilk???
d?.?b

@Schlappi:
Szadek has a built-in replacement effect indicated by the word "instead". That means he never actually deals combat damage (to a player) and doesn't trigger Night Dealings.

And from the Ravnica FAQ:
"If another effect would prevent Szadek's combat damage from being dealt to the defending player or replace it with something else, that player chooses which effect applies first. For example, the player can choose to first have Mending Hands prevent 4 of the damage and then apply Szadek's ability so that it gets only one counter."

However there was a possibility to deal damage with him before the new M2010 rules were introduced:
Also from Ravnica FAQ:
"If Szadek leaves play while combat damage is on the stack, its replacement effect doesn't apply and its damage is dealt normally."

Hi,

well, there's stuff like Infiltrator's Magemark. That makes him nearly unblockable, doesn't it?

I got a question, too. I'm german and maybe this rules is pretty clear to you guys, but is it true that Szadek's damage can pe prevented? I mean, he doesn't actually deal any damage but it's treated like that, isn't it?
Well, if so, then things like Night Dealings should trigger when he attacks, right?

Best regards from Hamburg

Jan ;-)

P.S.: Thx, holgir!

Wouldn't it be fun to sacrifice a pumped-up Szadek with Miren, the Moaning Well?^^

....My thoughts? I friggin love this guy. he is THE KING of deck destruction. For anyone who doesn't have a clue, read as follows. When this guy comes onto the field, your opponent has to get rid of him, or this will happen. Szadek attacks, gets +5/+5, and opponent loses five cards. Szadek attacks again, gets +10/+10, and opponent loses 10 cards. He attacks a third time, gets +20/+20, and opponent loses 20 cards. That right there is 35 cards, which is even more devastating than Jace.

Very nice if you drop him in at the end of an opponents turn with Dragon Arch. Shroud almost seems like a must with this guy.

I agree Szadek + Whispersilk Cloak.
He goes really well in a Legacy mil deck with Jace, Oona, Queen of the Fae, and other blue and black mil cards.

Cool card, awkward as hell to use 90% of the time. As a UB player, I've tried to use him in all sorts of ways, but I found my Szadek decks worked better without the Szadek in them. He's got such a cool title though. "Lord of Secrets".... that's just awesome.

this guy actually reads like,
your opponent has to sac a 1/1 flier each turn to stop this guys effect
but he is actually pretty good, i guess, i like his ability alot
but he aint amazing

My friends and I just started EDH. Would this guy be a good general? Granted, you'll never be dealing the 21 general damage, but his decking potential looks like a lot of fun. What do you guys think?

Szadek loves his Whispersilk Cloak, but nothing beats his Trailblazer's Boots when he's travelling through man-lands...

kick@$$ effect. i decked plenty of people by using this guy haha.

I don't understand why so many people like this card so much. It mills your opponent like crazy, but it'll still usually takes at least three turns to deck somebody; 5+10+20= 35. And oftentimes it'll take four.

Inkwell Leviathan, Stormtide Leviathan, Pestilence Demon and even Commander Greven il-Vec are all more consistent and useful on-color big-creature finishers, even in a mill deck... Because if you need a big creature finisher in a mill deck, chances are that your mill isn't working anyways.

Even in it's block, Sanguine Praetor gave it competition as "best finisher" card in its colors. This guy just doesn't make sense in so many of the casual and extended decks I've seen him in.

Szadek begs for a Howl from Beyond. Just 6 mana (if you've hardcasted Szadek you're doing it wrong) and the third hit from him will make the milled total 55 cards, rather than the fourth hit :D
Also, if you're getting stuff into play from free, why not splash red and use Brion Stoutarm, and in a multiplayer you can kill two opponents in one round. Mill one to death (55 is usually lethal) and then sacrifice Szadek with Brion to deal massive damage.
Don't forget a few Cerulean Wisps and szadek is a massive blocker as well :)

My father uses a deadly combination of this card with Vulturous Zombie, it's a real game-winner.

Yippee. A creature that does damage in a geometric series.

My problem is that most of the time, when I get him out, I'm already about to die, so he is just a suicide blocker...but on the off chance I can get him out, he kicks butt!

this is just player speculation here but I ( and a few others) noticed that he (kind of) resembled the dead man next to the chair in the innisrtad poster, any thoughts?

The secretive House Dimir prizes subtlety and subterfuge above all else. Szadek, despite being their guild master, is nonetheless a very unsubtle card. While it could be argued that this is a failing on the designers' parts, I think it actually makes sense: A Dimir-themed deck will have likely been spending the bulk of the game Transmuting cards into answers, stalling, and gaining control. Szadek, like all guild leaders, is designed to be that deck's masterstroke: Not only does he tie into the guild's milling subtheme, he is a card that demands an immediate answer, and if House Dimir has been playing its cards wisely, by the time Szadek comes down, it will be far, far too late for the opponent to be able to break through your defenses and counterspells before Szadek cleans things up.

Flavorwise, one must recall that Szadek is not just popping out of nowhere: Rather, his appearance is the culmination of ten thousand years of subversion, espionage, and manipulation, carried out by innumerable agents, many of whom were likely not even aware that they were working for House Dimir. He's unsubtle because by the time he has shown himself, he has already won.

Of course, apparently in the Ravnica novels, Szadek gets arrested by Agrus Kos, a mortal, almost immediately after his triumphant appearance at the ten thousandth Guildpact, after which he dies, and shows up later as a ghost trying to seize power over the Ghost Quarter or something. I don't really know much about it, though, and to be honest, it seems kind of silly that over millennia of planning, Szadek somehow forget to account for the police!

Trepanation Blade works well with this guy. Mill your opponent twice as well as bump your Szadek up for faster victory!

lol. Anyone ever think this guy would look sweet with an Eldrazi aura on him? Just me? Awww :( (Con s c r i p t ion can't be autocarded because Gatherer is a retard.)

This guy + Trepenation Blade + Fireshrieker = MOAR MILL!