Top 5 Black Card for Edge of Eternities!

 

Our prayers have been answered.

 

Welcome back swamp creatures to another new set ranking--and this time, I'm actually excited for what we're about to get. Final Fantasy was lacking in power and impactful cards, but this set is just the opposite. I haven't had a hard time coming up with a ranking like this one in a long time, and I'm not even sure if it's right. The cards are so flexible, so interesting, that I honestly can't be sure what will get played or not. 

 

But let's give it a try anyway!

 

Honorable Mention: Zero Point Ballad

 

                                                 

I would be remiss if I didn't at least give some props to our glorious black board wipe. The lack of Path of Peril in standard has been potent. For a while Convoke ran rampant, and we simply had no good way of answering it--Malicious Eclipse and co simply wouldn't cut the mustard. That ends here. Zero Point Ballad is an incredibly flexible board wipe that can be whatever you need it to be. At 2 mana, it's similar to Electrickery. At 3 mana, it's Malicious Eclipse. At 4, it's Yahenni's Expertise. As big as you need it to go, you can get there. Now, the life loss does start to add up--but if you're in a matchup where you need to be casting this for 7, you're probably not getting pressured that much, AND you're getting rewarded in that matchup.

I'm not sure if there's really a deck that wants this yet, but it's so flexible and powerful that I have to give it the honorable mention.

#5: Umbral Collar Zealot

Okay first off I have to say, yes the card is strong--obviously. But I can only put it at number five because, while it's strong at what it does, it's ONLY good at that one thing. It's got great rate and it's a free sacrifice outlet that also gives you some small benefit from the sacrificing. This goes incredibly well with Sephiroth, black has several fodder one drops that you can curve this into, so I'm sure there's going to be any number of aristocrats decks that have this as the focal point. It's just so boring that I can't give it anything above five. I almost gave this spot to Zero Point Ballad, but while that one is strong without a home, this one is strong with an OBVIOUS home.

#4: Sunset Saboteur

Now, you might be looking at this going "How does a one-toughness creature with a drawback make the top 5".

Simple. Your opponent cannot deal with this card profitably.

The ward is a powerful grind tool and guarantees that even something small like Burst Lightning costs resources. The fact that it has menace means your opponent can't just block it with a 1/1 and move on--it has to be two. And the fact that it has FOUR power on a two drop means it can easily sit back on defense and trade with something bigger. The drawback is real, don't get me wrong, but with its high power and menace it almost doesn't matter. Not to mention the most important fact--this can block Kaito, it can't be stunned easily by Kaito, and if they don't +1 Kaito on the first turn then it can kill it. What an incredibly underrated two drop, and very worthy of our #4 slot.

#3: Elegy Acolyte

I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on this card, and I honestly don't understand it. This thing has everything going for it--a big body, lifelink, card draw, and it can even turn your trades profitable by popping out dudes. Yeah it's not the same card draw power of Enduring Curiosity, but that card's broken and this does other stuff beyond it, so I don't get the apathy. We already knew Gix was great, and even if this only draws one card off it, it is such a great curve topper for black midrange that I see it having a home for a long while yet. Awesome card.

#2: Archenemy's Charm

It's like it's Christmas, to be honest. When they released Archdruid's Charm and we learned this was going to be a cycle, I dreamed about what the black one would be, and honestly it looked almost exactly like this. Removal? Check. Value? Check. Board-breaking? Check. Sustain? Check. No matter your situation, this card will fill the role. Sometimes with charms you have one mode that's not really the one you're looking to play--not so with this one. I can think of multiple, frequent scenarios for each mode on this card, and in each scenario you come out ahead. Now, yes it's three mana, and yes it's a prohibitive mana cost, but the benefit is so worth it that I can't fathom how this isn't at least a one of in every majority-black deck for the next three years. Man, what a steal.

#1: Timeline Culler

I mean, what do you want me to say here?

As I'm sure lots of people do, I've spent a lot of time daydreaming about what card I would design if I somehow won the World Championship, and I am not kidding when I tell you that it was almost exactly this. I mean, come on, the grind on this card is INSANE. We would play Tenacious Underdog and like it, and not only does this cost you less mana to cast, it sticks around! You can play it on 1 for the warp and turn around and play it on 2, so it fills your curve. There are some infinite loops you can do with Enduring Vitality and sacrifice payoffs, you can discard it and still get value--you can even dump it off Cynical Loner for free tutor value. This card is amazing, it'll go in a WIDE variety of decks, and it will cause an impact. And that's why I'm naming it the #1 card in the set.

That's a wrap for EoE, folks! With rotation and such a cool set, I can't wait to get out and start making some decks. See you out there!