M10 Review - Black

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This is MTG Realm's review of Magic 2010. As I really hope to employ brevity in this exercise, please do not expect lengthy and scholarly evaluations but rather rapid points as to the card's merit for deck inclusion in the standard environment.

For our review of White cards, click HERE.
For our review of Blue cards, click HERE.
For our review of Black cards, click HERE.
For our review of Red cards, click HERE.
For our review of Green cards, click HERE.
For our review of Colourless / Lands cards, click HERE.

~ REVIEW ~

Acolyte of Xathrid - I guess a 0/1 critter for only 1 is good provided there is a good effect. Unfortunately, paying two AND tapping for one point of pain across the table is just plain bad.

Assassinate - Destroying a threatening critter for 3 is OK but only being able to do that to tapped critters means you just took one to the face. Unless you can tap 'em down first, this one kinda sucks.

Black Knight - Protection from White (especially in this set) is very good. This is a keeper.

Bog Wraith - Consideration for sideboard. Pull this out when your opponent is playing black.

Cemetery Reaper - A very decent card as long as you are not limited to M10 zombies only. Try this with Death Baron and then you're cooking. Creating Zombie tokens is a solid ability.

Child of Night - A lifelinking 2/1 for two is good. Suckheads are really not supported in standard currently but you could always try with Nocturnus.

Consume Spirit - Might be decent is you can construct a good mono-black build.

Deathmark - Great sideboard card against Green and White. Epic Win art makes this card look awesome.

Diabolic Tutor - Solid card to get your strategic nastiness into your hand. Slightly overcosted however.

Disentomb - Recursion is an important aspect of playing black. This card may help you out dependent upon what your build is like.

Doom Blade - Great common, name, and art. We like it.

Dread Warlock - Art looks like Jace's evil twin. This is an OK card - would have been better if it could also be unblockable by artifact creatures as well.

Drudge Skeletons - Kinda like a wall on legs. The Regenerating ability on this will annoy your opponent.

Duress - Solid control card for black. Will see play

Gravedigger - Having the potential to return a fatty or another card from a dirt nap is always decent and provides card advantage.

Haunting Echoes - Another nice black control card which promises to see play as it can really hurt your opponent.

Howling Banshee - A 3/3 flier for four is OK in my books. The ability to give your opponent 3 pain (yourself included) may prove rather strategic given board position.

Hypnotic Specter - Good early game distruption. Nice if you could get this out a turn earlier and if the rarity dropped on this.

Kelinore Bat - Almost fodder but some may consider this for inclusion.

Liliana Vess - This promises to see more play than it did in Lorwyn. Can really be a bomb and turn the late game in your favour - hopefully you are alive long enough to resolve the third ability.

Looming Shade - meh. We cannot really imagine this seeing much popular constructed play.

Megrim - Perhaps if you are already running Mind Rot / Mind Shatter / Scepter of Fugue / Cunning Lethemancer, this may be good icing. Just seems like this will not see popular play.

Mind Rot - Perhaps OK if you can drop it early, otherwise kind of meh.

Mind Shatter - An improvement upon the previous Mind Rot. This introduces random chaos in disrupting your opponents game.

Nightmare - Absolutely great, that is if you are running mono-black - otherwise situational or unplayable.

Relentless Rats - Since mana acceleration or cheap black / rat (ala bannert) is not available, don't expect to see a Rat build.

Rise from the Grave - A solid card that works to recur fatties from your and your opponent's graveyard but it really is overcosted.

Royal Assassin - We really like this card. It essentially shuts down your opponent from attacking. Good against green and white in this set. Wish is had better toughness to guard against burn.

Sanguine Bond - I'd love to see this couple up with Deathgreeter, Consume Spirit, Absorb Vis to become a casual bomb.

Sign in Blood - Perhaps you need those cards really, really badly enough to pay two and pain two. This is the improved Night's Wisper.

Soul Bleed - Not very good at all. Throw these away.

Tendrils of Corruption - Solid choice for inclusion for mono-black. Too bad Sanguine Bond doesn't come out a turn earlier.

Underworld Dreams - Mono-black card that will not see much play. Would rather play Smolder Initiate.

Unholy Strength - I like auras and it works decently enough in my local metagame. This will see play.

Vampire Aristocrat - Middle of the road card which is hindered by new combat rules. Wish Vamps all had flying in this set.

Vampire Nocturnus - This is a really good card which is not supported well. Use only with a mono-black build to maximize effectiveness of your vamp deck.

Wall of Bone - We love this wall for what Death Baron can do to it (a 2/5 renerating wall with deathtouch is very nice!).

Warpath Ghoul - An acceptable card for inclusion in your zombie decks. Scathe Zombies was just shown the door.

Weakness - A poor black removal card not expected to see much play.

Xathrid Demon - This thing is loaded and you better know the business end of this stick and have a ready supply of tokens or else this can blow up in your face.

Zombie Goliath - It's black vanilla and will not go into constructed.