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Editor: Audrey C Quan. Thursday 4 March 2004.
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Darksteel Limited Review - Red/Black
You can read the other reviews here:
A few good reasons why you should draft removal - The Red/Black Darksteel Limited Review
How many times have you walked away from a draft cursing under your breath "not a single piece of removal", I know that feeling well and it is especially frustrating in Mirrodin where there are so many artifacts. That's why I started drafting B/R with a vengeance. In pretty much every draft block B/R has been powerful because you are assured of getting some sort of removal. Sure you may have a few crappy creatures in your deck but if you can successfully blast, burn and terror away your opponent's defences and destroy their artifacts, who cares?
It is universally understood that black got the shaft in Mirrodin and I'm hoping that Darksteel brings the goods to the table otherwise players will continue to use it as a splash colour - and that is not right, black is (or was) the colour of triple skull costed card drawers, flying demons that have a total disregard of their master, mass creature removal (which also drew you cards), quick mana and the ability to get any spell in your deck straight into your hand. What do we have now? A bunch of dodgy one toughness dorks and a couple of token removal spells. I know this is a bit exaggerated but I think you get the idea! Red on the other hand has always been good and was hands down the strongest colour in Mirrodin led by the power common trio of Spikeshot Goblin, Electrostatic Bolt and Shatter. The uncommons were also good and don't even get me started on Megatog.
Lets talk about Darksteel. Well black fans it is not time to break out the party hats just yet but it is not all doom and gloom either. At a glance there are a few playable commons, some saucy uncommons and a couple of old school black rares. The black creatures in Mirrodin were disappointing (I'm talking commons here) with the exception of Pewter Golem and there are some improvements with Grimclaw Bats and Chittering Rats. The black commons have more depth than the red, although Barbed Lightning is one of the most powerful commons in the set. Okay time to dispose with the hogwash and get down to the nitty gritty.
Yeah black has another 2-mana instant piece of removal in the number 1 slot again. It is pure efficiency that wins out here as it can target any creature and it is also handy for wiping out Raise the Alarm and Insect tokens.
Is this better than Consume Spirit? Was Consume Spirit any good in the first place? Yes and that's debatable. Essence Drain is going to get the job done 99% of the time and this can be splashed a hell of a lot easier, especially in those affinity based B/R, U/R decks that have been toted around a lot on MODO recently. Consume Spirit seems to come around later and later now but I don't think this is going to be the case with Essence Drain - more decks will want to splash this so don't expect it to be passed around the table.
Cheap, a good ability and the only drawback is the double black in the casting cost. You can't have too many of these guys.
Another decent creature in black's arsenal, the bats can easily handle any of the common flyers in the block. The life loss is negligible compared to its effect and this is just crazy in mono - black.
This fits nicely into those B/R removal heavy decks where blocking is only something which your opponent needs to think about. In other deck types (or if you are drawing) it is best suited to the sideboard, either way you should be able to pick this up quite late in the draft.
Some players really like this golem but not me. All of the other affinity golems are really decent and this is just average. Don't get me wrong this will see play but any creature that trades with an Elf Replica isn't exactly stunning.
Hunger of the Nim and Burden of Greed fall into the "chaff" category and even though I think they are unplayable, I am certain that someone, somewhere will utter the phrase "at the end of your turn, Burden of Greed for 10". gg.
Black had some good uncommons in Mirrodin with the powerful Betrayal of Flesh and Flayed Nim. The more "subtle" Relic Bane and Slith Bloodletter slowly found their way creeping into the magic subconscious, so what lies in wait for us now?
This.
There really is only 1 stinker here but the rest of them will find their way into most of the draft archetypes at the moment. Here's the deal:
What is it with black and spoils? We have had Spoils of the Vault, Spoils of War, Spoils of Evil and now this. By far the best spoils to date the only other uncommons I would take over this is Skullclamp and perhaps Fireball. Any card that is going to make your opponent regret drafting that Loxodon Warhammer gets a big thumbs up from me!
With all of those B/X affinity based decks running around at the moment, this little guy is going to be their worst nightmare, especially if you have a Whispersilk Cloak. The fact he has game ending potential puts it into the broken category and is a high pick in the metal world of Mirrodin.
The power level takes a dramatic drop here but this is still an interesting card. This is a severe kick in the head to those B/R "Lasher" decks which seem to be popular at the moment and it is good enough to maindeck against other archetypes too. I have sideboarded this quite a few times because I had a lot of one toughness creatures but this should not be underrated. Especially good in multiples (obviously!).
I have only played with this guy once in an aggressive U/B deck because I needed creatures but I am wary of anything that has "lose this if you don't do this" in its text. There are too many situations that can shut the Abomination down for my liking but this will still see play from time to time.
OK you've guessed it, this is the stinker of the bunch. I have stressed this before in previous set reviews but these kind of cards never work in limited. I'm sure the time you shatter your opponent's Warhammer then nab it with this will be told over and over again at Friday Night Magic and the like but you will be keeping pretty quiet about the other 9 times this was absolute crap.
The Black rares aren't as playable as the other colours and most of them require a hefty investment in swamps. I will rank the rares just so you can disagree with me in the forums:-
Hands down this is the BEST black rare. For five mana you get a "Phage" like effect that can also be easily splashed if you are lacking in the removal department. This becomes a monster in affinity based decks (even though 5 mana is a lot for that archetype) and will often necessitate chump blocking. Ooze rulz.
Sure this is mass removal, etc etc but it requires time to set up and can often backfire, especially if your opponent can remove a creature or two in response to this. However reset buttons like this cannot simply be ignored and this is a high draft pick if your deck can support the casting cost.
This card definitely has the bwahaha factor attached to it (i.e. insert inane maniacal laughter here) but it cuts both ways and is only really good against green decks - and who plays them anymore? If you have the right kind of deck, Spikeshots, Granite Shard, regenerators, etc this is a high pick otherwise I'm not sold on it.
One for the mono black decks, Greater Harvester seems out of place in limited. Five mana for a 5/6 is pretty good but he is going to get chumped till the cows come home, and the upkeep is going to be steep, especially if he was played out early. Another good reason not to play him is Loxodon Mystic, Leonin Bola and Arrest - all of which are common . Could be good with a Whispersilk Cloak though......
Do you really want to spend three mana playing this when you could be playing a creature instead? It really depends if your opponent has high end bombs in their deck and even then, they have to draw them, so this looks like a sideboard card to me.
Wow, remind me not to play this next time I draft a deck full of Arcbound Creatures that revolves around Dragon Blood and Nuisance Engine. The chances of you playing this are about the same as getting PASSED two Crystal Shards in draft.
Overall black received a much need shot in the arm with some decent commons and a couple of broken uncommons. On the other hand the rares are pretty average (compared to the quality of black rares in Mirrodin) but it is possible now to play a solid mono black deck in draft (yes, even without artifact removal!)
Red was king of the hill in Mirrodin and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down in Darksteel. The top 3 commons pack quite a punch doing what red does best - destroying artifacts and burning stuff. I've ranked the commons as follows:-
Every man and his dog will have this in their number 1 slot so no surprises here. I would take most of the red uncommons over this (except Archaeologist and Tears of Rage) but it is up there as one of the best commons in Darksteel. Three damage pretty much nails everything (apart from Fangren Hunter and the Tangle & Razor golems) you will expect to see and the entwine is an added bonus. A nice compliment to the Electrostatic Bolt in Mirrodin.
Sorcery speed artifact removal still cuts the mustard but Shatter this isn't. Unfortunately I don't see the echoing part coming up too often, but this is still very solid making it a high pick.
And just when you thought there was not enough artifact removal, along comes Unforge. Darksteel injected a healthy does of equipment into the block ensuring that Unforge will make the main deck more often than not. This will usually "2 for 1" earning it the number 3 slot on this list.
Krark Clan Stoker is like a weaker version of the grunt. It will still see play but I
certainly won't be pumping my fist in the air when I see this in the pack alongside the rest of the slops. Like the grunt, the stoker works well with Arcbounds and is good at accelerating out those fatties one turn earlier. Looks like a candidate for R/G, but still playable in any other red based deck.
I initially ranked this golem a little too high but I still think it is quite good. Haste is always good in limited and if I was to run multiples of these I'd make sure to stock up on Arcbound Hybrids and Stingers to spread that modular loving around.
The rest of the commons, Inflame, Drooling Ogre and Crazed Goblin are all pretty terrible so I am not going to waste your time by providing an explanation on why they are so bad.
There are a lot of very good uncommons in Darksteel and red brings home the bacon once again with a nice blend of removal, fatties and tricksies. The uncommons go something like this:-
Well ladies and gentlemen this is up there as one of the best cards in Darksteel, and it would be if it wasn't for a very cheap piece of equipment that lets you draw two cards when a creature goes to the graveyard. Also this is a serious splash card so weigh up your options carefully if you open it, on the other hand jump up from your seat and run victory laps around the table if it gets passed to you.
Shame this isn't an instant but it is still very, very good. It transfers charge counters as well as +1/+1s so there is enough in built trickery here for some nice combos. Like I said before I always played Forge Armor and this is so much better it is not funny - a high pick.
Four mana 5/5 have always been playable whatever their drawback is and the war boar is no exception. This fits nicely into those B/R and W/R decks which play low land counts, spellbombs, chromatic spheres, etc, etc but it can really be played anywhere. A very high pick.
And that is where the goodness ends.
Way too narrow. Your opponent will see this coming so they can choose if they want to block and it is only good if you are dealing lethal damage as you lose the creatures at the end of the turn. Another candidate for "the most unplayable card in Darksteel".
Funnily enough this is another card that satisfies the criteria for "worst card in Darksteel". Nice combo with Krark's Thumb though.....
Unlike black, all of reds rares are playable and in my opinion have much better names. Here are my rankings, again based on pure speculation:-
Firstly, this is NEVER going to cost nine mana and secondly the game is going to be over pretty quickly once this hits the table. As Darksteel is the last booster to be opened you obviously cannot build your deck around the dragon but it will make you scrutinize which artifacts make the cut of your deck.
Another card with triple red in the casting cost, Flamebreak edges out the rest of the cards on this list due to sheer card advantage - you know that old chestnut which some people think they can write five piece articles about. Obviously this is not going to be a splash but it is one of the best pieces of mass removal in the block and it also deals with those ground stallers such as Tel-Jilad Exile and Pewter Golem. The damage to the dome acts as a nice finisher too, but I would take Fireball over this.
Third seems about right on this list for Pulse of the Forge. Whilst it doesn't nail creatures, it is easy to mana burn yourself down to deal the last eight points of damage to your opponent making it a nice finisher but again it is not as good as fireball. Not a first pick, but an early one nonetheless.
This has to be the greatest card name ever! In fact Savage Beating is indeed, a savage beating and due to the lack of fog effects in Mirrodin the game should be over when you cast this (bearing in mind it does cost seven mana if you want the entwine). I wouldn't say this is a first pick, but like Pulse of the Forge it is an early one.
Like Misdirection, Deflection and Meddle, Shunt joins the list of funky tricks which occasionally pull off some crazy shenanigans but most of the time
it sits in your hand whilst your opponent is beating you down with a bunch of vanilla creatures. Shunt is a little narrow as it only deflects spells but with cards like Essence Drain, Fireball, Consume Spirit and Shatter etc running rampant this will see a lot of play. If you can fit it in, great, otherwise a good sideboard card.
Not one crap rare for red - that must be a first! Slobad obviously gets better if you have stuff like Warhammer, Crystal Shard, Skullclamp, etc and he is pretty insane with token generators like Nuisance Engine and Myr Matrix, but I don't think I would run this guy without the stuff I mentioned.
So in conclusion, black gets a better shot at the commons in Darksteel with red gaining another 3 powerful removal spells in the common stakes. There are plenty of decent uncommons for both of the colours but red definitely gets the goodies when it comes to rares and having Fireball reprinted didn't hurt either. As for the B/R archetype, it certainly looks a lot stronger now with more common removal options available and a slightly sturdier creature base. Join me next month as I wrap up the series with a look at the colour that has been underestimated in previous sets - blue.
Until then
Burn & destroy
Dan
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