@ blimmi
There is a difference between targeting or choosing a card. Targeting must be done and legal before the ability may be played. If there is no targetable creature on the battlefield, you can't play giant growth. On the other hand, choosing a card is done only when the ability is resolved. Master Transmuter or Elvish Piper does not target a card in your hand, you choose a legal card only when the ability has resolved.
Posted By:
non1337
(12/9/2010 12:13:48 PM)
This guy was and still is a very functional and effective way to get creatures out of your graveyard in classic black fashion: get something I want at the cost of losing something I already have.
On top of that he's great Johnny potential, and (again) always has been ever since someone first figured out that having one Rukh Egg in the graveyard and another in play meant you could generate a 4/4 flying Bird token every upkeep.
A little weak, though. Very easy for him to be bolted or even Timmed to death.
Posted By:
yyukichigai
(9/5/2011 11:40:50 PM)
The on your upkeep thing isn't so bad--if you have some way to untap him, you can use him as many times as you want. Perhaps the best example of this is the should-be-banned Intruder Alarm. As someone said before, he's frightening with Kokusho, the Evening Star--now, should you have two of them, one in your graveyard and one on the field, just sacrifice one to get the other, with intruder alarm, he untaps, and you continue as needed until you win.
That said, despite it's potential for use in broken combos or just it's usefulness in any black sacrifice/reanimation deck, I think my favorite thing about it is the art--despite it's seemingly dark flavor, I really like some of the more life-ey imagery in the art--the flowers, especially. It gives it an interesting feel and suggests perhaps another side to it.
Posted By:
RuthieA
(11/18/2010 10:42:55 AM)
OMFG! Reprint, I want this so bad. LIke an evil black version of fauna shaman.
Posted By:
Sironos
(12/16/2010 2:07:03 PM)
Nightmare is far more dangerous because its far more harder to deal with an enchantment then it is to deal with a pesky 1/1.
Posted By:
TheWrathofShane
(4/9/2012 10:48:49 AM)
Nice card but it will be better without the last sentence and the artwork is amazing, it looks like a cover of some Death Metal band.
Posted By:
True_Smog
(11/3/2009 2:45:25 AM)
The upkeep only thing kinda sucks, but the effect (and the art) are so good, it hardly matters.
Posted By:
HairlessThoctar
(2/28/2010 7:27:16 PM)
With a Shriekmaw in your graveyard and a Mulldrifter on the field you have a constant stream of KILL! DRAW! KILL!
Posted By:
demigodofrevenge
(3/30/2010 7:57:03 AM)
I use Myr Servitor then bring out a whole bunch of things that make everyone sacrifice so I sacrifice and bring out nightmare and platinum angel in a mono black deck and using xathrid demon do monstrous damage every turn and use this to bring my nightmare back by sacrificing the servitors which come back anyway hasn't failed yet >:)
Posted By:
Immurgir
(7/9/2011 12:59:32 PM)
If you think about it, it's blacks version of Elvish Piper. While it lacks multiple use, you have a wider variety of creatures to choose from.
Posted By:
dberry02
(12/9/2010 11:26:38 AM)