This reminds me very much of Bane of the Living,
or just of Damnation. Cards that kill all the
creatures on the board are always useful, and
this one works on indestructible creatures and
regenerators as well. Like Earthquake, you can
also tailor it to take out the smaller creatures
but leave the bigger ones... although in this
case the big creatures will be permanently
shrunk. If you have the biggest creature, you
could in theory Black Sun away everything but
your biggest guy and then swing unchallenged,
but you'd likely only be swing for 1 or 2, and
next turn just about any creature your opponent
can make will trump your once-mighty survivor.
If you're playing casual or older formats, this
could be fun alongside cards like Tatterkite or
any of the Shadowmoor cards that care about
-1/-1 counters. In today's Standard, you could
combo it with Melira's Keepers... or Carnifex
Demon. You could also cast it with a fairly
small X value, then use proliferate to
selectively wither away the creatures you want
to kill and leave the ones you don't.
If you're tired of facing blue-black control in
Standard, don't read Black Sun's Zenith's rules
text. It's the best Damnation variant since . .
. well, Damnation. The potential for reusing it
is just brutal, it can be scaled to save your
own creatures, and it even stops Thrun, the Last
Troll. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Welcome back readers today’s card of the day
the final member of the Zenith cycle and by far
my favorite. Placing X -1/-1 counters on each
creature can be back breaking for four mana you
get an infest that permanently weakens
creatures and it gets better from there.
In standard I could see control decks utilizing
this card, it wrecks boros decks goodbye steppe
lynx and plated geopede, I don’t think this will
revive mono black decks but its powerful no
doubt. In extended and eternal punishing a lot
of tribal creatures such as elves and goblins is
good although Engineered Plague does the job
fairly well it may see a small amount of play.
In casual and multiplayer this card is amazing
combine with any number of proliferate cards or
cards like Kulrath Knight or Necroskitter and go
crazy, mass removal is especially important in
casual and this card will see a lot of play in
casual circles especially since it shuffles back
and is reusable. In limited its repeatable
removal although it requires a commitment
to black it’s a powerful card. Overall a
powerful black card that may see constructed
play but will see casual play.
Today's card of the day is Black Sun's Zenith
which is two Black and X to put X -1/-1 counters
on each creature. The converted mana cost
of two is the most noteworthy aspect which
allows it to be searched for a low cost from
Black's variety of tutor options. Combined
with the shuffle back into the library effect
and this is a reusable removal that will
definitely see some play and possibly be a major
force in future decks.
For Limited this is a solid removal option and
easily a first pick in Booster draft that is
only hindered by the double Black in the casting
cost. Aside from that it works well for
most stages of the game and in a decent enough
pool should be used in Sealed whenever possible.
In Multiplayer if this is played with an
aggressive tutor build it can potentially keep
the board cleared every turn. Alongside
creatures that benefit from -1/-1 counters or
can't have them placed on them it may be a combo
to dominate the entire table. It will make
you a target, but if successful there may not be
anything available to target you with.
Hello once again. We conclude
Zenith week today with Black Sun’s Zenith. For
two black mana and X, you put X -1/-1 counters
on each creature and then shuffle the zenith
back into its owner’s library. Not that bad, but
obviously could be better.
This card is all about being Phyrexian. When in doubt, wipe
out. Phyrexian based decks can recover quickly
from something of this magnitude, or at least
should be prepared to do so. Corpse Curs add to
the ability to recover anything lost. But, combo
this nasty zenith with another black Phyrexian
card, and minimize the damage to yourself, while
maximizing the damage to your opponent. Of
course I am referring to Massacre Wurm. Play the
wurm, then use the zenith if you have the mana.
For every creature your opponents lose, they
also lose 2 life. Not bad. Make it even better
by using Vampire Hexmages before they are sent
to the graveyard to pull the counters off of the
wurm to ensure its survival.
In vintage formats, this card could be used more sparingly
with another card. When used with Kulrath
Knight, all creatures on your opponents side
that the Zenith hit can no longer attack or
block, while your arsenal of probably hungry
Phyrexians charges through for maximum
poisoning. Or whatever other reason you would
want your army getting through unblocked, Phage
perhaps?
All in all not my favorite of the zenith cards, really for me
just a mass wipeout when in over my head. Other
players I know seem more than happy to get their
hands on one. What I do know is that this card
is going to be available in full art foil form
come Mirrodin Besieged Game Day. Keep your eyes
peeled for an event near you in March!
