Cavalier of Night – Core Set 2020 MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Will the circle be unbroken, by and by – by and by? Is a better home awaiting in the sky, Lord, in the sky? In black, perhaps not. It’s just a circle, those two abilities most likely combining to bring things back and forth on your side, and send everything to your graveyard on your opponents’ sides. That level of synergy ensures he’s going to get attention somewhere; the tools may not quite be there in Standard, and some of the larger formats don’t so much like creature-based combos, but there are plenty of others that do. Since you’re in mono-black anyway, you could even add Grave Pact for the ultimate overkill (although that might just be reasonable and proportionate in multiplayer games!).

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

Bone Splinters attached to a serviceable body? Sounds good. Cavalier of Night brings a kill spell attached to a warm body; while a 4/5 with lifelink won’t win many awards, it does block and attack efficiently, especially if you can use its enters-the-battlefield trigger to nuke their best blocker. You do have to give up a creature to do so, but black is the color with the most intriguing death triggers, and giving up a less-useful creature to pop their big threat is a massive tempo swing. The death trigger of Cavalier of Night is nice value; getting an Unearth isn’t amazing on its own, but it still can offset the loss of your large creature in the process.

If it was just Bone Splinters or Unearth, Cavalier of Night would look less favorable…but you get both of those effects on a body that’s ready to rumble. If you ask me, that’s quite good value, even with an awkward mana cost. I doubt Cavalier of Night makes it in Constructed, but it’s a Limited bomb all the same.

Constructed: 3.25
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 4