The "it's a black Zombie now" clause will almost
never be relevant, but it does give this card
that resonant flavor. And even though it costs
one more than Zombify, it makes up for it by
being able to snatch your opponent's dead
creatures. Good in reanimator decks, or even
just in any dead with creatures that would want
to bring them back when they die. I basically
read this as being Body Double.
I rather like this card. On paper, the one extra
mana in its cost compared to Zombify looks like
it might be significant, but a lot of decks
these days are waiting until turn five or so
anyway. The color change and type change might
be relevant occasionally, but for me, the
biggest selling point is that it can steal your
opponent's creatures. Why play your own
Broodmate Dragons when you can benefit from
someone else's?
Constructed:
Great idea but the card is expensive to cast.
And it is a Sorcery.
Casual & Multiplayer:
Now this can be a real fun card to play around
in multiplayer games. Even maybe some EDH. A new
toy for the Panoptic Mirror deck.
Limited:
Not a top pick in my book, but if I was going
black I would used it for sure.
Overall a great card, just a little on the
expensive side for casting costs.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 2
Mutliplayer: 4
Limited: 3
Later
Miguel
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno
Today's card of the day is Rise From the Grave, a
more flavorful version of Black's Raise Dead
series of cards. The high cost is a bit of an
issue compared to most alternatives, but working
with either graveyard can add some value.
In Constructed the cost and limited applications
really drag it down and I don't see it getting
played much at all. Even if a zombie or
reanimator deck takes off, the need to have a
worthwhile creature in the opponent's graveyard
for maximum value of this card is a big
negative.
For Casual this can be a fun card to use in
certain combo decks, such as the Polymorph one
mentioned earlier this week. Also, being able to
take your opponent's best creature and use it
against them (perhaps while chanting Braaaaaains)
is what Casual is all about. The chances of
seeing higher mana cost creatures is a bit
better as well.
In Limited the card is much better as it gets a
creature back and can pick whatever is most
useful from either grave. A zombie Serra or
Baneslayer Angel can be a quick switch in the
tide of a battle and with the higher number of
large creatures in the format scenarios like the
above are not too rare. A deck featuring this,
some discard or deck destruction, and Doom
Blades is a strong design for Black or
Black/Blue in Booster or Sealed and I consider
this card a higher draft pick if Doom Blade or
Hypnotic Specter are in your pool.
With Multiplayer the large selection of
graveyards is the best feature as it increases
the likelihood of a bomb target. Otherwise it is
similar in value to Constructed and Casual.
