Five mana for a 4/4 without flying, trample, or
any other combat ability is a bit of a letdown.
The Banshee is good if you can trigger Morbid,
but highly disappointing if you can't. If you're
to get value out of Morkrut Banshee, you'll have
to attack into blockers and hope for a trade,
bluff a combat trick, play the Banshee on the
same turn as a kill spell, or run it in decks
which already have sacrifice outlets. Your
opponent may be willing to trade the first time,
though you'll definitely have to get into the
habit of attacking first and then playing your
spells if you don't want to telegraph the
Banshee. All in all, I'd steer clear and look
for more reliably triggered Nekrataal
descendants.
With all the attention that Fiend Hunter's been
getting (even all the way up to Jacob Van
Lunen), it's easy to wonder why Morkrut Banshee
isn't getting similar press time. It's true that
exiling creatures is often more useful than
putting them in a graveyard nowadays, and the
cost is rather notably higher, but this can fill
much the same role in Standard or other newer
decks without access to white. Nekrataal has
always been a good card, and a creature that
does the same thing and goes up against bigger
creatures in combat is worth a second and maybe
third look. Plus it's way, way scarier, which I
personally think is worth something.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
Morkrut Banshee an interesting creature that can
pretty much as a Nekkratal. In standard it could
appear as one of in Birthing Pod decks as a
creature has to die to search out another
creature which triggers morbid. Aside from this
I don’t feel this card has what it takes to make
an appearance in competitive standard. In
extended and modern formats the same concept
applies Birthing Pod or little to no play as it
is not exceptional and nowhere near as powerful
as creatures like Shriekmaw were/are. In eternal
formats this is outclassed and not worth the
mana. In casual and multiplayer I could see this
card seeing some play as things like a lot in
casual and this banshee can take out most
utility creatures and even some more powerful
ones making it a possible card choice for casual
and multiplayer but by no means as powerful as
other 187 creatures such as Shrikmaw and Bone
Shredder. In limited this is removal draft it
highly draft it often. Overall a powerful
limited banshee and an interesting card for
casual and multiplayer.
Today's card of the day is Morkrut Banshee
which is an update on Skinrender, but costing
one mana more, is a 4/4 instead of 3/3, gives a
target -4/-4 until end of turn instead of three
-1/-1 counters, and requires a creature to have
died that turn for the effect to work.
Overall this is a weaker card compared to
Skinrender and probably won't be replacing it in
many decks, primarily thanks to costing one more
as Black has bigger threats at that point of the
mana curve.
For Limited this is a bomb that can remove
nearly any target and is a large enough creature
to be a threat after clearing some space on the
battlefield. Any Sealed build with about
half of the mana sources as Black should be
running this, as the double makes it too
difficult to just splash. Booster can
potentially draft this first on a weak rare, but
certainly a second or third pick as it is an
efficient and noticeable change to the game
state whenever it is played with the Morbid
effect.
