It's not my job to judge WOTC's wisdom in
unleashing one-sided Slivers on the world, only
to evaluate their power level. Syphon Sliver
here looks like it'll be quite an addition to
the team. Black doesn't usually get the best
slivers-- most solid creature abilities are more
centered in blue, green, and white. But I'm a
fan of black lifelink, so I like this. It's
reasonably sized for its cost, even before it
starts encountering Muscle Slivers and the like.
And due to some wishy-washy errata, Essence
Sliver is no longer considered to grant lifelink
to Slivers-- its triggered ability works the way
it originally did and therefore stacks with
lifelink. That alone is enough to make Syphon
Sliver a ferocious addition to any Sliver deck
that runs black.
The cheaper (and scarier and more Phyrexian-looking)
cousin of Legions' Essence Sliver, this card is
capable of causing a lot of problems for
opponents - not least because its color makes it
immune to Terror. Combined with an evasive
Sliver, it can make it very difficult for
aggressive decks to race. And considering how
many Slivers grant a power and toughness boost,
it will often make any sort of combat
unattractive simply by being cast.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
Syphon Sliver which i feel has the potential of
being a powerful new sliver allowing you to race
other aggressive decks and combined with the
augments of other slivers provides a reasonable
life buffer. In standard this card may see a
limited amount of play, the most powerful
slivers fall squarely into the green and red
category leaving this sliver high and dry
outside of niche circumstances, i feel it has
potential to allow sliver decks to race
effectively. In modern and eternal formats this
card is not quite powerful enough to warrant its
inclusion in sliver decks. In casual and
multiplayer this card is great for providing a
life buffer when facing multiple opponents. In
limited its a solid sliver though obviously gets
better the more slivers you add. Overall life
gain is one of the weaker sliver abilities but i
has situational usage and i believe its
playability and usefulness with mirror that.
Today's card of the day is Syphon Sliver which
is a three mana 2/2 Black that gives sliver
creatures you control Lifelink. Lifelink
is a decent effect, but it has minimal use in a
dedicated sliver deck and in most formats there
isn't enough reason to add Black in to include
this.
Overall it is not aggressive enough to take a
three mana slot from Blur, Construct, or Hive
Stirrings and probably won't see much play
unless additional support is released in the
next block.
For Limited the Lifelink is a little more useful
and in a pool where Black is viable there is
little reason not to include a three mana 2/2
with that ability, particularly if auras are
available. In Booster it depends on your
earlier picks, so drafting priority can be
relatively high as an on color if it is passed,
considering it is a bit weak to be a first
choice. In Sealed it should be played when
using Black as it is not a bad creature, yet
isn't enough by itself to force the color into
sliver builds.
I made a terrible mistake this past Friday Night
Magic Draft and passed one of these in the third
pack because it wasn't in my colors. I totally
forgot about the two Manaweft Slivers I had
pulled in the first pack round. Don't pass this
card.
The mana cost is very efficient for a 2/2 life
link on its own, add on the fact that it also
gives all of its sliver pals life link just
makes it fantastic. Now life gain on its own
isn't enough to win games, but it is nice
padding if you leave yourself open after a big
swing.
In standard this is the only black sliver, but
it's worth splashing in if you can afford the
mana fixing with Manaweft and Shimmering
Grotto.
constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4 (these m14 slivers only affect
slivers you own making sliver vs sliver a little
less crazy)
