Didn't we already do this one? I'm sure I made a
comment about how this thing can represent a
sudden, massive swing of life that can render
racing situations unwinnable for your opponent
and help you claw your way back into games you
had all but lost. The activated ability can be a
little pricey to activate, but in the situations
you most want it, it's because you need a
creature this turn and didn't draw one, so it's
likely you had mana that turn anyway.
I'm tempted to point out that this card's
abilities are contrary to the properties of the
Greek (and Theros) Underworld, which you can't
really leave. Hades was also not known to grant
day passes, and I doubt Erebos is either (at
least, as much as I can without having a novel
to illuminate the question). In gameplay terms,
though, you can get a lot of advantage out of
this card. It's probably most tempting to try
and find a way to abuse the
reanimation ability, and although it's templated to
prevent you from keeping the creature
permanently, it's hard to read that as a
disadvantage in this age of comes-into-play
abilities and attack triggers. The lifelink
ability shouldn't be underestimated either,
though - combining it with a lot of evasive
creatures can easily lead to states where some
deck's can't effectively race.
Today's card of the day is Whip of Erebos which
is a Black four mana Legendary artifact
enchantment that gives creatures you control
Lifelink and for four mana and tapping can
return a target creature at sorcery speed from
your grave to play with Haste then exile it at
end of turn.
Lifelink for multiple creatures can be a solid
benefit, but at four mana to play and another
four to activate the second effect is a little
too situational and dependent on worthwhile
targets in the graveyard to be competitive.
Self mill or mono-Black sacrifice aspects can
definitely benefit from the reusable reanimation
and it can see play in a variety of
non-competitive settings.
In a Limited setting this primarily adds
widespread Lifelink and can also set up an alpha
strike by bringing back a tide turning creature.
A solid if somewhat situational first pick in
Booster and with even a moderate Black pool in
Sealed is worth including for the dual benefits.
