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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day
 Daily Since November 2001!

Startled Awake
Image from Wizards.com

Startled Awake / Persistent Nightmare
- Shadows over Innistrad

Reviewed April 7, 2016

Constructed: 2.25
Casual: 3.75
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 2.50

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

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Card of the Day Reviews 

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Startled Awake / Persistent Nightmare
 
This is perhaps the mostPersistent Nightmare roundabout way ever to reuse a sorcery - a lot of people will look at this card and ask, why don't you just use Traumatize and Snapcaster Mage in casual play? But in formats that lack those cards, this is actually surprisingly hard to stop. Thirteen cards is a significant portion of someone's library, and by the time the creature version is in play it will likely be almost unblockable. The only wrinkle is that it's coming out in a block where a lot of opponents want cards to be in their graveyard (see tomorrow's card, for one), but when your opponent isn't prepared for it, it can be devastating.
 
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5
BMoor Startled Awake/Persistent Nightmare

It's kind of a shame that this card isn't a Spirit, but it's still a good choice for a dedicated mill deck. I do like the idea of a mental attack that manifests itself even after the dream is over, and can return to do the same the next night. Just how powerful milling is in a format full of delirium and recurring Zombies is another question entirely, but if you can get all the way there, you win, and 13 cards at a time will get you a decent portion of the way there. At wors, it's a 1/1 with skulk that' surprisingly resistant to removal, if expensive to keep replaying.

Constructed- 2.5
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4.5
Multiplayer- 4.5
Commander- 2

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