Underworld Dreams – MTG Throwback Thursday (2003)

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Back in the 1990s, Underworld Dreams was capable of killing people out of nowhere in combination with cards like Wheel of Fortune, or of destroying people caught in slower locks like Winter Orb plus Howling Mine. That’s still a viable strategy in 93/94, but it’s harder in Modern and similar formats because the creatures tend to beat down pretty fast. Still, Underworld Dreams is a great card to experiment with in casual, and it’s even decent in formats with a certain style of blue deck: Jace’s Ingenuity seems a little less appealing when your opponent tapes a face-targeting Lightning Bolt to it.

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 2/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

Underworld Dreams has been a bit of a fan favorite card ever since its original printing in Legends back in 1994; while we got a creature approximation of it in Born of the Gods, Underworld Dreams itself is back in Standard for the first time in roughly 11 years, this time back to its original uncommon rarity from Legends.

For the most part, Underworld Dreams is a more casual-inclined card, though it definitely would have been at home in the original Theros block and its mono-black devotion shell. It’s a decent way to put pressure on opponents that want to turbo through their decks with lots of card advantage, and it’s a good way to make things like symmetrical Wheel or Timetwister effects far less symmetrical. Triple-black is a bit of an impediment, though devotion-based shells see that as more boon than downside, and reliable damage can help you to close the game out. It still takes a long time to get enough damage in to justify its inclusion unless you can really abuse it, though, and there are a few cards this will largely blank against.

Constructed: 3 (I don’t think the tools to make a good Underworld Dreams deck are there, though you can make it work as part of a shell if you believe in yourself)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 2.5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander: 4.5 (even with its mana cost, Nekusar decks love this card forever)

Phat
Pack
Magic
YouTube

Hello everyone and welcome back to Pojo’s Card of the Day!

Today we’re taking a look at a neat little reprint that hasn’t seen the light of day since Magic 2010!

Underworld Dreams once had an effect that was considered so powerful that it was a rare slot for most of its existence, and like a lot of enchantments that came from the Legends set, it’s a very simple line of text.

‘Whenever an opponent draws a card Underworld Dreams deals 1 damage to them.’

Now this card seems like an auto-include into almost any deck that wants to beat control, except for the fact that chances are you’re going to have to wade through a field of countermagic before you get to land this guy, and while dealing 1 a turn, or even 2 or 3 if they have a draw engine going seems great. Chances are you’re going to want a more recurring threat to mess with them directly rather than this enchantment.

Limited also looks at this card with an awkward glance, card draw isn’t that prevalent in draft and on top of that this doesn’t directly affect the board, it’s not a creature nor does it deal with them. It simply.. plops there. 

So if this card isn’t meant for constructed or limited, where can it go?

And my friends let me propose to you, an awesome card for your Commander Decks! Yes in a multiplayer format, this is going to ping everyone, every turn! With Howling Mines and Timetwisters a-plenty this card will never sit idly by as it punishes your friends for their insatiable greed to draw cards!

Also it’s bad in Cube.

Ratings:

Constructed 1/5 – Not worth it here.

Limited 1/5 – You’re better off passing this for a vanilla creature.

Commander 5/5 – Draw your deck. Dewit!

Cube 1/5 – There’s much better enchants for this spot.

Phat Pack Magic is a channel dedicated to Magic: the Gathering and creating awesome coverage of local events for formats like Cube, rare pack drafts, and now FNM Pioneer videos! Check it out at https://YouTube.com/PhatPackMagic