Nothing like the smell of a new set! You smell them, right? I think Duskmourn: House of Horror has some fun, new mechanics, and I’m going to provide some ratings and tips to help you win the early drafts & prereleases!
I’m going to keep the same format j2sjosh had established, now that he’s safely in my basement.
5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)
3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
Appendage Amalgam
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is a fine filler creature. It trades down with manifest tokens, but has a decent attack trigger if it gets to turn sideways.
Balemurk Leech
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This seems like a decent Grizzly Bear for most decks. If you need two drops, this isn’t a bad one to settle on.
Cackling Slasher
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
A Hill Giant with deathtouch is fine. If it gets the counter on it, it can be a solid attacker as well. I still wouldn’t be excited to put this in my deck in most cases.
Come Back Wrong
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
Though sorcery speed, this is a solid piece of removal, with a potentially big upside. The reanimated creature can block and attack one turn, and will grant you any ETB triggers as well.
Commune with Evil
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This does a good job of filling up your graveyard for delirium, but taking a turn off to draw a card leaves a lot to be desired, even with the lifegain boost.
Cracked Skull
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is an interesting take on a Thoughtseize effect. I often like targeted hand disruption spells, as you often trade them for the best card in your opponents hand. The enchant creature effect is curious, but I think it’s overall not bad, especially if you put this on a big threat and get something out of your opponents hand.
Cynical Loner
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I’m pretty cynical about this thing surviving long enough to start thinning your deck. It’s mostly just a two drop if you need one.
Dashing Bloodsucker
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
A 4/5 lifelink is no joke, and makes for some big life swings. It really just depends how eerie your deck is. I would avoid playing this in most decks, but this can be a solid attacker if you have plenty of enchantments.
Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
I don’t think there are enough reliable ways to trigger the first room, which is the main draw of this card. I could see playing this in an eerie oriented deck, as it’s not terrible, it’s just a bit overcosted for the effects.
Demonic Counsel
Rating: 0.5 // 5.0
There might be a deck that is incredibly effective at establishing delirium, or has multiple demons to tutor, but Demonic Tutor effects are historically very weak in limited.
Derelict Attic // Widow’s Walk
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
You’re mostly playing this for the Night's Whisper effect, with the second room being a small “bonus”. I’d steer clear of this room.
Doomsday Excruciator
Rating: 0.5 // 5.0
I won’t give it a 0, because it is possible to draft a mono black deck with this thing, in which case it’s a bomb. Realistically, you cannot cast this card, and I wouldn’t advise building a deck around reanimating it either.
Enduring Tenacity
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
There’s a good amount of lifegain in black, which makes this a bit stronger. Most of the time, it will likely be a 4/3 that can trigger eerie twice.
Fanatic of the Harrowing
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
Fear of Lost Teeth
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
There’s a few synergies with this card, like Cracked Skull, but is pretty narrow on cards it can pick off. This could be a solid sideboard card against a deck with a lot of 1 toughness creatures.
Fear of the Dark
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a solid beater, and can be used as your top-end threat to close out games, as it will most likely be a menace deathtoucher.
Final Vengeance
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
Even with some solid sacrifice outlets, the inconsistency of this card is pretty rough. With no alternate cost, there will be times when you can’t (or don’t want) to cast this card.
Funeral Room // Awakening Hall
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
The first half is fine, but it’s far from Bastion of Rememberance. If you have some ways to unlock the second half, like Ghostly Keybearer, it could be worth playing, as the second half is very powerful in the late game, but I’m not sure it’s worth building an entire deck around.
Give In to Violence
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Historically, lifelink combat tricks can make for some game altering attacks/blocks. Playing this on a decent sized creature can really swing a game in a big way.
Grievous Wound
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
As appealing as it looks at first glance, this is a “win more” card, meaning the times when it’s good, you’re already winning. This also does nothing for you on defense, which is a high cost for five mana. I could see playing this in some aggressive black decks, but it still can be a bit of a liability.
Innocuous Rat
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This seems like a solid two drop based on how strong the manifest dread mechanic is. There’s a few cards worth playing where sacrificing a creature matters as well, like Popular Egotist.
Killer’s Mask
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I’m in for the manifest dread token, but the equipment is a bit lackluster. It could be solid in an aggressive black deck, though black doesn’t seem to be a very aggressive color overall.
Let’s Play a Game
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This does a few different situational things somewhat poorly. The strongest mode is the Mind Rot, and it’s no guarantee that it will be effective by the time you hit delirium. I do think this can be a good sideboard card for the -1/-1 effect.
Leyline of the Void
Rating: 0 // 5.0
Don’t do it.
Live or Die
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is a solid split spell at instant speed. Most often it will be a kill spell, but instant speed graveyard recursion is extremely powerful, especially to ambush enemy attackers.
Meathook Massacre II
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
The mana cost on this is pretty rough, and while 6 mana is achievable, eight/ten is pretty extreme in limited. This also doesn’t do anything when opponents choose to sacrifice token creatures. It’s powerful, but difficult to cast, and very situational.
Miasma Demon
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
The floor on this isn’t too bad, being a 5/4 with flying for 6. The ceiling, however, can be pretty strong, especially if you can pick off multiple opposing creatures.
Murder
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
The classic. Double black makes it difficult to splash, so don’t try anything too fancy when it comes to murder.
Nowhere to Run
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A solid instant speed removal spell that triggers eerie. The passive ability is pretty awesome too, and will catch multiple people trying to play Shardmage's Rescue and the like.
Osseous Sticktwister
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is a solid two drop that starts draining your opponent in the late game if it sticks around.
Overlord of the Balemurk
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
If you cast this on turn two, it doesn’t come into play as a creature until turn seven, which ispretty late in the game as far as modern limited goes. It’s still obviously very powerful, though it can be a bit slow.
Popular Egotist
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
The activated ability won’t come up all too often, aside from when you want to kill your opponent via the passive ability.
Resurrected Cultist
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This card is at it’s best when it hits the graveyard via mill or manifest dread, as it’s a free creature.
Spectral Snatcher
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
This is pretty bad as far as land cyclers go. I would only put this in a deck that has mana issues.
Sporogenic Infection
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This card has a lot going on, but overall I think it’s solid. Best case scenario your opponent just has two creatures, where this is great, as it’s close to a two for one. Worst case, you can play this on the threat that needs to die, and kill it the “hard way” by dealing a point of damage to it.
Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
While the first room is good, it definitely is a liability as two life per turn is quite a bit. As for the second half, five mana for a 6/6 flier? O.K.
Unstoppable Slasher
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This thing is super annoying, and will likely require being killed twice, in lieu of some kind of exile effect.
Valgavoth, Terror Eater
Rating: 0.5 // 5.0
The only way I’d play this, is in a deck that can reliably get it into my graveyard and reanimate it. It’s super powerful, and might be worth a build around if the stars align.
Valgavoth’s Faithful
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
I like that the name of the card matches the perfect target just discussed Valgavoth, Terror Eater. Overall, this card is relative to your decks ability to put good targets into your graveyard, otherwise it’s very situational.
Vile Mutilator
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I wouldn’t really want to put this in most decks that can’t reanimate it, as the casting cost is simply too high. Having said that, this can be a devastating creature to reanimate.
Winter’s Intervention
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Every time I think that two damage kill spells are a bit too unreliable, they prove me wrong, so I’ll just assume this is a solid piece of removal and move along.
Withering Torment
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Unlike Murder, this is a kill spell you can easily splash, and it can also take out problematic enchantments!
Top 3 Black Commons:
Murder Winter's Intervention Give In To Violence
Black has some solid removal (big surprise), and quite a bit of good reanimation synergies. It overall looks to be on the slower side, but should be a solid color overall.
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
