Hidden Horrors

With Innistrad’s release a few weeks ago, the general play public has seen a good amount of product through drafts, sealed, purchasing, and prize packs. The obviously powerful cards are starting to make their way to the top of their respective environment and there are numerous articles out there on the Smapcasters and Lilianas of the numerous formats, but I wanted to take a look as some of the cast aside cards.

It is early to declare some of the cards in Innistrad as “junk,” but there are some cards that are already falling into the shadow of the Planeswalkers and bombs. I wanted to take a second look at some of these cards.

Undead Alchemist 3U

Creature — Zombie

If a Zombie you control would deal combat damage to a player, instead that player puts that many cards from the top of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from his or her library, exile that card and put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token onto the battlefield.

4/2

First and foremost, a 4/2 creature for 3U is not bad as a splashable body in any sealed or draft. Although not an early pick, depending on your pool at his appearance, he may be a first pick. Let’s take a look at his abilities.

“If a Zombie you control would deal combat damage to a player, instead that player puts that many cards from the top of his or her library into his or her graveyard.”

It is a mill heavy environment and in either limited or constructed at some point is going to make use of the graveyard. The first ability can be a curse or a blessing, depending on the deck your opponent is using. I learned quickly in a recent sealed that my Curse of the Bloody Tome was a great card the first two rounds, but in the third round against 2 Burning Vengeance and a healthy amount of flashback, it was literally fueling my demise. As a blessing, it turns a focused mill deck into an exponential nightmare for your opponent while strengthening your army. He doesn’t even need to come across the table. Supporting characters for this guy in limited are Unbreathing Horde, Endless Ranks of the Dead, Moan of the Unhallowed, or even the premium Army of the Damned. Grave Titan, Cemetery Reaper, and Zombie Infestation are amazing cards in constructed. The second ability is more elusive, but I think it is the better of the two.

“Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from his or her library, exile that card and put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token onto the battlefield.”

This does three things that have different advantages in different environments. It triggers on any creature going to the graveyard from the library. This means if you do it or your opponent does it, you still trigger the ability. The second thing it does is remove that creature. In limited where there is a healthy amount of return from the graveyard cards, it prevents the recurrence of those creatures late in the game. The last thing is does is build your army and win games. Early, you have to squeeze a few zombies through to get it going, but once you hit one or two in a row, you are off to the races. Working around your opponents creatures in constructed with all the evasion tactics and removal available to black and red, becomes easy with cards like Dismember, Victim of the Night, Hideous Visage, Crossway Vampire, and Traitorous Blood.

There are plenty of Zombies to play with and cards that interact with Zombies that this guy really should get a second look.