Mercadian Masques, Part Thirteen Gary Wise The following are my impressions on the Black rares in Mercadian Masques for the purpose of booster draft. A few thoughts... Without a doubt, black has the strongest core of rare bombs in the set. With three of the top 10 cards in Masques as well as two absolutely huge Mercenaries, if you cut off black early there's a lot of potential for getting some of these explosive cards later on. Rares Thrashing Wumpus - OK, we all agree that Pestilence is an obscene card that should never have been made for draft purposes...so why is it attacking for 3 now? The Wumpus, the best non-artifact card in the set, is an insane beating, using Black mana to Pestilence while providing a 3/3 body. Unlike Fatties in other colors, the Wumpus can't be taken out by Vendetta, Snuff out or Sever Soul, so your opponent needs to have Arrest, Muzzle or Thunderclap to survive, assuming you don't have enchantment removal. Notorious Assassin - The second best non-artifact rare in the set, the Assassin pales in comparison to the Wumpus because a) It dies to Lunge and Maggot Therapy, and b) It can't kill black creatures. That said, there are very few cards in the set I wouldn't pitch for the Assassin's Banish effect, and unlike the Wumpus, it's splashable. Forced March - Better than any Red, Blue or Green rare in the set, the March ranks a measly third in Black's bounty of beautiful bombs. The March is no mere mass kill spell, instead allowing you to tear your opponent to shreds with precise control, often allowing you to keep your creatures while eliminating theirs. Obviously, its casting cost necessitates the playing of many Swamps. Cateran Overlord - 7/5 Regenerator. Provides you with many free creatures. Do I really need to expand on this? Cateran Slaver - 5/5 Swamp walker. Provides you with many free creatures. Do I really need to expand on this? Well, maybe just to say that if you have a Peat Bog and Spellshapers, it's very sideboardable vs. Black decks (assuming you aren't playing black) Delraich - So let's get this straight. This is a 6/6 trampler that is immune to black creature kill spells and has an alternate casting cost that can often make it playable by turn 4 and it ranks 6th? Did I mention Black's rares were good? Especially cool with Monkey Cage. Silent Assassin - A solid 2 CC beatdown creature, the Assassin's ability really strengthens the Mercenary cause, allowing your weak attackers to serve into your opponent's strong defenders. The best use for this card is to search for it with a Brute after blockers have been declared, and activating it, killing a Barrier or something just as beneficial. Corrupt Official - The one problem with regeneration as an ability is it gives R & D license to lower the toughness of a creature. When I pay 5 mana, I want a little more than a toughness of one, regardless of the creature's abilities. The Official's ability is very strong one, but three mana to regenerate is a lot, relegating it to 4th-6th-pick status. Nether Spirit - A little underrated, this little guy can be a real pest in the early part of the game, or if you have a lot of regenerators. Keep in mind that later in the game you can get it back by clearing your graveyard with Undertaker, Haunted Crossroads or... Midnight Ritual - An interesting card, it would be a lot better if it wasn't in the same color as Undertaker and Haunted Crossroads. I'd only draft it if I had neither, but once drafted it gets a slot in my deck. Extortion - A pretty good turn 5 play, later in the game, if nothing else, it deprives your opponent of cards to discard to their Spellshapers. Also very strong against late game bombs like Kracken or Rushwood Elemental. Unmask - Its funny, this card is good because of the jank black generally plays. With mercenaries providing a strong base for a deck, the Black player will often have creatures in their deck that would otherwise be substandard. The possibility of drawing a Rampart Crawler or Misshapen Fiend makes Unmask more than a mere Coercion. Don't bother casting it first turn though: Give them a chance to draw a bomb on turns 2 and 3. Unnatural Hunger - Chris Benafel cast this on a one-power creature in the quarterfinals at PTLA, showing one of the card's weaknesses. 5 mana is too much for one point a turn. That said, the card could be pretty damaging against fatter decks. Instigator - three mana and as card is a lot for this creature ability, which should not be mistaken with the much more powerful Nettling Imp's. Liability - A semi-viable sideboard option against A Story Circle you can't otherwise deal with, don't cast it until they allow themselves to get low on life. Conspiracy - Just too much mana for the effect. I did once kill Gary Krakower's Caller of the Hunt by Disenchanting my own Conspiracy though Black Market - let me get this straight...you pay 5 mana to eventually get mandatory mana...nope.