Innistrad: Midnight Hunt EDH Set Review - Black

YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, I WON'T EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME!

The Mythics

Jerren, Corrupted Bishop // Ormendahl, the Corrupter

I love what I've seen of the set and I hate starting with such a disappointment. I'm a big fan of Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince. Seeing the return of the prince on the back side be so, so powerful made my heart flutter, but the ridiiiiiculous flip condition... "Sacrifice a creature: Draw a card" is a beautiful line of text, but needing exactly 13 life at your end step and 4BB to flip to the big demon is just absolutely nuts. So, evaluating this card based on Ormendahl is a mistake. Jerren is a Human tribal card that poops out Human tokens when nontoken Humans die. It's fine! I'm bummed about this card!

Lord of the Forsaken

My first reaction to this is it feels ripe for breaking. At six mana, it's not cheap to get on the field, but anything that's eager to help you cast stuff from your graveyard probably has ways to get this bad boy out on the field. Muldrotha, the Gravetide might be able to make the most out of this guy. Kethis, the Hidden Hand, Chainer, Nightmare Adept, Kess, Dissident Mage, etc. There's something spicy about this Lord. Underworld Breach and Magus of the Will say hello. I reckon the mill ability will be more likely aimed at its controller for fuel. I dig this card! Let's see if it breaks anything!

Tainted Adversary

I have a lot of feelings on the word decayed. It feels wrong to me. The mechanic is fine, whatever, but "decayed" rather than "decaying" doesn't sit right with me.

Oh right, the card. Two mana 2/3 deathtouching Zombie with potential for more when you can pump mana into it is wild. You drop this guy and sink an extra 6 mana, you got yourself a 4/5 and four 2/2 Zombies. Tribal Zombie lists love big numbers, I can see this being a devastating end step activation of a The Scarab God deck before doming the table for at least an extra 5 damage and scrying 5. Good card, but not particularly exciting to me.

The Meathook Massacre

My buddy Lucas says this feels like a missed opportunity because the name sounds like it would be a kiiiiller Saga card.

That said, this is the first mythic that makes my heart beat faster. A board wipe on ETB and a difficult-to-interact-with aristocrats permanent. Chef's kiss. You can just play it without the board wipe for just two mana! Incidental life gain is great and sneaky if you're up against an aristocrats deck yourself. This is going right into my Thalisse, Reverent Medium and Lyzolda, the Blood Witch lists.

The Rares

Bloodline Culling

I'll have to defer to those who play more competitive formats to evaluate this one. It seems like modal removal is a premium in those circles. If your meta is filled with token decks and you run a nontoken creature heavy deck, this might be the call.

That said, I looked at our sister site EDHREC for the list of the most popular commanders and out of the top 25, only 3 survive this targeting them. One of those is a planeswalker (Lord Windgrace). I reiterate that I think this is a meta call for sure.

Champion of the Perished

Clever. A mirror of Champion of the Parish for Zombie decks. It can get huge in the right decks for sure, maybe get in for some damage or Rite of Consumption for a big swing. Zombie decks, get stoked. As Patrick Sullivan says, don't turn your nose up at a one-drop card that does stuff. I'm paraphrasing, but it's a good thought!

Curse of Leeches // Leeching Lurker

Daybound and Nightbound! Now this is a flip condition I wish we had on Jerren, Corrupted Bishop // Ormendahl, the Corrupter!

I think this card is just flashy design. I like that you can move the curse around and the backside is a 4/4 lifelinker that can do some work, but a single drain at upkeep that requires you to not play anything on your turn to transform it? Nah, pass.

Gisa, Glorious Resurrector

People are talking about this like a "fair" Tergrid, God of Fright which is nuts because Tergrid is already fair (hahaha I'm picking a fight!). I have always loved Gisa and Geralf and Ludevic as characters and to see Gisa again is a treat. She looks like she's having the time of her life, truly the art is spectacular. Yongjae Choi, I tip my hat to you, wonderful work.

Incidental grave hate that turns into you getting control of opponents' creatures temporarily sounds great. There's talk of building this as a control deck with nothing but kill spells, depending entirely on your opponents to pack good creatures. I think it's totally fair and I hope to see this deck around. I might hate playing against it at first, but I love seeing cool stuff happen and it feels like Gisa can be that deck.

Graveyard Trespasser // Graveyard Glutton

I love seeing "Ward - discard a card". That settles a storm in my chest. As Joey from EDHRECast will tell you, graveyard hate is the best thing you can put into your deck (his words not mine! (editor's note: Joey did not say that and discourages graveyard hate (actual editor's note: the editors didn't write either of these))). Getting rid of problematic cards from yards on ETB or attack is spicy. Getting to drain if a creature's exiled, pretty dope! Getting to hit two cards when it's Night? Even more dope.

Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia

Fragile legend who makes a token at your end steps as long as you don't have any decaying (yeah, just let me have this one) Zombies out. Seems fine. Nothing crazy, honestly. Unsure where this would fit in EDH beyond folks who would include this card because they like the character. Maybe?

Mask of Griselbrand

Ouh, now this is an equipment, bud. It's pricey, don't get me wrong, but there's some spice here. Giving a beefy creature evasion and lifelink is already solid, but to give you a way to cash that life in for cards when the creature dies? Sign me up. Might not be for aristocrats shenanigans, but I bet there's a Bx equipment deck out there that's jonesing for this one. If I had to guess, there's someone with an Orzhov equipment list who feels seen. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale just got a new toy!

Slaughter Specialist

Two mana vampires will always have a home in Edgar Markov decks, but this one feels like Grismold, the Dreadsower and the like will be fighting for it. My Lyzolda, the Blood Witch loves that this provides 4 bodies to the whole table when Vicious Shadows is around. Mathas, Fiend Seeker could use some targets for those bounty counters, too. All in all, I think this will find some homes.

Notable Uncommons and Commons

Dreadhound

This is no Syr Konrad, the Grim but does a decent impression for the right decks. Mills you in the way in, might hit three creatures and hit your opponents for three, too. Unbelievable uncommon, definitely worth picking up.

Ghoulish Procession

Doesn't have to be a creature you control. That's pretty important. Capping at once a turn is annoying but fair, it does only cost two mana.

Infernal Grasp

Dies to Doom Blade and Go for the Throat are outmoded now. For the low price of two life, you can avoid kill restrictions on your removal. This feels like a big deal!

Morbid Opportunist

If you think I won't buy 50 of these immediately, you don't know me at all. Aristocrats, Rogues, control decks, sacrifice decks, graveyard decks, Human decks, Grismold, the Dreadsower decks, Kaervek, the Spiteful, etc. At three mana, the possibility of drawing 4 cards by your next turn, what's not to love! This is my favourite uncommon from the set and it's not even close. Man, I friggin love this game!

Eaten Alive

It's if Spark Harvest exiled instead! Total meta call, but worth considering!

Rotten Reunion

My friend Eric loves playing cards like Cremate because they can really disrupt a graveyard game plan in a pinch and give some utility. This gives you a creature token, but can also be flashed back to disrupt again. It's pretty sneaky, but I mostly wanted to talk about the art and the reference to American Gothic. Love the art in this set. A+.

Siege Zombie

This effect feels new to black for me. I've seen enough stalled board states where there are enough creatures to take someone out but no way to get rid of that Hexproof Indestructible Blazing Archon (or whatever similar situation). I feel like I'll be testing Siege Zombie in Thalisse, Reverent Medium and have high hopes it sticks around. In red, you can Goblin Bombardment or Flame Fusillade, but in black, this feels fresh. I might be wrong, but I think this lil guy's special.

That's enough, Mikey.

Thanks for reading! If there's anything I missed or overlooked, I'd love to know!

Also, check out my article series Am I The Bolas? and if you have any stories to submit, I'd love to talk about them in my column.

Have a great day. Happy hunting!