"Soulflayer" is yet another card name that I'm a
little surprised hadn't been used until now. I'm
glad this guy got it, though. His look is
absolutely perfect and absolutely fitting, and
his threat approaches Akroma levels (even if he
can only have four abilities on any given
casting). The fact that he can get hexproof
jumps out to me, and might make him even more
dangerous than his angelic counterparts against
some decks. He may also end up as the only
creature in Magic, ever, that can naturally have
double strike, deathtouch, and trample at the
same time - I can't think of a bigger nightmare
for most creature decks.
Today's card of the day is Soulflayer which is
a six mana Black 4/4 with Delve that can lower
the mana cost to two Black and it can gain a
variety of effects if creatures with them are
exiled by Delve. This is excellent alongside
cards like Gurmag Swiftwing and Vampire
Nighthawk in a mono-Black deck and there are
many options available when using other colors.
This is a card that should not be hard cast and
greatly benefits from the Delve mechanic as well
as self-mill, so it should see play in decks
built around it as a mainline threat or possible
finisher depending on the creatures used.
In Limited this may not get to see many added
effects, but is still a reasonable 4/4 for six
or less which is certainly playable. As a
first pick in Booster it can potentially be a
little weak if not supported with drafting
effects it is still playable as a potential two
mana 4/4 and shouldn't be passed most of the
time. In Sealed it naturally depends on
the pool, primarily Black with the two symbol
requirement, and is a bit much to splash.
This is the kind of card that makes combo
players go crazy. The possibility of making him
a huge voltron by delving away just the right
creatures is too tempting. Soulflayer perhaps?
While that may be the ideal situation, something
simpler may be more practical - maybe something
cheap with hexproof or indestructible. He combos
well with the Torrent Elemental we reviewed
earlier in the week. Delve away the elemental to
give the Soulflayer flying, then cast the
Soulflayer next turn. Even if you have nothing
special to delve away, you could have yourself a
4/4 for as little as 2 mana if you can fill your
graveyard quickly.
