MTG Salvation

http://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/22echg/jou_all_journey_into_nyx_spoilers_for_47/cglzwoa

Looks pretty good! I certainly will be adding it.

Yep. This is exactly what people wanted. Automatic include here.

The blue one-drop isn't quite as exciting as this guy since this is good on 1 or 4.

Yes, love it!

Probably the 2nd best black one drop. Glad that bestow finally gets a staple, and being a black one drop is nice too.

Excellent card. I especially enjoy how you can use it as a falter effect on your opponent's creature if you need to.

What's not to love? I like that this card has 3 modes that are relevant to an aggro deck: one drop creature, falter effect, and creature buff that doesn't give up card advantage.

Quote from Spike Rogue

What's not to love? I like that this card has 3 modes that are relevant to an aggro deck: one drop creature, falter effect, and creature buff that doesn't give up card advantage.

Totally, this is awesome!

Could this card be the missing piece of a b/w aggro build?, he seems to be calling for a ethereal armor !

A 1 drop with 3 modes. (Creature, pump, falter)! Staple!
I like how black keeps on getting Jungle Lions with upsides.

How does this compare to other black 1-drops in small cubes? It's an interesting card, but the other 1-drops I'm currently playing are MUCH better in their 1-drop mode. How much is the 4-mana mode worth?

Does it count as a minotaur when bestowed?

Definitely one of the top 3 black onedrops! The question for me is, how many 2 power onedrops are needed per color? I'm running a 360 cube and I think black is saturated with six of them at the moment. Wich one should be replaced by the minotaur or is a seventh 2 power onedrop needed?

Quote from CommanderZ

Quote from deathtouch_roadrunner

Does it count as a minotaur when bestowed?

For anything that counts Minotaurs? Yes, as long as it doesn't specify it needs to be a creature (much like Bitterblossom is a Faerie and counts towards Spellstutter Faerie). This means it won't count towards Coat of Arms and won't receive bonuses from Kragma Warcaller, because both specify it needs to be a creature.

So I guess the answer is no

Only creatures and tribal cards can have creature subtypes. In aura form it's neither of those and therefore can't have a creature subtype such as Minotaur.

Time for me to start cutting black 1 drop for another. There's now enough of them at 360.

A good start from JIN! Bestow is something of a favourite with us at the moment with Herald and Satyr doing some good work, so a card that is more-or-less playable even without it is a great bonus. This must rank pretty highly amongst the black 1 drops.

Yes, there it is the 2/1 for B with Bestow! I almost feared we would not get it, so now I'm pretty happy with this start for the spoiler season.

For those saying they have enough (black, or any color, really) one drops: I do not think so at all. We are used to quite high mana curves for aggressive decks because historically, the number of one drops was quite small; so naturally, the role that one drops play in constructed aggro decks had to be filled (at least partially) by two drops. But aggro decks are all about consistency, and hitting that two power one drop turn one can very well be the difference between a win and a loss.

With six one drops in a 40 card deck, you have a chance of ~0.71 to draw one of them in your opening seven. In other words, almost three games out of ten you don't draw a one drop. Therefore I'd rather have more one drops available in the Cube than six. How many is too many, really? One drops are pretty decent even as a follow-up play on turn two (after having played another one drop turn one, of course). The power to cost ratio is stellar and it is not like the two drops are so much more resilient. This does not work the other way round: drawing two two drops will not let you play anything turn one and only one creature turn two (generally speaking; Burning-Tree Emissary is a card).

So as far as I am concerned, I welcome all the decent 2/1s for one we get to my Cube. I'll just cut back on two drops and three drops and shift my aggro mana curve to where it belongs imho.

Another black Savannah Lions? This time with an upside that can actually be relevant in Cube? I love you, Theros.

At 480, I'll add it without cutting any of the other black one-drops. There are way better cuts above in the curve.

Black one-drops
Carnophage
Diregraf Ghoul
Gravecrawler
Sarcomancy
Tormented Hero
Vampire Lacerator

If I had to stay with only six of those, I'd cut Tormented Hero for the minotaur.

For me the mono-black one drops go
Gravecrawler
Carrion Feeder
Diregraf Ghoul
Carnophage
Tormented Hero
Vampire Lacerator
Sacromancy

The new guy is somewhere between 4th and 7th on the list for me. That means he will make it as Sacromancy is the only one I am not cubing. The minotaur may bump the vampire as my group doesn't lean on all in black aggro very much. The Hero is higher with me because I have a minor human theme going in W/B/G.

The guy does a lot of things, but he is no zombie/human, can never block, and has only one toughness. I know I am being greedy. I do like that he doesn't ping you, something that I have too much of in black as it is.

edit: I play 360, at 450 they are all in.

STAPLE. Love this card. At 450 I'll find something other than a black 1-drop to cut. Great start to what I hope will be a great set!

This is the best black 1-drop outside of Gravecrawler. Auto-include at every size, IMO.

Quote from wtwlf123

This is the best black 1-drop outside of Gravecrawler. Auto-include at every size, IMO.

Yup, not much else to say really. Super glad we are getting a bestow staple since I love the mechanic and I like having a card that is an auto-include and will stay for a long time.

While I'll happily cube this guy, bringing my total to 6 2 power 1 drops, I'm slightly disappointed that this isnt red. Ability-wise, cant block has been in the red pie slice, so this could easily go there. I counted my cube abd I have more black 2/x one drops than red one drops. What gives?

I feel like their New World Order has had the greatest impact on black. "Has the worst creatures" was part of black's identity. That was apparently unfun enough that they have decided that it should just move into just being White's evil twin creature wise, but just be a little less deep in a given set. Red is still defined as that all out aggresive color, getting burn to suppliment it's new title of "has the worst creatures".

I love the firedrinker, but this guy makes it look crappy by comparison.

I hope this is promo'd at some point, as I don't much like the art. It's just too icky.

The card is good. It's funny how the can't block clause actually makes it better.