The world of Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is vast and complex, filled with strategies, card interactions, and deck archetypes. Among these, the "blink" strategy holds a unique appeal, allowing players to temporarily exile their creatures, triggering "enter the battlefield" effects repeatedly and disrupting opponents' plans. While blink strategies are commonly associated with White and Blue mana, Black offers its own dark and flavorful take on this mechanic. This article delves into the realm of black card blink, exploring the specific cards that enable this strategy, its strengths and weaknesses, and how to build a competitive deck around it. Prepare to embrace the shadows and manipulate the boundaries of existence as we uncover the secrets of Black blink in MTG.
Understanding the Blink Mechanic
The blink mechanic, at its core, involves exiling a permanent and then returning it to the battlefield. This seemingly simple action can have profound implications in MTG. The key advantage of blinking a creature lies in retriggering its "enter the battlefield" (ETB) effects. Many creatures possess abilities that activate when they enter the battlefield, such as drawing cards, destroying opposing permanents, or creating tokens. By blinking these creatures, players can repeatedly benefit from these effects, gaining a significant advantage over time. Furthermore, blinking can be used defensively to save a creature from removal spells or combat damage, essentially resetting its state and avoiding its demise.
Black's Unique Flavor of Blink
While White and Blue blink strategies often focus on protection and value generation, Black brings a more sinister and controlling approach to the mechanic. Black blink often involves sacrificing creatures for value, reanimating them from the graveyard, and utilizing ETB effects that involve life loss, discard, or destruction. This leads to a more aggressive and disruptive playstyle, aiming to grind the opponent down through attrition and control.
Key Black Blink Cards
Several black cards contribute to the Black blink archetype, offering different ways to exile and return creatures to the battlefield. Some notable examples include:
Ephemeral Feast
While not a direct blink effect, Ephemeral Feast creates a delayed trigger that exiles a creature you control at the beginning of your next upkeep and returns it to the battlefield. This allows you to reuse ETB effects and protect your creatures from removal, fitting the Black blink strategy well. The delayed nature adds a layer of planning, as you need to anticipate when your creature will be blinked, but it also provides a degree of inevitability, forcing your opponent to play around the upcoming blink.
Undying Evil
Undying Evil gives a creature Undying, meaning when it dies, it returns to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter. While technically reanimation, this card effectively blinks the creature from the graveyard, allowing for the reuse of ETB triggers. It is also a useful combat trick, saving a creature from death and making it stronger in the process. Undying Evil synergizes particularly well with sacrifice outlets, as you can sacrifice a creature, have it return with a counter, and then sacrifice it again for even more value.
Grave Titan
Though not directly a blink card, Grave Titan's ETB effect creates two 2/2 Zombie tokens. Repeatedly bringing Grave Titan back to the battlefield, potentially with reanimation spells or other blink effects, floods the board with Zombies, overwhelming the opponent. This is a powerful win condition in a Black blink deck. The Zombie tokens also serve as excellent sacrifice fodder for other Black spells and abilities, further enhancing the deck's synergy.
Building a Black Blink Deck
Constructing a Black blink deck requires careful consideration of card choices and synergy. Here are some key components:
Creatures with Powerful ETB Effects
The foundation of any blink deck lies in creatures with impactful ETB effects. Look for creatures that generate value, disrupt your opponent, or contribute to your overall game plan. Black offers options like Shriekmaw (destroying nonblack creatures) or Gray Merchant of Asphodel (draining life based on devotion to black). The more powerful and versatile your ETB effects, the more effective your blink strategy will be.
Sacrifice Outlets
Black blink often utilizes sacrifice outlets to generate value from creatures before blinking them. Cards like Viscera Seer (scrying) or Carrion Feeder (getting bigger) allow you to convert your creatures into resources. These sacrifice outlets also provide a way to trigger "dies" triggers, further increasing the value of your creatures. Using a black card such as Phyrexian Altar will generate Mana that is useful.
Reanimation Spells
Reanimation spells like Reanimate or Animate Dead are crucial for bringing back your creatures from the graveyard, providing a constant stream of ETB triggers. These spells also allow you to steal your opponent's creatures, adding another layer of disruption to your strategy. Combining reanimation with sacrifice outlets allows for even more complex and powerful plays, as you can sacrifice a creature, reanimate it, and then sacrifice it again.
Card Draw and Control
Black blink decks often require a significant amount of card draw to maintain momentum and find the necessary pieces for their combos. Cards like Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper provide cheap and efficient card draw. Additionally, including removal spells and discard effects helps control the board and disrupt your opponent's plans, paving the way for your blink strategy to succeed. A crucial black card is Grave Titan.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Black Blink
Black blink decks possess several strengths:
However, Black blink decks also have weaknesses:
Example Black Blink Decklist (Commander/EDH)
While Black blink can be viable in various MTG formats, it shines particularly in Commander (EDH), where the larger card pool and slower pace allow for more complex strategies to develop.
**Commander:** Chainer, Dementia Master
**Creatures (with ETB effects):**
**Sacrifice Outlets:**
**Reanimation Spells:**
**Blink Effects:**
**Card Draw:**
**Removal/Control:**
**Lands:**
This is just a sample decklist, and the specific card choices can be adjusted based on budget, playstyle, and the local metagame. The black card blink strategy is heavily based around the graveyard.
Tips and Tricks for Playing Black Blink
Here are some tips and tricks to maximize the effectiveness of your Black blink deck:
By following these tips and understanding the nuances of the Black blink strategy, you can harness the power of the shadows and dominate your opponents in MTG. With a black card like Chainer, you can make this work really well.
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