Card Talk 13

Arni Metalbrow card art

Happy October! Today is the thirteenth post in my Card Talk series.

Reminder how Card Talk works:

• I go to Scryfall and select 'Random Card'
• I present and blog about the card. I could discuss any aspect: the art, abilities, cost, set, impact on the game, and so on. Stream of consciousness.

Card Talk is a fun, uncurated way to look at Magic's cards, mechanics, history, art, sets, and so on. And of course it exposes some of my own preferences, biases, and memories of the game. 

Today's card is . . .

Deal Gone Bad

Hmmmm . . . Deal Gone Bad. A common black instant from Ravnica: Clue Edition.

Deal Gone Bad has two abilities. 

- The first can destroy a creature (if the -3/-3 can get its toughness to 0); that can be a powerful removal technique that can even take out indestructible creatures (I discuss removal in more detail here).

- The second forces a player (you or an opponent) to mill three cards. This can help you (if you are running a self-mill deck) and/or annoy your opponent (if they are not).

Instants are powerful, being (obviously) playable at instant speed. Having one like this with two abilities (with independent targets) makes it especially powerful. The cost is a little high, but at a common rarity, it seems like a good card overall.

Ravnica: Clue Edition is a mash-up of Magic and the popular board game, Clue. This makes for a one-off variant Magic multiplayer experience; a new format, of sorts, but one that (likely) won't see more releases. I have not played it myself, but heard (based on web articles and dropping prices) that this didn't do very well. I'd love to try, though!