“Duskmantle
Seer” is a Mythic Rare creature from Gatecrash. As a 4/4 flier for 4 in U/B, a
color combination not known for its efficient creatures, this vampire does some
work already. He also carries with him the vaunted Dark Confidant ability
(during upkeep, reveal the top card of your library, lose life equal to its
cost, put it in your hand). Now, he does give this ability to both players,
which can be seen as a significant drawback. Who wants to let your opponents
draw cards? You do! When you get to see what they draw, AND they lose life for
it?
Duskmantle does
require a specific deck to be built around him. There’s no sense in throwing
him into your planeswalker control deck, as he’s going to be burning you for 5
every other turn. But a small, quick, u/b/w aggro deck? Yes, please. This guy
plays beautifully as a follow-up to Geist of St. Traft, and gives reach in a
color combination that rarely gets it. He’s also great as a sideboard against
control decks, as he demands an answer, or you get to start playing erratic
explosion every turn. When a 5-turn clock is already swinging, your opponent’s
life will disappear in a flash. Just make sure to sideboard him out against
other aggro decks, particularly red ones. He can backfire if you’re not
careful.
Good:
-Impressive body
for a blue creature
-Card drawing,
evasion, AND burn in one card
-Great vs.
control
Bad:
-Dangerous to you, too, so be very careful when playing with
him
-Requires a
specific kind of deck
-Awful against
burn spells
Scully Rating 8.5 out of 10
