Black makes out fairly well in Urza's Saga, with the return of an old draft friend, some great removal spells, and some nice little fliers. Apart from Green, possibly the only colour in this format that can support a mono draft deck.
Befoul Well now there's a nice start. Hot card right of the bat.
Any card that let's you take out a creature is useful, but one that can get rid of that pesky Gaea's Cradle
or Treetop Village is even better. Terror and Sinkhole in one. Yummy.
Blood Vassal Not a bad pick, as it can boost your mana production, and it's a neat critter to begin with. Worth leaving
the first time around, as it should come back.
Bog Raiders Much as it hurts me to admit it, as I hate this card, it's a fairly good pick. If I can justify 3 for a 2/2
with a partly-useful ability, then I have to justify this. Black is popular in US draft, with Pestilence and company about, so the swampwalk
will almost definitely come in handy at some point.
Breach OK so it costs a bit to cast, but it's nice for getting a fatty through unblocked, and +2/+0 is nothing to sniff at...
Corrupt One of those unusual cards that is good in both sealed and constructed play, Corrupt is a finisher.
If you are lucky enough to be able to play a monoblack deck, one of these will go a long way to winning you the game. Don't ignore the ability to
nuke a creature too, and unlike Drain Life, you gain life for every swamp you have, regardless of the damage you do. Grrreat.
Crazed Skirge One of those cards I wouldn't touch in constructed, but in sealed it's very good. Flying and haste make it a nasty treat,
and the fact that it doesn't have a double in its cc makes it better.
Dark Ritual Duh. Only if you're playing heavy black, but duh anyway.
Despondency Nice for shutting creatures down. The ability to come back to your hand is always a bonus. Card advantage, my friends.
Duress Ah yes, Duress. We love you Duress. 1cc discard is evil, even if it is slightly limited. If you open it, you're in trouble,
because it's unlikely that the pack will be bad enough for this to be the best card, but it won't come around again. Pray the guy 2 seats down opens it.
Expunge A slightly overcosted Terror with cycling. Creature kill is good (I know, you've heard it before...), and cycling
in case you don't need it is better. I'd still take a Befoul first though.
Hollow Dogs I used to think this card was awful, but I've seen it used well so many times against me that I can't help but recommend it. A 3/3 for 5
is steep, but a 5/3 for 5 isn't so bad...
Looming Shade Pumpables are good. Very good. This one is better than most, being a 1/1 instead of 0/1 and being only 3 to cast.
It SHOULD come around again, as taking one pretty much guarantees you're gonna want black.
Lurking Evil A use for that Dark Ritual. 4/4 fliers = death. It happens all the time. Paying half your life makes it a damage race,
til you drag out that Corrupt. That's gonna leave a mark.
Order of Yawgmoth OK this is getting tedious. 3 hot cards in a row! OoY is so good because it's hard to block,
and then as an added insult it punishes you by making you drop a card. Pick it first.
Persecute I liked this card from the moment I saw it. It is even better in draft, since you can pretty much be sure you'll bag at least 2 cards.
However, it's still too random to be hot.
Pestilence One of black's best draft weapons, Pestilence returns with a vengeance. Clear the board, chip away at your opponent,
kill weenies, last-ditch draws...you name it, Pestilence can and will do it. First pick every time.
Phyrexian Ghoul You might think that saccing a creature is not something you'll often want to do in Limited. But think
of all the really cool ways to use this guy under 6e rules. Sac doomed blockers to him, save him by saccing doomed blockers after damage has been dealt, and you can
guarantee that this guy will get blocked, letting other stuff through. Mean guy.
Priest of Gix Really good in combination with Pestilence, but still great on its own. Free creatures are always nice, and
this guy is free.
Ravenous Skirge If he were a bit bigger, he'd be a lot better, but a 3/1 attacker is not that great. Still, well worth choosing late on, as he flies and only costs a single black mana.
Sanguine Guard A first striking 2/2 regenerator? Lovely. Both of these abilities are very strong in Limited, so to have them both on one creature makes for
a particularly nice card which should go early.
Spined Fluke Big regenerator. Would have been Hot! if he had more than 1 toughness, or if he didn't nuke a precious critter when he hit the table. Still, grab him around 4-5, just for the beats of it.
Vampiric Embrace It's the hot Embrace time again! Not my favourite, but this one still kicks butt. Flying is good. +2/+2 is good. Getting bigger for killing stuff just adds
icing to the cake. Mmmmmmm icing...
Vebulid Yeah, I know this is a weird card. One of those that looks like it should be good, but you just don't know why. In Limited, it can be useful. Being black makes it a touch harder to get rid of, and he's
as big as you need him to be. OK, so he doesn't fly or trample, but a 5/5 or 6/6 is still going to make a dent in the defenses anyway. Take him middle.
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