Nether Shadow

Creature — Spirit

Haste

At the beginning of your upkeep, if Nether Shadow is in your graveyard with three or more creature cards above it, you may put Nether Shadow into play.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Oldschool 93/94	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (41)

legendofa on There is No Future, There is Only Now

1 year ago

Interesting history, thanks for sharing it. (I'm pretty sure Instill Energy should actually grant haste.)

As a bit of random trivia, the first card that granted creatures an activated ability with a tap cost (thereby using haste without attacking) appears to be Torrent of Lava, which has additional weirdness in that it only grants an activated ability when it's on the stack. The first card that has a more permanent ability like that is Fire Whip and even that has functional errata, moving the ability from the enchantment to the creature. The first permanent to use (almost) the current templating, using text that explicitly grants the creature an ability, is Samite Blessing, narrowly beating out Citanul Hierophants. So now I'm wondering how and why Nether Shadow and Instill Energy diverged, since Nether Shadow, with the same wording, could use these effects then and still can now, but creatures with Instill Energy could then, but can't now.

FormOverFunction on Help Make My Mono Black …

1 year ago

Tortured Existence is super useful in this case, especially with the desecrated tomb. I’ve already forgotten your list, but do you have Sadistic Hypnotist in there? If you’re mono-Black the casting cost isn’t too bad, and the side benefit of discard is pretty great. Nether Shadow can make graveyard management irritating, but can be really great if you get your engine running. Jinxed Ring might be hilarious as a sac outlet; its downside would be limited for you, and your opponents would either have to give you another sac outlet back or soak the damage for a few turns. Could be fun. Cellar Door is often thought of as something to use on your opponents, but if you’ve got a lot of creatures in your deck, and you want selective access to them in your graveyard, this might be a good way to filter through them (while getting some free zombies too!). If you haven’t noticed, I’m mostly looking at my Haunted House deck for these recommendations. My decks have a lot of weird random junk, so feel free to poke around in there for other weird options! Good luck, the deck looks really fun!!

Boxfish on Sheoldred, Rising Dead v2

1 year ago

UPDATE 2:

Swapped out Death Cultist, Syphon Soul, Nether Shadow, Noxious Gearhulk,and Nezumi Graverobber  ^Flip, for Gorex, the Tombshell, Cavalier of Night, Nullpriest of Oblivion, Beacon of Unrest, and Okiba Reckoner Raid  ^Flip.

Caerwyn on Using the graveyard as a …

2 years ago

DuTogira

Alpha already had various ways to interact with the graveyard--there might not have been mechanisms to fill your graveyard with relative ease, but it was clear from the very beginning of the game that the graveyard was intended to be useful. Five cards, spread across three colors (though mostly black) specifically allow you to use the graveyard as a resource: Animate Dead, Nether Shadow, Raise Dead, Regrowth, Resurrection.

Alpha also already had exile, though it went by "remove from the game entirely": Swords to Plowshares and Disintegrate.

Arabian Nights skipped over these effects, but they came back very quickly in Antiquities, which also expanded graveyard shenanigans to Blue, and Legends, which had more recursion options.

Then we got The Dark, which is the first real set to focus on using the graveyard as a tool outside of "get my card back"--cards like Eater of the Dead, Frankenstein's Monster, and Grave Robbers, which allowed you to weaponize your graveyard for additional boons. The Dark also saw the introduction of Tormod's Crypt, the first real piece of dedicated graveyard hate.

Even in the initial sets, it is clear that the graveyard was designed to serve as a possible second hand and, by August 1994, it was clear that the graveyard was to be considered a resource in other manners as well. Saying that it was "originally designed to be the modern equivalent of exile" ignores how many early-game effects interacted with the graveyard, as well as ignores the fact that exile has existed since the game's very first set.

Epicurus on GRISELBRAND’S NECRO-STORM [Primer]

3 years ago

Hello fellow Legacy aficionado!

My own collection of decks mostly consist of what I identify as "casual," which is to say that by tournament legality definitions they are predominantly Vintage or Legacy, but I don't own any power nine or otherwise incredibly costly cards so they're not necessarily competitive in those formats.

Having said that, I own an old-school reanimator deck (my usual reanimation target in which is Tidal Kraken, because it puts a clock on the game), and in mine, the sure-win, first turn combo is Dark Ritual into Entomb and Exhume. I'm sure you're familiar with that move.

The biggest - and maybe only - difference between my deck and this one is that mine is mono-black. So I'm using Hidden Horror, Vampire Hounds and Bog Witch for self discard. Faithless Looting seems like a more effective choice, I wonder looking at your deck if the problems of operating in, effectively, 3 colors is justified in the resultant effectiveness.

Mind you, I'm running Hell's Caretaker and Victimize with some Nether Shadows and Nether Traitors, so maybe they're enough different of decks that I shouldn't be comparing them like I am.

Sorry, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have been playing the same deck for twenty years, and had never considered that the construction of it could be different and somehow better, until looking at yours. So, thanks for that. At some point maybe I'll add my deck to the site, and perhaps you'll see it.

Halflingz on Queen Marchesa

4 years ago

Board wipes that seem "on theme" and white "ramp" to consider. Kaya's Wrath Fumigate Retaliate Austere Command Decree of Pain Martial Coup Merciless Eviction Descent of Dragons Angel of the Dire Hour Magister of Worth Sunblast Angel Boreas Charger Oreskos Explorer Surveyor's Scope Solemn Simulacrum Sword of the Animist Verge Rangers Smothering Tithe Sword of Feast and Famine Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip

Queen Marchesa doesn't have a clear single way to build so you have lots of options. However, I feel like said you want to play her like the Kween she is and create a royal court full of politicin' and group interaction to make all the boys whine. I don't think you want to discourgage people from taking the monarch from you, more encourage them to swing others IE: NO Ghostly Prisons, YES Teysa effects. Punish the ones who swing you only after the fact and reward the ones who swing others. There is a lot listed!

Politic theme links to Scryfall searches Monarch, Will of the Council, Council's Dilemma, Join Forces, Curses, Tempting offer, Goad

You will also want to get retake the throne each turn and lets face it, the Assasin's won't always get through Dauthi Embrace Dauthi Trapper Nether Shadow Nether Traitor Soltari Visionary Changeling Outcast Tormented Soul Break Through the Line Ferropede Gingerbrute Key to the City Whispersilk Cloak Trailblazer's Boots Zhang He, Wei General Yellow Scarves Cavalry Wei Night Raiders Wei Scout Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed Lu Bu, Master-at-Arms Guan Yu, Sainted Warrior Shadow Alley Denizen

Finally here are some other fun interactions befitting the royal court. Crown of Doom Kor Haven Cathars' Crusade Electropotence + Pandemonium (Nasty with deathtouch) Field of the Dead Mentor of the Meek In the Web of War Mace of the Valiant Ogre Battledriver Orc Sureshot Mathas, Fiend Seeker Master of Cruelties Anya, Merciless Angel Tree of Perdition Alesha, Who Smiles at Death Ashling, the Extinguisher Azra Oddsmaker Aurification Bloodforged Battle-Axe Contested War Zone Thaumatic Compass  ^Flip Dread Elbrus, the Binding Blade  ^Flip Iroas, God of Victory Aurelia, the Warleader Gisela, Blade of Goldnight Five-Alarm Fire Hellrider Hixus, Prison Warden Larceny Necropolis Regent No Mercy Phage the Untouchable Quietus Spike Skeleton Key Throat Slitter Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor Vraska, Scheming Gorgon Scourge of the Throne Akroan Horse Captive Audience Goblin Spymaster Forbidden Orchard Clackbridge Troll Hunted Dragon Hunted Lammasu Hunted Horror

Theme directions to explore? Lifegain to stay above the swings? Angelic Chorus Answered Prayers Anointer Priest Authority of the Consuls Ayara, First of Locthwain Daxos, Blessed by the Sun Healer of the Pride Impassioned Orator Pious Evangel  ^Flip Soul's Attendant Soul Warden Archangel of Thune Suture Priest Ajani's Welcome Dawn of Hope Deathgreeter Exquisite Blood Epicure of Blood Falkenrath Noble Karlov of the Ghost Council Noble Purpose Righteous Cause Sanguine Bond Searing Meditation Seraph Sanctuary Serene Steward Shattered Angel Spirit Loop Sun Droplet Vizkopa Guildmage Well of Lost Dreams Alhammarret's Archive Licia, Sanguine Tribune Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim Eternity Vessel Chalice of Life  ^Flip Resolute Archangel Storm Herd Felidar Sovereign Divinity of Pride Serra Ascendant

Aristocrats of the Court (slow life drain strategy)? Bastion of Remembrance Corpse Knight Impact Tremors Purphoros, God of the Forge Blood Artist Zulaport Cutthroat Outpost Siege Bontu's Monument Brutal Hordechief Campaign of Vengeance Cliffhaven Vampire Cruel Celebrant Kambal, Consul of Allocation Polluted Bonds Retreat to Hagra Vindictive Vampire revenge Sorin, Grim Nemesis Judith, the Scourge Diva Stalking Vengeance Syr Konrad, the Grim

Daveslab2022 on Card creation challenge

4 years ago

Ah graveyard-order matters. My favorite. I play manaless dredge in legacy (for fun) and Nether Shadow is awesome.

Undead Champion

Creature - Zombie Soldier

At the beginning of your upkeep, if ~ is in the graveyard with a creature card directly above it, you may pay to return it to your hand.

2/1

Geez that ability sucks. Like it’s not great in game, and it takes up so much card space there isn’t really room for much else.

Anyways, take a mechanic you feel was either under used- like these 2. Or was used a lot, but didn’t have any truly amazing cards

ZorrosRage on First Yuriko

4 years ago

Few cards I would like you to look at

Wash Out can be 1 sided wipe

Etrata, the Silencer you can remove opponents creature and use ninjasu to return card to hand before shuffled to deck

Swiftfoot Boots the haste and protection helps

Strionic Resonator extra ninja triggers

Postmortem Lunge helps get a creature out in a pinch and ninja creature back to hand

Nether Shadow , Nether Traitor helps get creatures even after a board wipe