by Can Tran

Created on: November 06, 2009

"Magus of the Abyss" is a 4/3 black human wizard printed as a rare for the Magic the Gathering expansion set known as "Future Sight." It is one of the five special "magus" cards printed in Future sight which brings forth the effect of a certain enchantment. In respects to Magus of the Abyss, it is reminiscent of this black enchantment spell called "Abyss." When used in the right deck, Magus of the Abyss can be pretty invaluable to have on the battlefield.

The converted mana cost for Magus of the Abyss is four. You are going to need one black mana and three colorless mana to play Magus of the Abyss on the battlefield. For what Magus of the Abyss can do, the converted mana cost is well worth it. Keep in mind that Magus of the Abyss is no longer legal in the standard format. However, you can use this card in extended, Time Spiral block, and a few other formats. In an extended format, Magus of the Abyss is pretty invaluable.

What does Magus of the Abyss do in the first place?

When Magus of the Abyss is on the battlefield, each player picks a nonartifact creature that s/he controls. That creature is destroyed and sent to the graveyard. Also, the creature cannot be regenerated. It is similar to the black enchantment known as "The Abyss" which had come out in one of the earliest expansion sets known as "Legends." Bringing out Magus of the Abyss can really mess up an opponent's momentum.

With each turn, a creature gets sent to the graveyard. Unfortunately, this applies to you as well. However, there are ways to override that. You should make a multicolored deck with artifact creatures along with creatures that have Protection from Black or Shroud. In a black and white deck, you can use cards such as "Ethersworn Canonist," "White Knight," and "Stillmoon Cavalier." Ethersworn Canonist cannot be targeted because it is an artifact creature. White Knight and Stillmoon Cavalier have Protection from Black.

You can even use "Pristine Angel." As long as Pristine Angel remains untapped, it has protection from almost everything. It does have Protection from Black as long as it is untapped. In this respect, you got a defensive blocker that cannot be destroyed by Magus of the Abyss.

You can even use "Darksteel Colossus" which is an artifact creature that is indestructible. Since it is an artifact creature, Darksteel Colossus cannot be targeted by Magus of the Abyss.

Overall, Magus of the Abyss is a pretty good card to have as it constantly keeps opponents on their toes. However, "Smokestack" seems to be a bit better for the most part because it does not just target creatures. Magus of the Abyss is a good card provided you have creatures that cannot be targeted.

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