Sometimes formats get a bit dull. It happens from time to time, and there isn't all that much you can do about it. It's unavoidable. As players shifted into Extended mode earlier last year for PTQ season, and now that States is done and over with, Standard has gotten a little stale.

There are a few events every year that infuse a Standard format with life, and one of these things is a set release. Suddenly, players are back to the drawing boards, searching through new cards to implement in old decks, and even developing new decks to fit the latest releases.

One of the cards spoiled by [url=http://www.Wizards.com]Wizards of the Coast[/url] two weeks ago was a powerful and odd little number by the name of Abyssal Persecutor. Let's take a look at him.

So what does a "reverse Platinum Angel" mean for the competitive scene? A lot, and I'll explain why.

Abyssal Persecutor is reminiscent of the powerful Juzam Djinn from yesteryear. When the 5/5 for was printed in Arabian Nights, he was a huge hit. He offered a sizeable amount of power for his cost, and the paltry one life per turn was not enough to keep people from playing him.

In the same way, Abyssal Persecutor is a powerful creature for a low mana cost. Unlike Juzam Djinn, though, his abilities are much stronger (he has flying and trample) and his drawback is more severe. With Abyssal Persecutor in play, it is impossible for your opponent to lose. However, Abyssal Persecutor gets an opponent down to below 0 life very quickly... and winning the game is a simple matter of getting him to leave play. So how big of an issue is his ability, after all?

Let's take a look at a deck list, and find out.



If my math is right, it turns out that Abyssal Persecutor isn't bad at all. Racing against Persecutor is impossible, especially with 6-point chunks of your life total falling off of your opponent every time you take a swing with him. Sure, it's true that he is a creature that dies to almost everything, but then, so is Baneslayer Angel. At , he can just get damage through quicker than most decks can manage.

With the list I've posted here, there are 12 ways to remove him from the battlefield after you're done wrecking your opponent with him. If you want to get cheeky, you can ditch the Fleshbag Marauders for Bone Splinters, which is pretty solid with Bloodghast and also can get your Abyssal Persecutor dead without the ability to counter it.

Think of Persecutor this way. In a control matchup, you end up with a ton of useless removal in hand. What better way to win the game than by using your own removal on your guy once you've already killed them? In aggro, they have to be able to get around the Persecutor - not an easy feat, because most aggro decks are running removal like Earthquake and Lightning Bolt. Against a large portion of the format, he does some major damage, very quickly.

As a side note, he invalidates two of Grixis Control's best cards - Cruel Ultimatum and Sphinx of Jwar Isle. Whomp whomp.

I really do think that Abyssal Persecutor is the real deal, and I expect to see him plenty in the upcoming Standard. Get your set before they go up in price - because trust me, I think they're going to. See you all at the Worldwake Release Events this weekend!