This was an era where “land a threat, protect the threat” was a valid midrange strategy, an era where Serra Angel still demanded respect. So when Urza’s Destiny brought Phyrexian Negator and tournament powerhouse Masticore, they saw immediate adoption and ubiquity. Black players were used to being pinged or sacrificing a creature during our upkeeps. At the time, Juzam Djinn was one of the most desired Black staples and most-feared finishers at the casual tables. Others were aggressive enough and the drawbacks minimal enough that they were tournament staples, like Carnophage and its partner Sarcomancy. Some, like Flesh Reaver were deckbuilding puzzles ( Circle of Protection: Black made Reaver less painful, for example), while others were absolute garbage like Grollub and Reclusive Wight. Back in Magic’s early days, Black creatures had massive drawbacks, from Lord of the Pit to Eviscerator. Negator was also attractive as the pinnacle of a design trend that defined Black. One way or the other, your match could end in five minutes flat-which wasn’t uncommon, considering this was the era of Combo Winter, evolutions of Sligh, and Deadguy Red. Alternately, it got hit with a Shock and you had to sacrifice the Negator and your sole Swamp. ![]() Standard decks back in 1999 were often essentially decided rock-paper-scissors-style, but none more so than the mono-Black aggro decks of the era, which sought to land an early Phyrexian Negator and ride it to victory while your opponent was still marshaling various Savannah Lions and casting Whispers of the Muse. The gag of Obliterator’s mana cost is that Phyrexian Negator’s casting cost might as well have been BBB-at the times when it saw play, it was most frequently fired off after a Dark Ritual. Obliterator has nothing in common with the Liches or Temporal Extortion-instead, its progenitor is one-time tournament staple Phyrexian Negator. For old school players, BBBB doesn’t mean “four Swamps ” it means “two Swamps and a Dark Ritual,” something that Phyrexian Obliterator deliberately implies. There are others that contain that black-heavy cost, from Legions icon Phage the Untouchable to current Standard pillar Invoke Despair to army creators like Empty the Pits and Their Number is Legion, but there’s something so iconic about that devoted-but-minimalist casting cost that has kept Obliterator afloat as a Magic touchstone. There have only been four cards with the casting cost BBBB in Magic’s history: Alpha ’s Lich, Odyssey ’s Nefarious Lich, Planar Chaos ’ Temporal Extortion, and Phyrexian Obliterator. Obliterator is both unique and nostalgic, which is a powerful draw. ![]() Obliterator’s failure to take flight in Standard-twice, I’m predicting with great confidence-hasn’t diminished its significant appeal. It traded at a quick clip at Prereleases, going for $20 a copy, and has fluctuated between that baseline and $40, even through reprints, proving its continuous role as a casual staple. The Obliterator was released with much fanfare back in 2011’s New Phyrexia, which was an extremely high-powered Standard format Obliterator’s time in Standard bridged the eras of Caw-Blade and Jace, the Mind Sculptor’s dominance and the Innistrad -era Jund decks. It is relevant, though-as I convalesced, I’ve also been drafting Phyrexia: All Will Be One and trying to force mono-black when I see a Phyrexian Obliterator, one of Magic’s most exemplary stories of lost potential. That’s an absurdly portentous start to an article about Magic: the Gathering, but I did forewarn you that I’ve been moping all week. ![]() How much potential has been squandered because someone had diarrhea-induced dehydration? How many Renaissances delayed because the minds that would kick them off got too overheated with fever? Every life lost is not just the loss of the legacy of that person’s deeds, but their potential, and until very recently, we lost so many lives to preventable and treatable illnesses. While I’ve been languishing in bed, soothed by the ministrations of acetaminophen and Gatorade, I’ve been dwelling on how many poets, philanthropists, and political activists we’ve lost in the age before potable water and penicillin. ![]() I’ve been sick all week, which always puts me in a morose frame of mind.
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