Use this with Ring of Gix!

  -- By Jonathon Miller from Honesdale on April 10, 2010

P.S. play this with some global tap (siren's call since we're kicking it old school) and a thornbite staff, and you've wiped someone's board clean... Yeah, you're still the king :D

  -- By Eric from Lethbridge, AB, Canada on April 02, 2010

My main man the royal assassin, I remember when you were the king, the coveted black card, the one people would watch you come out in horror (and then scream when Icy Manipulator came out the next turn). Now you are a dollar rare. Power creep does that to you buddy. You're still the king to me man, you're still the king.

  -- By Eric from Lethbridge, AB, Canada on April 02, 2010

i cant beleive people use this and call it good. its only a 1/1 and it costs 3 manas to cast. wake up folks its way to easy to kill and i use regenerating anyway so you will never be able to get rid of my creatures cuz ill just regenerte them next turn. royal assassin bad, locust swarm good.

  -- By Mark N from marshfield, Wisconsin on March 09, 2010

put a sheild of kaldra on this and is hard to not win the game

  -- By Anonymous from USA on March 07, 2010

I am a happy camper that they kept the assassin. Classic black card. Throw some lightning greaves on and have fun.

  -- By Al from Halifax, NS on July 29, 2009

One of the best black creatures ever made, I play with a few in all my decks that contain black in them.

  -- By Shane Lankford from Iowa, USA on July 25, 2009

Hahaha. I could kill him with a Contagion (instant - place two -2/-1 counters on any creature you chose. Remove a card in your hand from the game to play Contagion without the mana cost) the moment you put him into play. Contagion... now That's a good card.

  -- By Anonymous from Swedzia on June 25, 2009

i love this card because when i play him, my opponents expression always changes. any creature they attack with unless it has protection from him die so theyre always scared to attack. i mix a couple of him with goblin sharpshooter. shoot them for say... 2 and then kill something so they untap. love it!

  -- By lucky from phoenix AR on January 20, 2009

great card. I use it against my friends (A.K.A feder vader) and tap creatures with icy manipulator to sabotouge creatures.

  -- By cha-cha boy123 from redneck country on October 24, 2008

My gosh, whoever says that this card isn't amazing doesnt know how to play magic! This can destroy any creature (providing it doesn't have protection from black...) just by tapping. Your opponent has a huge 500/500 creature out? When it attacks, tap assassin....bye big creature. Or for more fn, give it whispersilk cloak or cloak and dagger...shroud anyone? Your opponent will fume when he cant kill it.

  -- By Anonymous from Usa on September 13, 2008

As previous stated, this works very well with Nettling Imp and Icy Manipulator. One other great combo is to pair this up with Kismet. I've also found that Sacred Boon is a terrific spell to help keep him alive, as well as any spell that prevents targeting (Diplomatic Immunity, etc.)

  -- By Lunaticfringe from So Cal, USA on May 06, 2008

One of the best creatures in magic imo. Drop one of these badboys and watch the color drain from your opponent's face:) The art on it is pretty cool too.

  -- By Amoeba from Cleveland Oh on April 11, 2008

this is a great card, combined with norritt it's beautiful. also gives you some time to get bigger and badder creatures out.

  -- By wufu from philly,pa usa on March 06, 2008

It can easily be killed.

  -- By Manta from Indianapolis on December 01, 2007

I love this card. I have had 4 in a deck, but as the competion got better these guys where hard to keep alive. They attract heavy hate. They just have a target on them everytime they come out, but that is logical. They are a threat. If an opponent can't deal with the assassin its lights out!

  -- By Conyark from Ottawa, Canada on August 23, 2007

Cheap to get out and great defense against almost anything.

  -- By Taninriff from Cleveland, OH on July 31, 2007

Having problems killing protection from black creatures????? Icy or Arena to tap said creature, Ersatz gnomes to make royal assassin colourless. Bye bye mr black creature.

  -- By Rikki Belsham from London UK on September 15, 2006

Er, royal assassin is not the best black card ever. That would probably be psychatog. However, royal assassin is great because it can kill creatures EVERY turn, unlike dark banishing. Many times your opponent has to kill it, or they can't attack.

  -- By anonymous from Connecticut on May 28, 2006

Out of all the black cards available, this is one of the most lethal cards black offers. Amazingly cheap card to play that keeps youre opponent at bay.

  -- By Anonymous from Northbridge, MA USA on April 25, 2006

I love this card it is incredebel it seivs me every time. It is th ebest card ever meyd, it cant get eny beter I have pleyd red and black my wol life it`s an seaint.

  -- By Baron Titanium from norwey on August 18, 2005

This card is deadly to everyone if you have a Master Decoy which makes the enemie tap, letting him finish them off

  -- By SCORPIO from Scotland on February 23, 2005

Well, other than having the coolest picture of any magic card (alpha version), this card also has sweet flavor text and design. I love this card. It gets overlooked these days with all the other uberpowerfull cards, but this card is still a lot of fun to bust out every now and then during a friendly game. It's too bad the 8th edition art doesn't live up to the origional...

  -- By Royal Ass. from K.C. on January 15, 2005

A very good card, to say the least. ALWAYS have some creature revival handy. The absolute worst thing that can happen is it gets removed from the game, which really, really sucks. But 90% of the time he's one of the best things you could hope for. Oh, and he destroys black creatues too. Very nice. But, umm, watch out for the Whit Knight, he's a real kick in the arse.

  -- By a control freak from Canada on January 04, 2005

One of the best cards ever. Period. Use with Nettling Imp and you'll be unstoppable. Revised edition kicks butt. Black is the best magic color

  -- By Anonymous from USA on November 21, 2004

Icy Manipulator/Royal Assassin, need I say more? Plus both have come back for an encore in mirrodin and eigth.

  -- By Dan Ayers from Park Falls, WI USA on March 23, 2004

Someone wants to attack you with him out? Kill the creature before it deals damage or use it with Icy Manipulator to tap a large creature and destroy it!

  -- By Anonymous from Canada on December 25, 2003

one of the classic cards i missed for some time.

  -- By v-nox from manila, philippines on September 02, 2003

One of the few black cards that can destroy a black creature. No more do i have to play against a black deck and have 3 useless terrors in my hand when the opponent has all big black creatures in play. He is very useful, if you can keep him alive. The card was such a strain on my opponent that he had to waste a drain life just to kill it. DON'T GIVE THIS CARD THE AXE.

  -- By SCUBA from OH on April 09, 2003

I used to think this was one of the best cards until I faced a deck when every creature had protection from black. Makes this card kind of pointless, eh? But yes, I've had lots of fun with this and an Icy Manipulator.

  -- By Gregg from New Jersey on January 11, 2003

Best black card ever. Period. Use 4 of them with either Icy Manipulators or Nettling Imps. Also be sure to have something to bring them back from the graveyard just in case (but if you're playing with old black cards then you should know this anyway)

  -- By Anonymous from Atlanta on October 18, 2002

royal assassin works great with flood and twiddle. just tap a creature, destroy it, untap royal assassin.

  -- By the reaper from the plane of death on June 29, 2002

I just love this assasin for my killer black-blue deck. It wipes out any tapped creature by just tapping it! Three mana for one of the greatest 1/1's in the game. This card is a must for any black deck.

  -- By Anonymous from Eden Prairie, MN on May 07, 2002

Use with icy manipulator or anything other tapping card to tap opponents creatures and destroy them, or wait until opponent attacks and tap assassin to destroy that creature.

  -- By nick conrad from wilson, ny USA on January 08, 2002

This card is amazing, THE best ever printed black card. If you have 4 out, which I often do, you can destroy up to 4 attacking creatures, and not take damage from them. If you have the money, and you have the deck, pick up as many as humanly possible.

  -- By Jame LoSavio from Chicago, IL on November 15, 2001

i'm sorry it's too good i'm glad it's not banned it's my favorite card yeah!

  -- By chris levy from Bronx, NY USA on November 04, 2001

The power of this single card is amazing

  -- By Hani Ebeid from Denton, Texas on June 04, 2001

Outstanding black card with tremendous power. I recommend this card to any black lover.

  -- By Matthew Davis from Bronson, MI on April 15, 2001