Dark Confidant

mono black decks usually have a hard time getting rid of enchantments, one reason phyrexian arena isn't always better

This card can be dropped on turn 1 by using Dark Ritual, along with Sensei.... Upkeep, use Sensei first, and you'll receive no damage at all. Phyrexian Arena is good, but in some decks like Dead Guy Ale, this creature is far better. Equip with Jitte of SoLS and you may notice how strength this card. If your life in danger, use Cabal Therapy's Flashback..!!! Amazing card especially in Fish or Dead Guy Ale Deck..!!!

Anyone Who gives this card less than 5stars should be shot.

Competitive legacy/vintage uses this card to its full advantage

Turn 1 sensei's top and turn 2 dark confidant should usually win you the game.

im playing these in a BU dreadstill legacy deck. they work really well especially if you get to drop a standstill on turn 3 without anything else on the board but this guy and your top.

If you're complaining about losing too much life to this card then you're obviously playing it in the wrong deck. It needs to be run in a deck that is predominantly 1 and 2 casting cost spells. The idea is that you outdraw your opponent and you utilitize your superior quantity of resources to control the game and kill them quickly (preferably with combo - see Ad Nauseum decklists). In response to the post about Phyrexian Arena, the main reasons confidant > phyrexian arena are that A) It's 1 mana less to play which makes a fairly big diff B) It doesn't require 2 black mana to play, which in a multi color deck is a big diff C) It attacks for 2 damage a turn and D) you can tell by looking into his eyes that he's out for blood. Arena does have the main advantage of being an enchantment and therefore less likely to get destroyed, however I don't agree that the life loss is better with Arena since you end up having to pay 1 life to draw land and 0cc spells while confidant makes you lose no life.

who is talking about lifeloss? come on people, at least 1/3 of your deck is lands... if you play this card, another 1/3 is one mana spells

brilliant card! 5 stars

card advantage........at any price........hahaha!! with recent restrictions on brainstorm, ponder, gush and merchant scroll .... oh boy he is even stronger than before. Hello dreadnought, hello duress and hello thoughtseize !!

i play this in my black/white agro/control deck for type 2 tourneys, and have won. its pretty good if your average manacurve is about 2 or less. run it with mortify, pillary, and martyr of sands, and the life loss woulnt be a problem. glorius anthem makes this guy a better swinger, and stops those pesky one drop ication javeliners.
i lend 4 of em to my friend sometimes too, it works well in his white/red boros deck.

remember, life is a resource, not a measurement of whos winning and whos loosing. it is ment to be spent.

One of the best cards in magic. Expect him to see tournament play in almost every deck that runs black.

One thing that no one else has pointed out yet is that if you draw a card that has X in the converted cost, X counts as 0, so Dark Confidant wouldn't hurt much at all on some pretty powerful cards. I'd like to see this in a blue/black/red deck with tons of X spells like Psychic Drain, Invoke the Firemind, Fireball-esque spells, etc.

This is a very good card used with Sensei's Divining Top because then you can get lands with dark confidant and not lose life

Any suicide black or aggressive deck with black should run four of these. The card advantage will get you the win faster than DC will rob you of your life, especially if you run life gain (Jitte anyone?).

this guy is the closest we can get to necropotence this days!!!! I'm willing to spend 1 damage and draw and extra savannah lions!!!this guy rules!!!

Use it you will be surprised how it will help you win games. The Best Creature out of Ravnica in my opinion.

The math has been extensively done on this guy in an average deck you will lose less around 1.387 life per turn. This is such a small price to pay for drawing an extra card per turn. This guy is essentially a howling mine for only you that beats your opponent in the face for two per turn. NUFF SAID!

He only will always do at least 1 damage if you don't have any Lands in your deck. An efficient beater that draws you twice as many cards = house.

A 2/1 for two mana with ANY ability is usually playable at least casually, but one that can get you an extra card every turn is huge. I run four in my black aggro deck, but any deck with a tight mana curve could exploit this card. It only requires one black and one colorless! With all the painlands and multilands it shouldn't be hard to drop. 5 stars.

He is awesome, but I like Phyrexian Arena better in most cases. If your deck contains only 0 and 1 drop spells, then this dude is definitely better, but in every other circumstance, Arena will cost you less life over the course of a game.

Works out pretty well in aggro decks. Nice with cards like necroplasm too. Overall a powerful card.

It is a good card with a pretty good effect but not somthing to have if you are loosing by life or cards. If you want this card you probably should put alot of life giving cards in with it, and i mean ALOT.

I guess if you put the DC in a super-cheap deck, or (gasp) one running 4 Slaughter Pact and 4 Pact Of Negation where you get them for free :D, then it might work out, but against say a burn deck, you stand much of a chance...

Im sure that this is useful in certain situations. I got a holo one and a normal one of these and at first I was kinda disappointed, I'm not a big fan of the ability, but I am a big fan of how much it's worth.

you need to be careful with what is in the deck with this dude, but still worth it. better with white. that way, you can:keep'em alive and of course, gain some life back. that 1 toughness can be frugal.

this guys IS good indeed, but what if you draw a bit more expensive card like Lava Axe (who the hell uses that?)
or the epic spells u know that cost like 10 mana! but u shuld get it if you have a black weenie/removal-deck

Reveal draw + 2 life losse average, nobody ever heard about Phyrexian Arena! Both extended. Who the hell plays Block?

this cards not to good because you lose at least 1 life every turn but can still be pretty helpful