The Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2020 has had more hits than misses, especially with Mythic Rare cards, until the release of the planeswalker starter deck feature of Sorin, Vampire Lord.
Following the revealed M20 Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord from earlier in the week, Sorin, Vampire Lord is a generic Magic: The Gathering planeswalker with too high of a mana cost. While not every Mythic Rare can be a hit in the 280-card M20 set, Sorin, Vampire Lord is clearly just Planeswalker Deck filler.
Sorin, Vampire Lord
Costing six mana (double black) to cast, Sorin, Vampire Lord gives a target creature plus two/plus zero until the end of turn with his plus one loyalty counter. Sorin’s minus-two loyalty does provide some usefulness, however, dealing out four damage to any target while providing four life.
Beginning with four loyalty counters, Sorin, Vampire Lord has a minus-eight ultimate, which seems good but likely isn’t. Until the end of turn, each Vampire you control can tap to gain control of an opponent’s target creature.
Related: MTG Core Set 2020 seeks blood with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
The ultimate only lasts until the end of the turn, though. While it can be a win condition (depending on the number of creatures your opponent has compared to your vampires and their attack power), it’s a one-shot deal that will take four turns to reach.
For a starter pre-constructed deck, Sorin, Vampire Lord isn’t special, unlike the Planeswalker Decks pumped out during MTG War of the Spark. There are other M20 Planeswalker Decks worth picking up and playing, though.
The Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker Decks in Core Set 2020 are set to release on July 12.
