Fake Your Own Death (SNC)

Fake Your Own Death
Casting Cost: {1}{B}
Card Type: Instant
Card Text:
Until end of turn, target creature gets +2/+0 and gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control and you create a Treasure token." (It's an artifact with "T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")
Artist: Kari Christensen

Strengths and Weaknesses:

• Strengths:
  • Acts as a combat trick, giving a creature a temporary power boost.
  • Provides recursion for a creature that dies the same turn it's targeted.
  • Generates a Treasure token upon the creature's return, providing a mana advantage.
• Weaknesses:
  • Only effective if the targeted creature dies the same turn.
  • The creature returns tapped, making it vulnerable to sorcery-speed removal.

Deck Utility:

• Sacrifice Decks: Combines well with sacrifice outlets, as you get the creature back and a Treasure.

• Aggro Decks: Can be used to save a key creature from removal while also providing a temporary power boost for more damage.

• Ramp Strategies: The generated Treasure token can act as a form of temporary ramp.

Interactions and Combos:

• Sacrifice Outlets: Such as "Carrion Feeder" or "Viscera Seer" to manually trigger the effect.

• Death Triggers: Combines well with creatures that have beneficial effects upon death, as you get those effects and the creature back.

• Pitiless Plunderer: Would generate an additional Treasure when the creature dies.

Flavor and Lore:

• The card name and artwork imply an underworld scenario where a creature fakes its own death to re-emerge with newfound wealth, represented by the Treasure token.

Overall Impression:

"Fake Your Own Death" is a versatile instant that can be employed both defensively and offensively. It is most effective in decks that can take advantage of its temporary power boost, recursion, and Treasure generation, especially decks that already focus on creature sacrifices or death triggers.