In the best way possible, Wizards hasn’t been shy about leaning into Duskmourn: House of Horror’s haunted house vibes. It may not be as scary as Phyrexia or as classic as Innistrad, but it’s nonetheless an absolute romp. Playing with concepts from modern horror, Duskmourn is jam-packed with weirdly fun references amidst the grotesque horror elements.
One of the main inspirations for Duskmourn appears to be horror films in particular. We’ve got direct references to films like Ghostbusters as well as to themes like stupidly splitting up. Thanks to these cards, it’s no small surprise that Duskmoun features a literal slasher villain who is almost unkillable. In terms of flavor, Unstoppable Slasher is an absolute win for MTG.
Unstoppable Slasher
Michael Myers Unstoppable Slasher isn’t exactly fast, but if they hit you it’s pretty much game over. Not only do they have Deathtouch to kill creatures, but they literally cut you in half. The fact you’re still alive after that is some small miracle if you ask me. Unfortunately, Unstoppable Slasher can just keep cutting, even if they’re dealt with.
Like a good slasher movie villain, Unstoppable Slasher lives up to their namesake as they just won’t die. Even if they get removed they immediately get brought back, albeit with two Stun Counters attached. If your opponent really wants them gone, they’ll have to kill them again while they’re down for the count.
While exile-based removal will kill Unstoppable Slasher dead, you’re getting a great deal by playing them. Either they take up an incredibly valuable removal spell or two lesser-quality ones. This kind of has to be done as if they’re not dealt with quickly, then Unstoppable Slasher can pile on the hurt.
Should they just connect once, Unstoppable Slasher can cleave your life total from 20 to 9 in one attack. If they get in again, you’ll be down to just three life. Another turn and it’s all over. This makes Unstoppable Slasher a must-kill threat, but that’s not so easy, as mentioned.
Stopping the Unstoppable
As mentioned earlier, exile-based removal is your best bet to kill Unstoppable Slasher. Elspeth’s Smite is one of the best cheap and effective options in this regard. Alternatively, spells like Torch the Tower can work in a pinch, provided you can pay the Bargain cost.
While exiling Unstoppable Slasher is the nuclear option, prison effects will also keep them in check. Trapped in the Screen may well be vital in Duskmourn Limited and in Standard too once it’s legal. Thanks to this card having Ward 2, getting the Slasher back will take a decent bit of doing.
Mercifully, even blue shouldn’t struggle too much to deal with the Slasher thanks to countless options for counterspells. Alternatively, Stay Hidden, Stay Silent can keep Unstoppable Slasher tapped before shuffling it into your opponent’s library. Once again, this card will likely be invaluable in Duskmourn Limited considering the threats haunting the house’s halls.
Unfortunately, green is a bit hard done by when it comes to dealing with Unstoppable Slasher. Since it has Deathtouch, you don’t really want to throw any major threats in front of it. Instead, you’ll need something like Tear Asunder, although that requires a black splash for the Kicker cost.
Outside of spells, you can just keep chump-blocking Unstoppable Slasher. Considering Popular Egotist is in Duskmourn, this may be the most flavorful option. So long as you can keep creating tokens you don’t mind losing, Unstoppable Slasher will struggle to get by. Even if that happens, however, they’re still one hell of a scary blocker.
Putting the Mid in Midrange
Given they’re a powerful black card, there are no prizes for guessing where Unstoppable Slasher may see play in MTG. While the archetype isn’t all that in Standard right now, they’re a shoo-in for black-focused midrange decks. Technically, they could see play in Standard Dimir Midrange, but this tends to be more counterspell-focused rather than removal-focused.
Thanks to the value they provide as a consistent blocker and powerful threat, Unstoppable Slasher is bound to get played somewhere. This card is also bound to be useful in Commander, especially considering the format’s higher life totals. While going from 20 to 9 is punishing, going from 40 to 19 hurts that much more.
Outside of these MTG formats, and Duskmourn Limited, Unstoppable Slasher is likely going to struggle somewhat. As much as it’s a potent three-drop, it’s a touch slow and it lacks added utility that could push it over the top. That being said, players are bound to experiment with the card so we’ll have to see where it ends up.
Read More: New Blue MTG Bomb Makes a Copy Effect Seem Disappointing
