Now that Duskmourn: House of Horror Prerelease has been and gone, we have a better idea of which cards are going to be real players in the coming meta. Sealed is no substitute for Standard, of course, but getting a feel for the play patterns of new cards is still immensely valuable. While a number of cards, like the Enduring and Overlord cycles, have dominated discussion so far, another has risen to prominence this week. That card is Razorkin Needlehead, and it may be one of the best new multi-format MTG cards in all of Duskmourn.
Razorkin Needlehead MTG
- Mana Value: RR
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- Card Text: Razorkin Needlehead has First Strike during your turn. Whenever an opponent draws a card, Razorkin Needlehead deals 1 damage to them.
Razorkin Needlehead’s design is wonderfully elegant. Two red mana symbols in the cost, 2/2 stats, and two abilities. The first gives it First Strike on your turn, which is ideal for a creature that wants to be attacking and not blocking. The second pings your opponent whenever they draw a card, which can be devastating in the right deck. Put it all together, and you have a recipe for a new Aggro all-star.
As mentioned above, Razorkin Needlehead was somewhat overlooked during previews for MTG Duskmourn. Compared to the more flashy enchantment creatures and mythics flying around, a solid Aggro two drop just doesn’t look that exciting. Now that players have had more time to roll the set around in their heads, however, the tables have turned. At time of writing, Razorkin Needlehead is the fifth most expensive card in the set. At around $10, it only loses out to Valgavoth, Meathook Massacre II, Screaming Nemesis, and Overlord of the Hauntwoods.
This high price reflects the increased hype for the card. Across different Reddit threads, players are considering Needlehead for a spot in various meta brews. We’re not just talking Standard, either. Commander, Pioneer, and even Modern all have very serious potential homes for this sharp-suited stranger. If you happened to pick up a copy of this card in your Prerelease packs, you could be sitting on a key piece of the future meta game.
Constructed Cruelty
MTG Standard is the most obvious home for Razorkin Needlehead for power level reasons. There are a number of great homes for it there, too. The most obvious by far is Rakdos Lizards. With cards like Gev and Iridescent Vinelasher, this deck loves cards that can rack up incidental pings over the course of a game. The lack of Lizard typing does hurt the card here, but Deep-Cavern Bat makes the cut right now so I could see Needlehead following suit. The deck could even start running Gift cards like Cruelclaw’s Heist to leverage the extra draws they grant into damage.
The rest of Standard’s Aggro decks aren’t great fits for Needlehead, but it’s worth noting that Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is still in the format and the two play great together. Maybe some kind of Rakdos Midrange deck running both is in the cards for the future? Such a deck is already popular in Pioneer, so I could see Needlehead getting tried out there. There’s a lot of competition in the two drop slot for that deck, however, so it may be tricky to find room. Is Needlehead better than Bloodtithe Harvester or Kroxa? Time will tell, but I’m skeptical.
Perhaps the most interesting home players are predicting for Needlehead is in Modern Hollow One. The deck already runs Orcish Bowmasters to synergize with Burning Inquiry, and this card does so as well. Granted, three damage to the face is a lot less attractive than three damage anywhere and 3/3 in stats, but it still plays nicely and is on-color to boot. With Needlehead and Bowmasters out you an apply serious pressure to the opponent’s life total, which can easily end games in an aggressive deck like this.
Multiplayer Malevolence
The party doesn’t stop there for Razorkin Needlehead. Though it looks like the kind of card that wouldn’t be well-suited to the format, it actually has a ton of potential in Commander too. Card draw is incredibly common in the format, so having a cheap creature that can sit there and rack up damage over the course of a game is a big deal. It also synergizes beautifully with a number of very powerful Commanders.
Perhaps most notable among these is Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls from the Endless Punishment precon. Needlehead is a very easy way to damage each of your opponents on their turns, which in turn will buff your Valgavoth and draw you cards. It’s a no-brainer inclusion in the deck. The same goes for Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin. The synergy here is even more potent, in fact, since Ob Nixilis can trigger multiple times each turn if your opponents draw multiple cards. This version of Ob Nixilis is actually good enough to see play in cEDH, and players are eyeing up Needlehead as a new must-play card for the strategy.
Outside of these more recent Commanders, Needlehead also plays well with some of the old standards. It essentially doubles the damage your Nekusar deck can dish out, which is often considerable as-is due to effects like Howling Mine. It’s also great in Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might as a cheap, reliable source of powered-up pings. Honestly, you could probably slot it into any red deck in the format and have a great time, such is the prevalence of card draw in Commander. Its many powerful synergies are what has jacked up the price, however, and what makes Needlehead an exciting new Duskmourn prospect indeed.
Read More: MTG Duskmourn Commander Precon Contains Two-Card Infinite Combo
