We’re one week into Duskmourn previews now, and we’ve already seen countless horrors beyond human understanding. The set really is firing on all cylinders horror-wise, with schlocky ’80s references nestled neatly next to genuinely terrifying original creations. It feels like a great balance, and that extends to the power level of the cards, too.
Most cards feel exciting, but not especially broken. That said, one card that could tip a little closer to the latter side than most is Unholy Chamber/Ceremonial Chamber, a brand-new MTG Room card revealed today. Depending on how things pan out, this could be our generation’s Phyrexian Arena.
Unholy Chamber/Ceremonial Chamber MTG
- Unholy Chamber
- Mana Value: 2B
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Text: At the beginning of your end step, draw a card. If you control a Demon, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life. Otherwise, you lose 2 life.
- Ceremonial Chamber
- Mana Value: 3BB
- Card Text: When you unlock this door, create a 6/6 black Demon creature token with flying.
This card was revealed by Japanese MTG vendor Hareruya on its official website. We’ve received no official English translation as of yet, so the above may not be 100% accurate. In all likelihood, however, just the names will change when we do get one.
Room cards are a fascinating new design space for Magic, and this one is a great example of how that space can be filled. Unholy Chamber is a new take on Phyrexian Arena that gets a lot better when you have a Demon out. Ceremonial Chamber, conveniently enough, gives you a Demon. The synergy here is obvious, and it works well no matter which half you unlock first. In most cases, you will likely curve out from Unholy Chamber to Ceremonial Chamber, of course, but the flexibility is nice.
Drawing an extra card every turn for two life is honestly not a bad deal. Drawing an extra card and draining your opponent for two when you have a Demon out is phenomenal. Even in Standard, as we’ll get into later, that’s not a bad rate for three mana at all. A five mana 6/6 flier, even if it is a Demon, is a rougher proposition. As with all of the Rooms we’ve seen so far, though, you can really just consider that a nice extra in the event that you flood out later in the game.
Demons & Draw Spells
Which MTG formats will be able to leverage Unholy Chamber/Ceremonial Chamber most effectively? There are a few strong contenders. I’ve compared this card favorably to Phyrexian Arena in this article already for good reason. Interestingly enough, the original is legal in Standard right now, so we can use that as a baseline for discussion. While it’s not the most popular card in the format, Arena does see regular play in the likes of Golgari Midrange and Mono-Black Discard. Not bad for a 23-year-old card.
Once Unholy Chamber/Ceremonial Chamber hits, it’s very likely that players will sub out Phyrexian Arena for it. It has a less black-intensive mana cost, has a much higher power ceiling, and comes with a Demon you can cast later. It’s not quite strictly better, but agonizingly close. Both of these decks run Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, which comes down right after Unholy Chamber and offsets the life loss, so that’s a nice synergy.
Beyond these obvious switch-ins, I actually think the card may be good enough to build a dedicated Mono-Black Midrange list around. All you’d need to add is a few more Standard Demons. Granted, we’re not exactly swimming in great options in that category right now, but I’m sure we’ll get a few more before Duskmourn is done. If not, we can always just grab Bloodletter of Aclazotz with Demonic Counsel.
If it doesn’t make the cut in Standard, Unholy Chamber/Ceremonial Chamber will have a forever home in Commander. Demons are a popular, viable archetype there, and cards like Phyrexian Arena and Black Market Connections see regular play. Even with no other Demons in your deck, this could honestly be worth running in the majority of black decks. Card advantage really is just that good.
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