I recently got my third Illusionary Mask - and whoever said that Type One isn't expensive obviously wasn't a collector. At any rate, I'm now another step closer to completing my Type One collection: One Mishra's Workshop, one Nether Void, one Mask, two Bazaar of Baghdads and two Time Vaults left to go.

I sleeved my newly-acquired, near-mint Unlimited Mask in my binder, and it suddenly dawned on me: I have actually been playing the game for nine years.

Nine years is a long time. As I reminisce about the old days, I grab what's left of my first"killer" deck (which didn't perform quite well as I expected), an Arabian Nights Kird Ape gloriously framed on the wall inside my bedroom, right beside a bamboo mat painted with a dragon fighting with a tiger. That ape served me well - although I do profess that I've lost more than I've won with it. Other components of the deck have since graduated and moved on to greener pastures.

I've seen a lot of bad cards throughout the years... And surprisingly, black didn't have a whole lot of crappy cards. I had to trim down from only twenty or so.

Ghosts of the Damned
This Ghost can be used to temporarily stop two 1/1s from doing damage every turn... But that's about all that it can do. It's also less useful than a Samite Healer, since Healer can stop that one point of damage from sources other than creatures.

10) Murderous Betrayal
Granted, it's card advantage if you use it a second time - if you survive the first. The initial triple-black casting cost isn't too attractive when there are at least a dozen black creature kill cards readily available... All without paying five mana and half your life.

It's also horrible in draft, where the BBB casting cost will mean that it's going to be pretty hard to use it unless you're drafting mono-black (which was a fairly difficult feat in Masques).

9.) Phyrexian Tribute
This may well be the only black spell capable of destroying an artifact, but three mana and three cards is just too much. Powder Keg and Nevinyrral's Disk can easily be added to black decks to thwart artifacts in casual formats; in Block Constructed, Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight was so fast that you didn't have time to set up two creatures in order to blow up your opponent's Bosium Strip or Amber Prison. And in this scenario, you'd be better off with Null Rod.

8) Quagmire Lamprey
One of the most worthless 1/1s in the game. It can kill a Grizzly Bear, but most people would never bother to block it since it only deals one damage a turn. It also bestows the counter on those blocking it, not to those it blocks, making it all the more worthless.

7) Tendrils of Despair
Let's analyze this for a second: The casting cost doesn't even matter, since you'll be casting a creature before you play this card. Sacrificing a creature you've already paid for and one additional mana to get rid of your opponent's two worst unplayed cards.

Whaaaat?!

Not only do you not gain card advantage, you also lost card quality and lost tempo as well! This is the worst discard spell - or it would be, if not for #6.

6) Cabal Conditioning
It's hard enough to use this card effectively, and the casting cost will make you bleed. With so many good black discard spells, this one should be at the bottom of the list.

5) Dripping Dead
A six-mana creature that deals less damage than a Craw Wurm, has zero abilities, can't block, and can be taken down by an Eager Cadet? 'Nuff said.

4) Dredge
Yup! The wording is, sadly, not a typo. For a measly one mana and one card, you get to replace a creature that's about to be sent to the graveyard with another card (which might be a land). This might look good to a novice - but if you analyze it closely, you really didn't gain anything from that exchange. Yes, technically, you're up a card... But you had to use Dredge to get that card, nullifying any advantage gained, and if you hadn't played Dredge you'd have one more mana available, and would have built a deck without a crappy, situational card.

The only situation in which this card could be useful is when your opponent uses Control Magic or Conquer, wherein if it resolves your opponent gets something good. I guess using Dredge nullifies that card advantage, at least some extent.

3) Overeager Apprentice
Let's see...For the price of only three mana, plus one additional card, you get... Three mana!

Mind boggling indeed.

It can be sacrificed to cards #9, #7, and, #4 - if you're lucky enough to be able to cast the combo without being blown to bits first.

Black's last two spots are actually anti-climactic, as I'm pretty sure that nobody would argue that they're the worst two black cards in existence. The problem however, is determining which was worse.

2) Endemic Plague
Guaranteed not to work 99% of the time. Strictly worse than all other board sweepers available. It will probably stay in your hand forever unless it's comboed with Mistform Ultimus. A two-card combo that gets rid of some creatures on the board is just inferior to cards which take everything out, regardless of tribal affinity.

1) Carnival of Souls
An enchantment that punishes you for each creature that you play.

Taking one point of damage on your own accord isn't a very intelligent thing to do. That one extra mana you get might be a bonus...If you can find a way to dump that mana. If you can't, it then becomes akin to tapping your City of Brass and taking mana burn.

You have to endure the pain each time your opponent plays a creature, too. Two points of self-inflicted damage every time a creature hits the board is pretty painful.

I honestly can't think of any sensible combo that could pull this card from the top of the list. If anyone can think of a use for it, please email me at glenchuy@hotmail.com.