Hey. I decided to post an article here about black cards for booster draft. I wrote this article myself. Keep in mind, I'm not always right and there's no saying you can't win with any color combonation. Make your judgement, this is just my opinion. Thanks!
Card Name
Rating (1 to 10)
Why the rating
Addle
4
Usually when playing black, there will be way too many noncreature cards you'll want in your deck, and probably won't play this one. Still, not bad in the sideboard against mirror and dragon legends.
Agonizing Demise
BR: 9 BU: 8
Removal is king, kicker is just a bonus. urually you'll find that you use this card on tappers and the kicker doesn't do much.
Adradite Leech
8
One of the most underated cards in the set in my opinion, this card is good. Even if you go mainly black with a splash, pumpers rule!
Annihilate
10
Do I really need to explain?
Bog Initiate
3
If you have Soul Burn, Andratite Leech, or Cinder Shade, this is still only okay.
Creamte
3
Pass it, but don't feel bad taking it. Good sideboard against Pyre Zombie, and a Cantrip's a Cantrip.
Crypt Angel
9
See, I don't get this. For the same mana you can have the same body on Phyrexian Reaper. R&D decides that isn't enough and gives it protection, flying, and recursion. What the Hell?
Cursed Flesh
5
Can be mean, but sideboard it unless you're desperate.
Defiling Tears
5
A combat trick for black! Your opponent will never see it comming. Still, with black, there's other cards you'd probably want in your deck.
Desperate Research
1
If you had tons of library manipulation...it'd still suck.
Devouring Strossus
8
Beef is Beef, if you can afford it's upkeep, you'll win. If you can't you'll lose.
Do or Die
7
Every time I've gotten this card, it's been nothing more than Diabolic Edict. I've seen somebody get 2 in a deck and only go 1-2. If you can get this to kill 2-3 creatures, your deck probably sucks with lack of removal.
Dredge
1
Naw.
Duskwalker
8
Hell yeah! Fear rules!
Exotic Curse
8
Maggot Therapy at worse, this will get rid of creatures one way or another.
Firescreamer
5
Overated. I was victim when I first saw this. Usually you'll want a 3/3 4th turn. Sill, it will get block and kill your opponents creature and good in most situations.
Goham Djinn
8
3/3 regenerators are sweet, and potential 5/5 makes this card great. Still, I've gotten 2 of these and another djinn in a deck and got whooped from the slowness. Watch Out.
Hate Weaver
7
2/1's for 2 are amazing. The special ability makes this great.
Hyptnotic Cloud
6
I've never played this card, usually I have something like agonizing demise, scorching lava, and exotic curse in my deck instead. Still, everybody raves it, so you decide.
Maurading Knight
RB: 7 UB: 8
If your opponent has plains, you'llprobably win with this. Plains are common enough with tappers to maindeck this and SB out. Great with tidal visionary.
Mourning
4
This one's good, but usually you won't play it.
Nightscape Apprentice
6
The special abilities are better than you'd think, and one drops are hard to find.
Nightscape Master
9
He'll swing the game in your favor the turn after he hits the table. Unfortunately, your opponent will do some pretty mean things to try and stop him :).
Phrexian Battleflies
4
One drops are prety good. Still, in limited, you need mana for other things than funding creatures.
Phyrexian Delver
5
3/2 for 5 is alright, and recursion is good. The loss of life may keep this in your hand though.
Phyrexian Infiltrator
BR: 2 BU: 8
Against non-blue decks this is amazing. Against blue, your only hope is getting 8 mana (and 4 U) and doing the double switch trick.
Phyrexian Reaper
5
3/3's are good, even for 5. Not much better against green though, you'll find
Phyrexian Slayer
5
Black fliers are hard to find, and this one can kill glimmering angel.
Plauge Spitter
7
2/2 for 3 weenie killer! When it dies, bye bye creatures!
Ravenous Rats
6
In limited, discard is surprisingly good. Very solid creature.
Reckless Spite
10
I'd happily pay 5 life to win.
Recover
5
Good card. You won't play it much though if you draft well.
Scavaged Weaponry
4
Same as recover.
Soul Burn
6
Good kill, direct damage is great, but most burn and creature destruction are better.
Spreading Plague
1
Ehh...
Tainted Well
1
No comment.
Trench Wurm
6
Hill giant is never a bad thing, and a potential stone rain with no card disadvantage is great.
Tsabo's Assassin
10
YEAH!!! Kill your opponents first few creatures and cast him early, throw in a red or blue creature, the game is yours. Watch out for red though.
Tsabo's Decree
8
Non-targeted targeted removal! This can kill anything!
Twilight's call
??
An opponent used this against me in a limited game once, but he was at 1 life while I had burn in hand. Other than that, I've never seen this card or heard about this in limited.
Urborg Emmisary
5
3/1 for 3 is good, especially black ones, where you can kill blockers. The kicker is just a bonus, but don't hold off for it.
Urborg Phantom
RB: 5 UB: 6
The Ability is amazing, just make sure you play this with lots of creatures.
Urborg Shambler
5
I think the drawback is rough, and the BB in the mana costs prevents splashing. Still, I've heard good things and a 4/3 for 4 is no laughing matter.
Urborg Skeleton
4
Regenerators are awesome. Still, it's too defensive.
Yawgmoth's Agenda
8
This card has killed me. They have to kill your creatures twice! The downfall is rough, so don't cast this early!!
Black is the best invasion draft color I think. Get removal and fear and beat away! It's also underdrafted for it's color, so you can easily get 3 agonizing demise and 3 duskwalker. I have many times.
Good luck and have fun, thanks for reading!
The problem with invasion ( as I and others have documented) is that you cant name a best colour, because no colour can go it alone. Granted, black has a lot of powerful spells, and they are easily abused (mostly with U, but red can fit as well). The statement that it is underdrafed is a misconception, and at a tournament draft it may be underdrafted at one table and carrying 4-5 drafters at another, as many people swear by B/U. The bounce/discard symmetry there as well as the number of high cost bombs that are normally played in Sealed are what have given hypnotic cloud a good reputation. Before you crown black king, though, count your evaluations above:
your avreage rating for blacks common creatures is somewhere just about 5/10 by your own analysis (you actually underrated a couple of creatures, but you overrated as many).
I think if you examined the other colours, you'd find that they do better. So black is left with it's great removal, leaving it with the age old problem: What to do about black creatures and pro-black creatures. You can try to burn them, but if they are big , you wont have much luck , and the same colour that gives pro black gives pro red. This is the main reason (other than card advantage drafters dont normally get to play with) that B/U is more popular than B/R. It's so bad that I have actually drafted repulse over reckless spite before, just to have some way of dealing with those creatures.
The reason Invasion is such a marvelous limited set is because wherever a colour seems to have overwhelming strength, it also has chronic weaknesses. Drafting your deck to get around those weaknesses is the true skill, and the thing that that requires is practice. And when players practice, they should not go with only one colour combination , they should draft every style of deck that they see (yes, even 5cg. Its not the best strategy, but if you can draft it WELL, you can draft any type well, because it involves the hardest decisions). Once you find a deck that suits your own style, make no secret that it's your presence, and plan on it (flexibly) going into a draft. This does not mean go into a draft saying 'I WILL draft B/U' but rather "I will make my mark in U (or black, or whatever) and look for my preferred deck. If it is not there, I will adjust to the draft. Any colour in the game could be the one you chose as your base (as a BASE, red is last I would chose, but it can be done) and still leave you with a good deck. But it'll take practice to be able to recognize when the combination you want is not there, and adjust, as well as to know how to draft the combinations you can be pushed into.
Side note: blacks removal is SO good and tempting that often (especially if there are two in the same pack), its even better for you to pass it, as it will set up 1-2 people after you to pass your colours back. Sometimes thats the better way to go. Decide for yourself.
Sorry this got so long. It started as a short rebuttal
Black has great synergy with either red or blue. U/B is just plain mean because of tidal visionary, one of the most underrated creatures in the set. It turns their pro black and black creatures any color you want, and it is amazing with djinn's, weavers, and protection.
This is just the way I draft, and I'm one of the top players at the place I draft, usually getting from 1st-3rd place. This is just my opinion, but thanks for you feedback. :)
Might those creature removal cards have been severely underrated?
Mourning... 4? NOt so sure about that.
Urborg Emissarys' kicker is not just a bonus,
it is a real example of tempo
and should push the rating of this card to 7-8,
and in many cases IS worth waiting for.