Shocking MTG Meathook Massacre 2 paves new path of horror through Duskmourn

Official Duskmourn: House of Horror spoilers continued on Sept. 3 through the MTG Weekly Twitch stream, featuring the Magic: The Gathering sequel card Meathook Massacre II.

The name of a new card called Meathook Massacre II was teased by MTG designer Mark Rosewater before the 13 days of Duskmourn: House of Horrors began. The sequel is based on the original Meathook Massacre from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, which was banned in Standard, Alchemy, Historic, Brawl, and Pauper formats. Mana cost and life gained/loss were features of the original that have taken on a new form through Meathook Massacre II, revealed on Sept. 3 through the MTG Weekly Twitch stream. 

Playing off sequel tropes in the horror genre, according to designer Emily Teng, word of the original Meathook Massacre spread to the plane of Duskmourn where a new variation was created. It’s still an Enchantment in Mono-Black but was given a sizeable mana cost increase while focusing on reanimation instead of life/drain effects. 

• Mana cost: XXBBBB
• Type: Legendary Enchantment
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• ETB ability: When Meathook Massacre II enters, each player sacrifices X creatures.
• Ability one: Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay three life to return that card under your control with a Finality counter on it. 
• Ability two: Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, they may pay three life to prevent that creature from entering the battlefield under your control with a Finality counter on it. 

The XX cost next to the four Black mana pips determines the number of creatures all players must sacrifice through Meathook Massacre II. Paying two mana equals one creature, while paying four mana equals two creatures. To sacrifice three creatures, you’d have to pay a total CMC cost of 10. 

Despite the high cost of Meathook Massacre II, the Enchantment is undeniably strong and will likely have combo pieces in formats like Commander. Unlike the original version, the Mythic Rare sequel will be fun to play with and won’t likely get banned anytime soon. 

You can test out Meathook Massacre II when Duskmourn: House of Horrors digitally launches on Sept. 24 or through Prerelease events at MTG local game stores on Sept. 20.