u/CronoDAS

There have been a lot of rules changes between when Icy Manipulator was actually good and now, so it becoming obsolete wasn't just a matter of power creep. I lowered the mana cost and made it do the things it did back under earlier versions of the rules. How would it line up in contemporary Standard and Limited? Is this the right power level for an Uncommon card in Limited, or would it be overpowered for that?

Hypnotic Specter used to be a terror back in the day, but, like many a classic Magic card, power creep and format changes have made it a card that just isn't scary anymore. So I wanted to design a card that would give today's players the same kind of "oh crap" feeling that an early Hypnotic Specter would have given someone in 1995. Hypnotic Specter without Dark Ritual wasn't nearly as impressive and a 2/2 flyer for three mana just isn't going to cut it today in Standard Constructed, so this version lets you turn any black card in your hand into the "Dark Ritual" part of the infamous "Swamp, Ritual, Specter" opening.

I also made sure that the mana value stayed at three so it would dodge removal that only worked on creatures of mana value two or less.

Would this actually be playable in a Standard with contemporary Magic's power level?