Since I've been inexplicably pointing out every card on this list that's mostly just a strategy-hoser, I'll do it with this one too. Although I don't really see how it could be any more obvious than it is with Engineered Plague. All it does is weaken a single creature type. So it's the perfect antidote for so-called "tribes" (decks centered around single creature types). And Engineered Plague is a marvelous weapon in that regard, which is a large part of why it ranks above over a quarter of the cards on this list. But even if your opponent's deck doesn't use lots of creatures of the same type, Engineered Plague can still be useful. Most decks will still use some creatures, and if you know which creatures in particular you're most worried about, Engineered Plague can help by either killing your opponent's key creatures or making them easier to kill by other means.#144: City of Solitude
If you're playing a combo deck, and I love combo decks, City of Solitude is an extremely effective way to protect yourself from disruption. Actually, if you're playing any deck where you don't want your opponent messing around with your gameplan by playing spells when it's supposed to be your turn, City of Solitude is awesome. Defense Grid and later Xantid Swarm now provide cheaper ways to get a similar effect, but the original enchantment is still the strongest if you want to absolutely shut out opposing instants during your turn. Until relatively recently, I though City of Solitude had mostly fallen by the wayside in competive decks, but, like some of the other cool enchantments on this list, City of Solitude thrives in Enchantress decks, where, as a bonus, it provides card advantage. But more importantly, it prevents the opponent from actually being able to do anything to stop you. Comboing out feels so much safer when this enchantment is in play.#143: Lurking Evil
Don't worry, this is the last sleeper enchantment on the list. It's also the best one, hands down. Lurking Evil is a 4/4 flyer for BBB. As anyone who's ever played Magic should be able to tell, that's a pretty good deal. To balance things out, you have to pay half your life to make it a creature. If that makes you think a pretty good deal has just become a terrible deal you'd never want, then you've never played against a Suicide deck. Suicide decks play cards to hurt you as much and as quickly as possible, with little to no regard for their own board position. If you lose all of your permanents and are down to 1 life when you bring your opponent to 0 life, you still win. Suicide decks are fast, brutal, can be very good. Lurking Evil exemplifies this archetype quite nicely, coming with a steep cost to your own life total that won't matter if it can beat your opponent to death quickly enough.
#142: March of the Machines
While I do prefer Karn for this mechanic almost every situation, other cards can work too and I have to admit that the enchantment version is nice. It has its own little perquisite in that it makes every noncreature artifact into a creature. While this could potentially lead to all sorts of nifty tricks (my Relentless Pony deck, the greatest deck ever built, relied on Karn's ability for such a trick), probably the most effective thing to do is almost disappointingly simple: play a bunch of artifacts, play March of the Machines, beat the crap out of your victim with, well, your machines. Of course, you'll want artifacts that have advantages other than just sitting around and becoming creatures. You'll want artifacts that are good. And which artifacts are good? Well, that's a topic for another list. Yes, you've been warned. There very likely will be a top artifacts list at some point.
#141: Rolling Stones
Here's yet another card that has a simple effect and works exactly how you'd think it would. Play walls, use Rolling Stones to make it so that your walls can attack, then smash your opponent. I've only seen it a handful of times, but it makes for a very fun casual deck. Walls are great for defense and many of them would be broken with their attacking power if they weren't burdened by the "defender" ability. Rolling Stones unleashes the hidden offensive power of walls. And since it seems to be underappreciated I have to heartily recommend Rolling Stones decks. Your opponents won't expect it and there's just something alluring about attacking with the creatures in Magic that have, since the beginning of the game, been associated purely with defense.
Don't worry, this is the last sleeper enchantment on the list. It's also the best one, hands down. Lurking Evil is a 4/4 flyer for BBB. As anyone who's ever played Magic should be able to tell, that's a pretty good deal. To balance things out, you have to pay half your life to make it a creature. If that makes you think a pretty good deal has just become a terrible deal you'd never want, then you've never played against a Suicide deck. Suicide decks play cards to hurt you as much and as quickly as possible, with little to no regard for their own board position. If you lose all of your permanents and are down to 1 life when you bring your opponent to 0 life, you still win. Suicide decks are fast, brutal, can be very good. Lurking Evil exemplifies this archetype quite nicely, coming with a steep cost to your own life total that won't matter if it can beat your opponent to death quickly enough.#142: March of the Machines
While I do prefer Karn for this mechanic almost every situation, other cards can work too and I have to admit that the enchantment version is nice. It has its own little perquisite in that it makes every noncreature artifact into a creature. While this could potentially lead to all sorts of nifty tricks (my Relentless Pony deck, the greatest deck ever built, relied on Karn's ability for such a trick), probably the most effective thing to do is almost disappointingly simple: play a bunch of artifacts, play March of the Machines, beat the crap out of your victim with, well, your machines. Of course, you'll want artifacts that have advantages other than just sitting around and becoming creatures. You'll want artifacts that are good. And which artifacts are good? Well, that's a topic for another list. Yes, you've been warned. There very likely will be a top artifacts list at some point.#141: Rolling Stones
Here's yet another card that has a simple effect and works exactly how you'd think it would. Play walls, use Rolling Stones to make it so that your walls can attack, then smash your opponent. I've only seen it a handful of times, but it makes for a very fun casual deck. Walls are great for defense and many of them would be broken with their attacking power if they weren't burdened by the "defender" ability. Rolling Stones unleashes the hidden offensive power of walls. And since it seems to be underappreciated I have to heartily recommend Rolling Stones decks. Your opponents won't expect it and there's just something alluring about attacking with the creatures in Magic that have, since the beginning of the game, been associated purely with defense.
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