Dark Impostor
The exile clause is not just removal; it is a collection mechanism. Most single-target exile in black answers one creature and forgets it, but this ability files every creature it removes into a growing toolbox, granting the Impostor all of their activated abilities. Each activation does two jobs at once: it grows a 2/2 a single counter at a time, and it assembles a Frankenstein of stolen utility. Exile a mana dork and the Impostor taps for mana; exile something with a tap-to-ping ability and it gains the ping; exile a creature with a hefty activated finisher and the body becomes a one-card engine. And because the ability carries no timing restriction, it fires at instant speed: you can exile a blocker mid-combat or hold the activation up as a removal spell that only commits when an opponent overextends. The cost keeps the engine in check. At per use, the card is mana-hungry, so the abilities you steal have to be worth more than the tempo you spend stealing them, and a board of vanilla creatures gives the Impostor nothing to harvest. That conditional payoff is what sets it apart from straightforward exile: the ceiling is enormous against decks built on activated abilities, and the floor is a 2/2 that grinds away threats one expensive turn at a time. It is a card for the long game, where you out-resource an opponent and keep the best parts of everything you kill.


