The Scarab God’s Black-Blue Colors Were Chosen for Constructed

Mark Rosewater says The Scarab God’s Zombie ties pulled its colors in different directions: Innistrad pointed to , while Amonkhet’s Zombies were . A fan asked for birthday trivia, and Rosewater recalled the color debate: “In the end, we made the card for constructed and went black/blue.” He did not name a specific format, deck, or matchup behind that choice.

A 2017 Standard example shows what that choice could do: U/B Control used The Scarab God as a finisher alongside Torrential Gearhulk, with removal, counterspells, and card draw supporting the long game, rather than building around Zombie aggro (the deck’s 2017 account). For five mana, The Scarab God drains opponents and scries at each upkeep based on your Zombies; its four-mana ability makes a 4/4 Zombie copy of a creature card in a graveyard. If it dies, it returns to its owner’s hand at the next end step.