Oversoul
The Tentacled One
Before there was Cabal Coffers, there was Lake of the Dead. I don't think that I've personally used the card in many, many years, but it was once a prize of my collection. I've already sung the praises of Dark Ritual, so it probably isn't too hard to figure out how I used Lake of the Dead: pure, distilled, lightning-fast acceleration of sheer power. Lake of the Dead came out a bit too early to be involved in the tournament Suicide Black decks that would later emerge, but it arguably would fit right in, providing a burst of speed for a price. The card disadvantage aspect may be too much these days, but in the 90's, it was tough to beat this kind of tempo. And the artwork was superb.
In a more controlling deck, Cabal Coffers or Liliana of the Dark Realms would overpower the mana production of this hungry land. But even today, I could see the right sort of deck wanting the more immediate boost granted by Lake of the Dead. A common play was to drop this third turn, sacrifice a Swamp to it, and cast Dark Ritual for a total of 8 mana. Green mana ramp can potentially beat that, but not very easily.
In a more controlling deck, Cabal Coffers or Liliana of the Dark Realms would overpower the mana production of this hungry land. But even today, I could see the right sort of deck wanting the more immediate boost granted by Lake of the Dead. A common play was to drop this third turn, sacrifice a Swamp to it, and cast Dark Ritual for a total of 8 mana. Green mana ramp can potentially beat that, but not very easily.