Innistrad/Card comparisons

Magic: The Gathering

Cards from Innistrad compared to cards from earlier sets.

Strictly better

Avacyn's Pilgrim is Llanowar Elves that produces instead of .
Devil's Play is a Blaze with flashback, which itself is a Fireball without the option of additional targets.
Faithless Looting is a colorshifted Careful Study with flashback.
Bump in the Night is a colorshifted Lava Spike with flashback.
Rally the Peasants is a less conditional, white version of Trumpet Blast.
Infernal Plunge is a less effective, red version of Culling the Weak.
Memory's Journey functions like a buffed up and colorshifted version of Krosan Reclamation.
Parallel Lives is the token-copying half of Doubling Season.
Havengul Runebinder is Cemetery Reaper but instead of removing a target creature card as part of the effect, it is part of the cost; instead of giving the Zombie creature token +1/+1 as part of its static ability, Havengul Runebinder puts a +1/+1 counter on it; and instead of being a black Zombie, Havengul Runebinder is a blue Human Wizard.
Avacynian Priest is nearly a functional reprint of Benalish Trapper and Master Decoy, except it only non-Human creatures and its activated ability costs instead of .
Bonds of Faith is Pacifism on non-Human creatures and a simple +2/+2 enchantment on Humans (later printed as Knight's Pledge.
Cobbled Wings is Neurok Hoversail but with the casting cost and equip costs swapped.

Butcher's Cleaver is strictly worse than Loxodon Warhammer, as it only gives lifelink to Humans and it doesn't give trample at all.