Gloom Surgeon

Creature — Spirit

If combat damage would be dealt to Gloom Surgeon, prevent that damage and exile that many cards from the top of your library.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (6)

wallisface on Mill Yo Self

2 years ago

some thoughts:

• If you're planning to win the game through self-mill, then it feels like your options to do so are fairly non-optimal. Stuff like Glimpse the Unthinkable, Stinkweed Imp, Gloom Surgeon, Hedron Crab, Altar of Dementia and Life from the Loam all seem to be good options for accelerating you towards emptying your deck.

• Carrying on from the previous point, your options to win by actually milling yourself seem really limited, just being Jace, Wielder of Mysteries. I would have expected to see some Thassa's Oracle and/or Laboratory Maniac as backup.

• Modern is a really fast format, and seeing cards costing 4cmc or above is quite rare without running a bunch of dedicated ramp. As an example, a midrange deck like Jund runs just a playset of Bloodbraid Elf, and nothing else above 3cmc. I think you're going to really struggle to cast most of your cards with the crazy-high casting costs they currently have - and I think you should consider dropping all-but 4ish cards at the slots of 4cmc and above.

Coward_Token on Grixis!Zedruu

6 years ago

(I would add a proper community card but that feature seems to be malfunctioning right now.)

Farly straightforward, this card would mostly be Zedruu the Greathearted (although a different character, not simply her gone evil or something) with a casting cost of and an activation cost of . In EDH, this could lead to some fun usage of cards like the following:

(I realize you can basically already do this with any Grixis commander + e.g. Bazaar Trader, but that's a bit less straightforward.)

Wall of cards Show

Vampirism, Pitiless Horde, Aku Djinn, Witch Engine, Yawgmoth Demon, Andradite Leech, Moroii, Ebonblade Reaper, Demonic Hordes, Phyrexian Vatmother, Treacherous Vampire, Takenuma Bleeder, Archdemon of Greed  ^Flip, Immortal Coil, Null Profusion, Phyrexian Negator, Reaver Drone, Blood Funnel, Oni Possession, Benthic Djinn, Yawgmoth's Agenda, Phyrexian Etchings, Master of the Feast, Unholy Fiend, Bloodcurdler, Juzam Djinn, Wretched Anurid, Yukora, the Prisoner, Colfenor's Plans, Sleeper Agent, Gloom Surgeon, Minion of Tevesh Szat, Oath of Lim-Dul, Demonic Pact, Vampire Lacerator, Exiled Boggart, Midnight Oil, Herald of Torment, Jagged Poppet, Flesh Reaver, Measure of Wickedness, Nefarious Lich, Derelor, Ebon Drake, Liege of the Pit, Grinning Demon, Filthy Cur, Fledgling Djinn, Scourge of Numai, Hasran Ogress, Demonic Taskmaster, Thrashing Mudspawn, Gutwrencher Oni, Evil Eye of Urborg, Forbidden Crypt, Bellowing Fiend, Priest of the Blood Rite, Grollub, Xathrid Demon, Blessing of Leeches, Infernal Denizen, Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore, Minion of Leshrac, Lord of the Pit, Abyssal Persecutor

(Hell, even things like Necropotence, Kothophed, Soul Hoarder, Carnival of Souls, Dark Prophecy, Dralnu, Lich Lord and Corpse Augur can be less-than-pleasant for an unsuited person.)

I'm unsure what would be suitable for its upkeep ability. Just copying Zedruu's straight off isn't too inappropriate, as drawing is certainly associated with black and life gain isn't too far out either, but that's kinda boring. Replacing the life gain with something negative towards opponents like milling, discard or plain life loss proportional to the amount of gifted permanent could be one option that's more in line with the color change (thought the negative effects would probably targeted in order to preserve some political potential). Putting a +1/+1 counter per gift on Zedruu the Grixishearted to take advantage of commander damage could also work (especially when combined with auras like Herald of Torment), in which case you could also change power/toughness from the original's 2/4 to 4/2 to signal greater aggression.

For the sake of flavor its subtype would be Horse Djinn, with the artwork depicting a djinn with a mare's head, wearing a mouth-covering veil.

Feedback would be welcome, especially on ways to make Grixis!Zedruu more distinct from the original while still fulfilling the basic function of giving out torturous black cards, in addition to the blue and red ones they both share.

(A version containing green could also be made for the sake of giving that color a chance to show off its painful cards, in which case the creature in question should probably have monkey paws.)

icehit6 on Bloodburn

6 years ago

Too slow I feel like. Could work if you had more hand control, like Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality. Definitely Collective Brutality.

Volt Charge is a no go, it's just too much of a cost for an effect that doesn't really do much for you, and Bloodchief Ascension is also too slow.

Eidolon of the Great Revel is going to kill you, Gloom Surgeon will work against you because you will exile your own cards, and Rakdos Cackler isn't fast enough. I like Bloodghast. I think Goblin Guide and Monastery Swiftspear would do you some good, and I think putting in some other burn spells, such as Lava Spike or Bump in the Night would work well too. Just running off trying to make your opponent lose 2 life per turn after X turn (which could be turn three or four to get your enchantment out and activate it) is too slow.

Chino90 on Pursuit of Immortality

7 years ago

Gloom Surgeon might work as a blocker that helps you thin your library.Doesnt feed the GY though.

Jace, Memory Adept may be useful aswell

landcaster on Unconventional Science

8 years ago

Thank you, an I agree highschool doesn't like people playing magic. Essentially what it is is a race to 5-6 mana depending on the cards in your hand, then you combo off on that turn hopefully armed with enough counter magic to protect the maniac. Paradigm Shift is another way to exile your library, once this is done you cast lab maniac and draw a card, same old song and dance. Divining Witch and Sacred Guide are also different ways to achieve the same effect. Also Sacred guide has to be the only white card in the deck because of its ability to dig for another white spell. I'm also not feeling Gloom Surgeon, but it is very useful at creating a dilemma for agro decks. In short, the thought process when playing the deck is: how do I make it so my library isn't there... then you win the game

grasshopper021 on Waste Not Budget 8-Rack

8 years ago

Actually i lied after i did some more research. If you are worried sherely about decks that beat you down like abzan, you can play Gloom Surgeon if the bridge is way too expensive