Abrupt Decay

Instant

This spell can't be countered.

Destroy target nonland permanent with converted mana cost 3 or less.

Discussion (51)

SynergyBuild on You ever win under the ...

2 days ago

Sure thing @Omniscience_is_life!

Fizzle isn't am actual term in the game (it weirdly was pre-sixth edition, but M:TG was wild back then, now it's slang), originally it was the term for when the game itself countered a spell that had no legal targets, and because of that, cards that targeted a spell and would have stated "this spell can't be countered" (think Abrupt Decay, check the old card text for an example) actually stated they couldn't be countered by "spells or abilities" so that the game could still counter them if their targets disappeared, this was changed at Dominaria's release, so that the spell simply didn't resolve, and newer versions of those cards, think Dovin's Veto would not have to have the extra text distinguishing the "fizzling" rules!

For the rulings, under rule 608, for resolving spells and abilities, under subsection 608.2b, I will give you an exact rules quote, as the second example perfectly illustrates why if a target fizzles as long as one legal target remains, the spell will still resolve. Afterwards I will put a link to the comprehensive rules for you to look it up yourself if you want to read more into it!

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608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it was in, its last known information is used during this process. If all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal, the spell or ability doesn’t resolve. It’s removed from the stack and, if it’s a spell, put into its owner’s graveyard. Otherwise, the spell or ability will resolve normally. Illegal targets, if any, won’t be affected by parts of a resolving spell’s effect for which they’re illegal. Other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them. If the spell or ability creates any continuous effects that affect game rules (see rule 613.11), those effects don’t apply to illegal targets. If part of the effect requires information about an illegal target, it fails to determine any such information. Any part of the effect that requires that information won’t happen.

Example: Sorin’s Thirst is a black instant that reads, “Sorin’s Thirst deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life.” If the creature isn’t a legal target during the resolution of Sorin’s Thirst (say, if the creature has gained protection from black or left the battlefield), then Sorin’s Thirst doesn’t resolve. Its controller doesn’t gain any life.

Example: Plague Spores reads, “Destroy target nonblack creature and target land. They can’t be regenerated.” Suppose the same creature land is chosen both as the nonblack creature and as the land, and the color of the creature land is changed to black before Plague Spores resolves. Plague Spores still resolves because the black creature land is still a legal target for the “target land” part of the spell. The “destroy target nonblack creature” part of the spell won’t affect that permanent, but the “destroy target land” part of the spell will still destroy it. It can’t be regenerated.

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https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Comprehensive_Rules

Above is the comprehensive rules!

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Resolving_spells_and_abilities

And above here is the resolution of the spell.

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Now onto why it honestly doesn't affect The Elderspell. You do not need to target the Walker you put the counters on, so it dying before resolution could never fizzle the spell, as fizzling a spell happens before resolution, stopping resolution, and because you never name a target for your Walker, and you can use the spell without a Walker in the first place, the end result is that there is no game state where by killing Liliana in the situation DeinoStinkus explained that it should affect the Narset being destroyed.

These exact scenarios are explained in short detail under The Elderspell's gatherer page, and while many players understand this by reading the card, it was clearly an issue so it was typed up in two rulings on 5/3/2019 (here is the link: https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=the%20elderspell)

So there it is! He should have resolved the spell, narset should be destroyed, Dreadbore is a sorcery, and it is really sad that DeinoStinkus was lied to and/or taken advantage of in a game, either on purpose or by mistake, just because he didn't know the rules.

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Dang RNR_Gaming got the rulings I was talking about posted, and Gidgetimer got some of the others linked! Thanks guys for helping out!

DeinoStinkus, that's great you won, sorry you only learned now how much they duped you, I'd recommend learning all the game rules and relevant card rulings for all of your decks if you are going up against these folk, best of luck! And check when a card is a sorcery ;)

wallisface on GB Modular

6 days ago

Cards to remove:

• 1x Panharmonicon. It’s slow to get out, and doesn’t do enough for you (most of your creatures won’t trigger it)

• 4x Titan Forge. Getting a 9/9 out on turn 7, after spending 12 mana, is a rip off. Even speeding this up a little, doesn’t make it great.

• 1x Foundry Hornet. In our playgroup the only relevant hit will be Blood Artist, and that’s gunna hurt you more than the creature.

• 2x Chief of the Foundry. This guy just doesn’t help the gameplan enough. His +1 boost will quickly become irrelevant compared to the counters on everything

Things to add:

• 2x Throne of Geth. This will give you more sac outlets as well as more ways to get counters

• 2x Lands. 20 seems really low, i think you want 22. If you add 2 of something like Buried Ruin, then you can always get your guys back if you’re getting land flooded.

• 2x Solidarity of Heroes. I can bring these on Friday. A good way to become even bigger quickly.

• 2x Abrupt Decay. I can also bring these on Friday. It feels like they might be useful for dealing with problematic cards other people play.

I think also try to even out you mana colours. You want about half-half black and green - for your winding constrictor on T2. Everything else of colour gets played later anyway when you’ll have ample of both colour. So maybe swap 2 swamps for 2 forests

DuTogira on The Immortal Mr. Mittens

1 week ago

Hex Parasite is a silver bullet and Swiss Army knife put together in this deck. You cite Blast Zone and Ugin, the Ineffable as problem cards. Parasite deals with those, and can remove counters from nine lives. I don’t run black, but by paying 2 life (which is life loss, not damage) I can remove counters from Nine Lives. One or two black sources may be prudent, but the fishbowl won’t tell me that. I can also bounce Blast Zone with Cryptic Command (again, not an answer) which slows down that particular threat enough to where I can hopefully finish a game 1 with Kefnet in time.
Kefnet is here as a very pesky, slightly faster clock than emrakul. Since he has evasion and inevitability built in, he helps close games against many more aggressive/midrange decks quickly, so that they don’t have time to draw outs.
You cite Abrupt Decay, but that can only target Solemnity, not Nine Lives. If I play right, I can either use Cryptic Command to bounce my own solemnity, or can replace the enchantment with a second copy next turn. I’m a firm believer that this deck should run no creature removal by nature of the lock, and that this lack of removal is what justifies spending card slots on the lock itself. If the lock isn’t strong enough... well then I really should just be playing U/W control instead.
As for pesky walkers and lands like Blast Zone which really can ruin my day (as can Oblivion Stone) the post board hope is that some Pithing Needles and my countermagic are enough to play through. Otherwise... rough.

I do appreciate that you’re trying to help me make this deck as good as possible, but I’d rather not go too far down that rabbit hole, as it’s very likely that the most competitive version of this deck just cuts the enchantments and becomes Yorion U/W control.

SynergyBuild on The Immortal Mr. Mittens

1 week ago

• Laughs in the fact pretty much every deck other than blitz has maindeck enchantment removal *

Jund has discard, Maelstrom Pulse, Abrupt Decay (One of it wrecks this entire deck), Assassin's Trophy, etc. Azorius Control can counter it easily, resolve a Teferi, Time Raveler or Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, or even just deck you with a Jace, the Mind Sculptor ult.

Then Eldrazi's have Thought-Knot Seer (somehow always turn 2-3 smh, I hate that deck), Ugin, the Ineffable, All Is Dust, some have Karn Liberated, all of them have Blast Zone, which can't even be countered, and other meta decks don't even often care.

Ad Nauseam doesn't care, Dredge decks just Creeping Chill you after they dealt 15 damage in creatures pre-turn 4 (and runs sideboard Nature's Claims), blitz can kill you by then, Temur Reclamation has countermagic, better draw, and answers like Blast Zone, and the rest of the metagame just fits in with these.

Maybe like 3 years ago players didn't run enough enchantment removal, but as is every deck has the stuff, I love the list, and posted a couple Phyrexian Unlife ones around that time, but even just a few months later that deck was outdated and couldn't compete, and more and more cards have come out shutting down this strategy, as Abrupt Decay killed the blue-white counter versions and now Assassin's Trophy/Blast Zone put it in the grave, as the list spends so much to get the lock it needs a slow enough wincon the opponent can disrupt it and win.

As is I can really only see a Blood Moon variant to screw up some of the Blast Zones and the mana to cast Abrupt Decay and it's ilk. +1 on the list though, I do love the deck, I just don't think it's great in the metagame ;-;

SynergyBuild on Why does remand even exist?

2 weeks ago

Omniscience_is_life That one can work on cards like Abrupt Decay, but not on any creature, enchantment, planeswalker, or artifact.

SynergyBuild on Getting Rid of the Majority ...

2 weeks ago

Apologies, I had already posted a comment however it appears to be missing, may I see images of Vexing Shusher, Gaea's Cradle, Mox Diamond, and Abrupt Decay?

I'm also down to pick up a Swords to Plowshares, Arboria, etc. But as their physical damage matters less I don't mind not getting images!

TriusMalarky on Abzan

2 weeks ago

• Siege Rhino is probably a solid win condition here. Attacking resources and then following it up with a solid body with an ETB should make it really hard for your opp to get ahead on any axis.

• You want 4x Path to Exile, 4x Assassin's Trophy, 1-2xMaelstrom Pulse, 1-2x Abrupt Decay, 2-3x Settle the Wreckage, and 1-2x Winds of Abandon. Heavy removal suite, followed by decent creatures.

• Leonin Arbiter, Aven Mindcensor are obviously 4 ofs

• Thoughtseize and Mana Tithe are also 4-ofs.

• Fulminator Mage

• Consider Rolling Spoil as a sideboard card.

You really should be heavily taxing everything your opp does, so TS and Tithe early are great ways to keep them down. Then you move to some more heavy land destruction, and eventually win with Rhino.

Or at least that's how I'd do it.

GearsGames on 2020 Modern Abzan Midrange

2 weeks ago

I like what Abzan is capable over Jund this list seems to be pulling too much from Jund play style for me though. Have you considered using white or even some green to have more interaction? Cards like Abrupt Decay, Abzan Charm, Eldritch Evolution and Murderous Cut come to mind. Some good creatures you could play around with as well even if only as a Sideboard option for some match ups Cloudshift for protection/extra ETB's, Kitchen Finks, and Orzhov Pontiff.