Bitter Ordeal

Sorcery

Search target player's library for a card and remove that card from the game. Then that player shuffles his or her library.

Gravestorm (When you play this spell, copy it for each permanent put into a graveyard this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Discussion (50)

Last_Laugh on Why Not Return to an ...

5 days ago

Most supplemental sets aren't focused enough to contain more than a few cards from any given plane. The good news is they're already doing what you're suggesting in supplemental sets... see Modern Horizons/Commander 2018 and Kamigawa/Ninjutsu as a prime example.

I also like the way they've brought back broken mechanics like affinity for artifacts via buy a box promos. I wish we could get some of the Future Sight abilities this way that're only featured on one card like Transfigure (3 cmc please!) and Gravestorm ( Fleshwrither / Bitter Ordeal ).

K1ngMars on "Library.exe has stopped working" | Phenax Primer

3 weeks ago

Thanks for pointing such ruling error out, JaceFromStateFarm! When I decided to include Bitter Ordeal , I didn't check for any errata for Gravestorm, but rather only the rules text on the card, which doesn't specify from the battlefield and so I thought of it as a type check on the cards that went to the graveyard (from anywhere). Effectively, "permanent" isn't a card type or supertype, so I should've figured it out.

Anyways, since I was already planning on some small update on the deck, I'll ponder on a functional substitution or removal of such effect from the deck. The update should come in soon, or rather, as soon as I'll have time for it! Of course, my combo section in the deck's description will have to be updated too, oh boy...

THCue on "Library.exe has stopped working" | Phenax Primer

3 weeks ago

Okay I ordered couple more cards got the Cranial Extraction and I was missing the Bitter Ordeal and Cyclonic Rift two major key players in the dilemma. Another player being Junktroller and Lim-Dul's Vault He will allow me to keep casting these cards.

I'll have a rematch with the player and play him a few more times and report back.

squadcarxmar on "Library.exe has stopped working" | Phenax Primer

1 month ago

Yeah THCue is right. Wheel of Sun and Moon is a replacement effect. Nothing is hitting the graveyard.

Removal can include things like Bitter Ordeal (already mentioned), Sadistic Sacrament , Nightmare Incursion , Jester's Cap , Praetor's Grasp , Cranial Extraction , and counterspells in general would handle the card. Nevinyrral's Disk can get Wheel back into their library and off the field. There are other exile cards from library effects but those are pretty good ones I listed in my opinion. Cranial might be a better bet in case it's in their hand.

Black and blue can't do a whole lot against enchantments and artifacts once they're out besides maybe bouncing them to hand with blue?

K1ngMars on "Library.exe has stopped working" | Phenax Primer

1 month ago

Well THCue, I have a friend running a Rhys the Redeemed deck, and the Wheel it's there too. My plan is usually to focus on milling him first with all my resources to mill the Wheel too: at that point, I'm fine, since he doesn't have recursion for enchantments.

However, if he manages to cast it early, the deck lacks specific interaction for enchantments, so you could be screwed. Note how you still can attack him for damage with X/X creatures or kill him with Duskmantle Guildmage / Bloodchief Ascension and some big mill.

It definitely is a card that gets in our way toward victory, but there are workarounds. Remember that you also have cards like Bitter Ordeal to remove specific threats from the library (like Eldrazi titans). Again, in my deck's description there's a section explaining how to counter a specific meta with cards that go against the mill strategy.

Profet93 on Pin Cushion

1 month ago

Keep me updated! Also, thoughts for Yawgmoth's Will ? Or budget version like Deliver Unto Evil ?

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed can be eternal witness for black cards. Synergizes with volrath's stronghold for continuous recursion. Additionally, he works well with Corpse Dance . Not necessarily recomending dance but it's a fun synergy, dance also goes well with sac outlets.

Cavern of Souls could name human for your commander and 3 others or vampire demon or eldrazi. You already run defense grid and boseju so I assume blue is giving you issues.

The one issue I have with your list is cards like Bitter Ordeal which don't do much on their own. Kind of "win more." I would cut for something else. It's a neat wincon, but doesn't advance your position.

Kavle on Does this work the way ...

1 month ago

Ok, say I have a Nyxborn Shieldmate as a creature out enchanted by another Nyxborn Shieldmate, another creature enchanted by Necromancer's Magemark , and a Blood Funnel .

I cast another Nyxborn Shieldmate for W targeting either your already enchanted Nyxborn Shieldmate (both aura sheildmates become creatures) when you sacrifice the creature sheildmate for Blood Funnel .

Additionally, because the creature sheildmate was enchanted by an aura, it has Necromancer's Magemark raise dead effect returning it to my hand.

From this point I could cast the returned Nyxborn Shieldmate for W targeting one sheildmate, and sacrificing the other.

There would be other cards that work well with this like Athreos, God of Passage , Blood Artist , Hall of Heliod's Generosity , Sigil of the Empty Throne , and my favorite Bitter Ordeal .

And I found this hiding: Bestow and Cost Modifications

I'm just making sure this part is correct: "So, by the time you get to applying Thalia, it’s a noncreature spell and will cost you 1 more. By the time you get to applying Heartless Summoning, it’s not a creature so you won’t get the discount."

If Thalia, Guardian of Thraben would increase the cost because it's a noncreature, then Blood Funnel should reduce it too, right?

I think I answered your question and brought it back around to my question in maybe too many words there lol.

TitaniumTP on K'rrick Kobain and his Monster Mash

1 month ago

Let's get down to business, shall we?

DELETE THIS

Venser's Journal , Mindcrank , Armillary Sphere , Dash Hopes , Doomblade, Street Wraith , Leshrac's Sigil ,

QUESTIONABLE

Noosegraf Mob , Phyrexian Reclamation , Kaya's Ghostform , Blood Tribute , Whip of Erebos , Armillary Sphere , Reiver Demon , Pestilence Demon , Magus of the Mirror , Endling , Bloodthirsty Aerialist

At first glance these are what I think you should delete and think about deleting.

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COMBO TIME

I notice that you have combo potential with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed . The only 2 card combo with him is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion . All other combos with him require 4 pieces.

1. The man (zombie?) himself: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

2. Sac outlet - Viscera Seer , - Ashnod's Altar , - Carrion Feeder ,

3. The Sacrifice (something with persist, or that can somehow remove the +1/+1 counter from Mikaeus, the Unhallowed ) - Lesser Masticore , - Putrid Goblin , - Skinrender if you put the 3 -1/-1 counters on itself each time it enters, - Puppeteer Clique , - Lingering Tormentor ,

4. ALL THESE TRIGGERS - Bitter Ordeal for infinite exiling of decks, - Falkenrath Noble for infinite damage, - Vindictive Vampire for infinite damage, - Zulaport Cutthroat for infinite damage, - Vengeful Dead for infinite damage, only if sacrificed creature is a zombie, - Blood Artist for infinite damage, - Pitiless Plunderer for infinite mana, - Pawn of Ulamog for infinite colorless mana, - Deathgreeter for infinite life, - Smothering Abomination for infinite card draw,

MORE COMBO

You also have the 3 piece combo of

1. Sanguine Bond
2. Exquisite Blood
3. Anything that either causes you to gain life, or an opponent to lose life - Leechridden Swamp , - Ebony Charm , - Death Cultist , - Nightmare's Thirst

I recommend using instant speed interaction for the 3rd piece of the combo, so you can respond to removal by winning

If you decide to follow The Way of The Combo, you should also add library searching effectz to help make sure you always find your pieces.

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LIBRARY SEARCHIN EFFECTZ

Expedition Map for finding lands for ramp, or combo pieces if you go for the aforementioned Leechridden Swamp combo Scheming Symmetry , Behold the Beyond , Demonic Collusion , Diabolic Tutor , Final Parting , Mastermind's Acquisition , Doomsday , Demonic Collusion , Dark Petition

The more combo and storm heavy your deck is, the more search library cards you will want to add.

EXTORT OP

Basilica Screecher , Thrull Parasite , Syndicate Enforcer

Nothing much to add here, but extort is so broken in this deck. Extort will be extra powerful in storm builds.

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Okay, it's Mana Time

Caged Sun

COOL LANDS

Castle Locthwain , swamp with benefits, Thespian's Stage , can become a copy of other dank lands like Temple of the False God and Cabal Stronghold , Crystal Vein , pop it on the turn where you're going to try and win, Westvale Abbey  ^Flip, potential wincon, Leechridden Swamp , potential combo piece and also fun to use with leftover mana, Bottomless Vault , probably sucks but you could use it in a storm deck, Memorial to Folly , Mortuary Mire , Temple of the False God , Myriad Landscape , ramp that looks like a land

Mana Rocks

Cryptolith Fragment  ^Flip probably not good, Thran Dynamo , super epic, Hedron Archive , Prismatic Lens , Fractured Powerstone , you know you want this for the planeschase ability, Sisay's Ring , Ur-Golem's Eye , Liliana of the Dark Realms , Nirkana Revenant , Paradise Plume , Magus of the Coffers , Black Market

For mana rocks you want the best bang for your buck, since you can just pay life instead of {B}. I like the mana rocks that cost {4} but tap for {2}, and the ones that cost {2} and tap for {1}. The more control heavy your deck is, the more rocks you want.

Ramp

Wayfarer's Bauble , Burnished Hart

Lots of Mana Fast

Cabal Ritual , Bubbling Muck , Spoils of Evil , Culling the Weak , Sacrifice , Dark Ritual , Songs of the Damned

Getting giant bursts of mana is good in any mono Black deck, but you should invest more heavily the more combo and storm themed your deck is, since you want to pop off in a single turn and cast 1,000 spells.

Investments

Basal Sliver , Blood Pet , Bog Witch , Overeager Apprentice , Basal Thrull , Priest of Yawgmoth , Blood Vassal , Soldevi Adnate

A lot of these cards that are single time use mana sources would be great in a storm deck where you would just build up your load until you bust damage all over the faces of those unfortunate enough to be within 50m of you. They're also good in reanimation decks, which could utilize Phyrexian Reclamation to keep getting them back.

Summary:

The more control heavy your deck is, the more mana rocks you want. If you're going for combos then you want more quick mana. The only land I'm gonna have to 100% recommend is Thespian's Stage . Keep in mind that the more nonbasic lands you have in your deck, the less useful cards like Crypt Ghast and Cabal Stronghold will be.

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TRIBAL

Zombie Tribal

Corpse Harvester , library search, Cemetery Reaper , lord, Undead Warchief , epic lord, Josu Vess, Lich Knight , wincon, Endless Ranks of the Dead , wincon, Death Baron , lord, Liliana's Mastery , lord, Graveborn Muse , card draw, Zombie Master , protection, Graf Harvest , team evasion, Fleshbag Marauder , saccy, Phyrexian Delver , recovery, Cryptbreaker , card draw, Lord of the Accursed , lord, Shepherd of Rot , hurty everyone, Stronghold Assassin , funny removal, Loyal Subordinate , Liliana, Death's Majesty , potential finisher, Grave Titan , Open the Graves , board wipe protection, especially good if you're going all in on creature aggro, Curse of Disturbance , Awaken the Erstwhile , once you're in an advantageous position just cast this and watch your opponents cry, Tombstone Stairwell , this would be especially epic if you have cards to buff your boys, Risen Executioner , lord

Some cards that could be spicy in zombie tribal. Epic combos would be lords such as Cemetery Reaper and Lord of the Accursed , and fatties such as Army of the Damned and Josu Vess, Lich Knight . Having tons of zombies also combos with Pontiff of Blight . I think that Eldrazi Monument in a zombie build is nightmare fuel.

Vampire Tribal

Sanctum Seeker , Kalastria Highborn , Blade of the Bloodchief , Bloodlord of Vaasgoth , Malakir Bloodwitch , Bloodline Keeper  ^Flip, Gatekeeper of Malakir , Nirkana Revenant , Drana, Liberator of Malakir , Sadistic Skymarcher , Defiant Bloodlord , Yahenni, Undying Partisan , Butcher of Malakir , Cordial Vampire , Bloodtracker ,

If you decide vampire tribal is better, here are some options. I would only play cards like Blood Tribute if you're going vampire tribal, I don't think it's worth to play unless you can get more value than just chopping 1 player's life in half.

To Go with Your Creature Spam, Sir...

Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip, Mask of Memory , Necropolis Regent , Bloodforged Battle-Axe , Explorer's Scope , Throne of the God-Pharaoh , Whip of Erebos

Buff My Team!

Sword of the Paruns , Intimidation , Death Pit Offering , Eldrazi Monument , Obelisk of Urd

Summary:

The more of one tribe you have, the more synergy you have. Only include lords if you're all in on that tribe.

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REMOVAL

Targeted Removal

Hero's Downfall , Vraska's Contempt , Murder , Murderous Rider , Noxious Gearhulk , Malicious Affliction , New Blood , Ruinous Path , Tendrils of Corruption , Bone Splinters , Liturgy of Blood

Epic Board Wipes

Decree of Pain , Crux of Fate , Kindred Dominance , Bontu's Last Reckoning , Do or Die , Hellfire , Necromantic Selection

Summary: Use more board wipes the more control heavy you want your deck to be. Try to choose targeted removal such that the end cost will only be {1} and some life, so that it will be as cheap as possible. This is especially important in storm builds. Since we play multiplayer quite a bit, you'll probably want to add extra board wipes, especially the ones that draw you cards or come bundled with reanimation.

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Wow, I Hate Minorities

Wow, I hate tokens

Ritual of Soot , Force of Despair

Wow, Green is Cancer

Perish

Wow, I hate when other people play spells

Painful Quandary

Wow, I hate when other people attack me

No Mercy , Dread , Koskun Falls

Wow, I hate myself

Season of the Witch (okay, maybe not that much Revenge of Ravens )

Wow, I hate lifegain

Tainted Remedy , False Cure

Wow, I hate real board wipes

Sudden Spoiling , Mutilate , Languish , Massacre Girl , Golden Demise

Wow, I hate burst damage

Palace Siege , Polluted Bonds

Wow, I hate my opponents having creatures

Dictate of Erebos , Grave Pact , Butcher of Malakir

Wow, I hate this one person in particular

Curse of Vengeance , Trespasser's Curse , Curse of Fool's Wisdom

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Lifegain

Profane Memento , Crypt Incursion , Vampiric Link , Loxodon Warhammer , Kokusho, the Evening Star , Cavalier of Night , Whip of Erebos

Protection

Rush of Vitality

Benefit from Death

Ogre Slumlord , Shadows of the Past

Cool Card Draw

Moonlight Bargain , Promise of Power , Succumb to Temptation , Ransack the Lab , Infernal Contract , Necrologia , Carnival of Souls , Grim Haruspex , Night's Whisper , Succumb to Temptation , Phyrexian Etchings , Cruel Bargain , Dark Deal , Foreboding Fruit , Live Fast , Painful Lesson , Necropotence

Add more card draw the more stormy you want your deck to be. Also try to add ones that will cost the least amount of mana if you take your commander's ability into account.

Card Draw Requiring Sacrifice

Altar's Reap , Costly Plunder , Morbid Curiosity , Bankrupt in Blood , Skulltap , Merciless Resolve

These will be better in decks where you're sure you'll have tons of creatures. So adding these into zombie tribal would probably be a good idea, since you have things like Army of the Damned and Josu Vess, Lich Knight that produce a million tokens.

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Storm Build Cards

Aphotic Wisps , Cremate , Succumb to Temptation , Yawgmoth's Will , Ill-Gotten Gains , Priest of Forgotten Gods , Skirge Familiar , Rain of Filth , Dredge , Gravebind , Nighthaze , Street Wraith

The idea of a storm deck is to cast as many spells in one turn as possible, building up a fat storm counter to execute all who oppose us with our 3 finishers, which are Aetherflux Reservoir , Tendrils of Agony and perhaps Empty the Pits . You'll want lots of cheap spells that only cost {B} mana and replace themselves, such as Aphotic Wisps . One time use mana is also dank here, such as Dark Ritual and Cabal Ritual , and creatures like Basal Thrull and Soldevi Adnate .

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Win Cons to think about

• Thieving Amalgam , epic value over time (a 2/2 on each opponent's upkeep),
• Sorin Markov , there health becomes 10,
• Army of the Damned , lots of zombies,
• Josu Vess, Lich Knight , lots of zombies,
• Grave Betrayal , steal everyone's creatures, good in control builds with lots of board wipes,
• Pestilence , add it,
• Revel in Riches , also good in control builds with lots of board wipes,
• Aetherflux Reservoir , storm/combo builds,
• Tendrils of Agony , storm,
• Empty the Pits , storm,
• Pontiff of Blight , use in creature heavy builds, like zombie tribal,
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Putrid Goblin + Ashnod's Altar + Blood Artist combo ,
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Triskelion combo