Cathartic Pyre

Instant

Choose one —

• This deals 3 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
• Discard up to two cards, then draw that many cards.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Brawl	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
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (12)

zapyourtumor on Jund Twist - Modern

2 months ago

Yeah so the best discard outlet, Faithless Looting, was banned a while ago (victim of HOEgaak that disgusting deck).

The best 2 mana discard outlet in red being played in most reanimation decks is Bitter Reunion currently, because after Persisting an Archon of Cruelty you can give it haste and attack for another trigger which is backbreaking. Here, the second ability is probably less relevant since Goryo's gives haste, but I still think it's better than the other options. The main issue with Faithless Salvaging is that its both slow and you're also going down on card advantage, UNLESS: you play it with cards in your hand, and then cast all cards in your hand, so you only draw a card on rebound (breaking even). Or you cast it with no cards in your hand, drawing two cards over two turns (generating card advantage).

Unfortunately many of the other good discard outlets are in blue, examples being: Prismari Command, Faithful Mending, Tainted Indulgence, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy  ^Flip, Ledger Shredder, etc.

As I said the kind of discard outlet you run generally depends on what you want the deck to do: I'd say they are all tradeoffs between speed and power. On the fastest side we have Haggle, which can be used for turn 2 hasty Boar + Emmy although it requires 4 cards in hand. Somewhere in between but still towards the faster side we have all of the 2 mana discard spells in red. And then further toward the power side we have cards like Collective Brutality. And further still we have all the generally good cards like Fable, Spyro, etc. So basically you need to decide what balance between speed and grinding power you want the deck to have. To try and make it easier I rated all of the options in jund colors I think are worth considering along three criteria: speed, power, and flexibility. Given that this deck is a grindy midrange deck at heart (or at least I think that is what you are aiming for), speed can be useful but power and flexibility are more important in my opinion.

Speed 9 Power 1 Flex 1: Merchant of the Vale (1 mana discard spell, fast but that's all there is)

9, 2, 4: Bone Shards (also fast, but generally more relevant mid/late)

7, 5, 1: Cathartic Reunion (powerful but inflexible, seen in dredge)

7, 2, 4: Cathartic Pyre (flexible but weak)

7, 3, 2: Thrill of Possibility (less all in version of Cathartic Reunion)

7, 3, 4: Bitter Reunion (more flexible vers. of Thrill)

7, 5, 8: Collective Brutality (most flexible 2 cmc discard outlet in BRG)

6, 3, 4: Faithless Salvaging (slow, weak, only generates CA in late game)

5, 6, 5: Territorial Kavu (even slower because requires attack trigger)

4, 7, 7: Seasoned Pyromancer (both powerful and flexible, can generate bodies or CA)

3, 7, 8: Liliana of the Veil (powerful and flexible, threat + removal + discard)

2, 8, 8: Fable of the Mirror-Breaker  ^Flip (slowest 3 cmc option, tons of grind power + flexibility)

Additional notes:

• Bone Shards can be used to sacrifice an Ilharg or Emrakul, and if you sacrifice Ilharg it won't get exiled in order to reanimate it again next turn.

• Bone Shards, Cathartic Reunion, Thrill of Possibility, and Collective Brutality have the discard as part of the casting cost, so you discard the card(s) even if the spell is countered. Merchant of the Vale, Bitter Reunion, etc do not.

• Collective Brutality is maindeckable but the versatility makes it stronger in the sideboard.

• Territorial Kavu requires at least 4 basic land types to be effective.

• Repeatable/delayed discard effects, such as Liliana of the Veil and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker  ^Flip allow you to discard Emrakul the turn after you cast them and instantly reanimate them, spreading out your mana over two turns.

MusicGoat18 on Jund Twist - Modern

2 months ago

My question is, from the following, which is better: Haggle (from Merchant of the Vale), Faithless Salvaging, Cathartic Pyre, Cathartic Reunion, Bitter Reunion, or is there something better that I'm missing? I've been thinking of the different decks played in modern, and I would like assistance in deciding which one is best to play.

Barbarian_Sun_Pope on Aikido Archetype

2 months ago

No problem =). Tormenting Voice is not bad, though I would suggest Thrill of Possibility or Cathartic Pyre instead. The first one is the same card, but at instant speed and the second one gives an option of burn when you need it. If you're looking for something similar to Hindering Light, you can try Outwit or Turn Aside, which are a bit more specific, but cost less. If you don't mind the double blue cost you can try Redirect, which also fits the theme and is particularly good against burn. I really wish Serene Master was modern legal, he looks like would've fit perfectly here.

lhetrick13 on Beyond the Grave (Mardu)

6 months ago

keizerbuns - No problem, I am just happy to get some food for thought so thank you for taking the time to comment!

I had thought of tutor spells but not for this version of the deck. I am not a huge fan of them as they tend to be expensive and take a turn to cast then the next turn to see the benefit but maybe this would be a good chance to procure and try out something like Fiend Artisan. Given the Maddness ability, I will likely have some stuff in the graveyard to give it some durability and you are right that being able to force cards would be nice...

I had considered some graveyard yank spells like Patch Up but decided against it only because it would be tough to find a way to squeeze them in. I do like Unearth for its low cost and Cycling ability if not needed but again, just decided against it.

I do like the idea of Cathartic Pyre for some discard OR if needed removal. That has some merit as I have not quite found the right fit for the discard/draw engine yet. Regarding Dakmor Salvage, I see what you are getting at with Dredge to "search" the deck for what I need. Not crazy about tap lands but the plan would be to discard that land, then use the Dredge ability to bring it back and get cards in the graveyard...I will think on this as it has merit...

Good stuff so thanks again!

keizerbuns on Beyond the Grave (Mardu)

6 months ago

Sorry for the super late reply lhetrick13, I meant to reply way sooner but got sidetracked. I don’t have too much experience with madness or discard in general (I’ve only played around with madness once and the end result was a very subpar madness/delirium/hellbent deck), but I can try to offer a little help.

You could try throwing in a couple of tutor spells, maybe Mastermind's Acquisition or Grim Tutor to help you find exactly what you need.

Since you have a lot of discard already you could maybe try running a couple of Unburial Rites as extra redundancy to get back your creatures if you haven’t found Haakon, Stromgald Scourge yet. You could try out Cathartic Pyre as a multi use spell that offers both removal through burn and it offers discard, although Bone Shards basically does both anyways for cheaper so it’s probably the better choice for your deck. You could also try adding in a couple Dakmor Salvage to help fill your graveyard while also helping hit land drops.

Thanks for checking out my Dino Cycling deck! I’m super happy to hear you liked it!

lespaul977 on Balaam__

9 months ago

Cathartic Pyre looks pretty cool. I like that it has the quasi-cycling ability, and if I have a Guttersnipe down I can still dish out some damage if I decide to use that option. Thanks so much for checking it out!

Balaam__ on Balaam__

9 months ago

@lespaul977 ah, I figured that’s what must have happened. Like I said, I’ve done the same thing (curse my sausage fingers). All good.

As for your latest,I’m not really familiar with the top tier goblin strategies or what makes a “good” goblin deck, so take this with a pinch of salt, but your Stomp. Burn. Destroy build looks pretty solid. Mana requirements are well taken care of, the curve is low and you have some nice finishers, and each creature contributes something to the overall strategy.

The only thing I can think of is maybe some draw power in the form of Cathartic Pyre. It’s an inexpensive card from the latest Innistrad set I believe, and it offers great versatility. Other than that it’s looking great.

volcompledge on Feldon

1 year ago

Discard: Thrill of Possibility Collective Defiance Cathartic Pyre Electric Revelation Change of Fortune Cathartic Reunion Tormenting Voice Magus of the Wheel Faithless Salvaging

Monster im Friedhof benutzen: Dollhouse of Horrors Sundial of the Infinite

Kreaturen: Anger Meteor Golem Etali, Primal Storm Molten Primordial Hoarding Dragon Combustible Gearhulk Triplicate Titan Ruin Grinder Solemn Simulacrum