Damnation

Sorcery

Destroy all creatures.
They can't be regenerated.

Legality

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

Discussion (50)

TypicalTimmy on A Discussion of Staples

7 hours ago

We all know that certain cards are staples in this format, such as Sol Ring and Mana Crypt if it is affordable. However staples also have a little bit of fluidity in that they have color restrictions. If you are playing a deck that contains {B} and you are not playing Necropotence, you are running decidedly below your potential.

Unfortunately cards such as Crypt and Potence are very expensive, so not all players can have them.

In this thread, I'm not so much focused on the financial aspect, but the physical aspect.

I'd like to ask, what makes a staple? Now yes, casual play and competitive play are two different beasts. Competitive decks will be leagues behind if they lack specific cards, whereas casual decks will be slightly hindered but not really all that far off. Especially if there is a budget the friends adhere to.

Let's take for example Lightning Bolt. It is both financially cheap and resourcefully cheap as well. It is instant speed and works wonders as removal. Unfortunately, in many cases, it doesn't serve a great enough impact to win the game. Yes it can take down something such as a Thassa's Oracle or bolt a Sorin Markov so the opponent can't -3 you immediately. However, in the majority of plays, it serves as little more than a bump in the road to victory. Meanwhile, a card such as Path to Exile sees far fewer targets, but it'll remove that massive gargantuan 15/15 Ramos, Dragon Engine or Edgar Markov. So while Path has fewer total available targets then Bolt, it's impact is far greater and more disruptive.

• (Although I prefer Swords to Plowshares. I'd rather give my opponent some life that will be gone in a turn or two, then a land of their choosing that they keep for the rest of the game.)

Similarly, a really good card in terms of mechanics is Scour from Existence. What hinders it is the mana value of {7}. If it cost less, I'd expect to see it slotted into nearly every deck. The same applies to All is Dust. Yes, Wrath of God and Damnation are superior in that they cost less, however they also do less and are restrained to their own colors.

Mechanics, timing, color restrictions... These all play a role in what becomes a staple, and what doesn't.

So I'm curious, what are some staples across EDH that people know of, and do you have any opinions on what cards SHOULD be staples, that currently aren't?

nbarry223 on Temporary Lockdown

1 day ago

It is more comparable to cards like Culling Ritual that care about CMC than red board wipes that do damage. If you aren't looking to be able to blink your own cards, a more permanent removal option is probably better, since the opponent can get their cards back by removing this card.

Don't get me wrong, it is a playable card, but there's enough comparable options that have other upsides in comparison, that I don't think it is a solid option, unless you plan to profit from by using it to blink your own things as well. Especially because for one more mana you get into the board wipes that basically set the standard for board wipes, like Wrath of God and Damnation.

daxton001 on kresh the best

2 days ago

Yargle and Multani Zopandrel, Drivnod, Fleshbag Marauder if you can give him trample or another creature trample ram through, Mandate of Abaddon Merciless executioner Lagomos ziatora, reyhan last of abzan, stalking vengeance, viscera seer mycoloth dragon brood mother, butcher of malakir, OG sheoldred lightning skelemental, harvester of souls, yahenni, braids arisen nightmare, meren, sprouting thrynax, sek'kuar, korvold, blood artist,

Vona's Hunger Village Rites Tend the Pests Tainted Strike Victimize Essence Harvest Culling Ritual Reanimate Damnation Deadly Brew Fungal Sprouting

skullclamp ashnods altar whispersilk cloak lightning greaves Urabrask's Forge Riveteers Ascendancy Dictate of Erebos Deathreap Ritual Moldervine Reclamation Hardened Scales Branching Evolution phyrexian reclamation grave pact phyrexian arena Evolutionary Leap Guardian Project black market

Squee_Spirit_Guide on Plague of Rats

3 weeks ago

This looks like fun! For mass removal you could try out Damnation, Languish, or Toxic Deluge. My personal favourite is Plague Wind. It's costly, but one-sided. I hope that helps!

jbump75 on

1 month ago

wallisface I tested the Maddening Cacophony; I LOVE IT! Not requiring the black mana cost like Glimpse the Unthinkable helps and it works almost as well, plus the added kicker (not that you get to use it much but it's an added benefit). I increased the lands to 22 by adding a few Misty Rainforest and took out the Shipwreck Marsh. I decreased Surgical Extraction to 3 copies (I may consider going back to 4 and removing a Baleful Mastery (could even replace this with Damnation). I'm still not loving Tasha's Hideous Laughter. I know it's a good card, but between THL and Fractured Sanity, I like Fractured Sanity. I know most people run at least one Crypt Incursion but I feel like in the people I've been playing against I would rather have the extra creature/planeswalker removal of Baleful Mastery. For now, I think this is how the deck is going to look. Thanks for all your help!

Last_Laugh on Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them

1 month ago

Ok, Thundering Raiju and Blood for the Blood God! in, Damnation (tentatively) and Fellwar Stone out.

Mortlocke on The Song of Phyresis

1 month ago

Vlasiax,

After doing enough goldfishing I feel that most of, if not all of the changes were the right move. I have no qualms about cutting Grateful Apparition as i'm certain i've added more than enough additional proliferation sources that also provide more cohesion to the main Poison theme. White Sun's Twilight will hopefully fill the gap of being the one sided mass removal I can rely on. The deck previously ran Winds of Abandon and before that Phyrexian Scriptures - each spell gave me mixed results. Winds of Abandon would always ramp my opponents so far ahead it almost seemed like a bad play more often than not - especially against token builds. Phyrexian Scriptures would rarely fail to clear the board but was basically a Damnation with extra steps. The problem is that both of the previously mentioned would rarely leave me in a position to advance my boardstate as Poison sources are mostly creature based.

SilencedDax on Phylactery lich: a Rule 0 …

1 month ago

DreadKhan love your ideas!

The Nesting Grounds it's amazing to keep it safe!

I never thought about proliferate, that could be great with moving the phylactery counters around, althoug I think you'll have to commmit the deck to it to get a great benefit, maybe with some kind of +1+1 voltron strategy or something similar. I 'll think more about it.

Decree of Pain, Necromantic Selection, those kind of wanky junky black cards it's what i really like, like Last Laugh and Withering Wisps. About Phyrexian Scriptures, Damnation and other boardwipes are great!

I've never thought of Pestilence+deathtouch/lifelink counter! It sounds amazing!! To clear the board it is great to, and your lich the only thing alive, I'll look for similar cards. I knew the Blood combo you said, It's great and works amazing with the cards you said! In my playgroup we try to avoid it any combo so I cannot put it in, but I love it. Great synergy too with those amazing lands!

Great those ideas to prevent the lich to be stolen!

In my playgroup we have too some budget restrictions to try to balance deck, I'll try to fit the expensive lands in it!

I have though that we can include some zombie interaction like Call to the Grave that seems amazing and full of flavour 'cause liches are trying to escape dead.

And some artifact mutation like Biotransference or Liquimetal Torque and the other one that do the same on some great indestructible creatures.

Another ideas: Assault Suit to avoid sacrifice the lich, and Conjurer's Closet to put more phylactery counters, and other blink cards