Decimate

Sorcery

Destroy target artifact, target creature, target enchantment, and target land.

Discussion (51)

MTGBurgeoning on Gruul Stompy Featuring Xenagos, God of Revels

1 week ago

Holy crap! When did that change? I've been playing Decimate since Odyssey and always have played it with the notion of needing all four targets to stick in order for any of the targets to be destroyed. Even in LGS tournaments and game-play! What the...!?

MTGBurgeoning on Gruul Stompy Featuring Xenagos, God of Revels

1 week ago

As more play-testing of the deck transpires, I gladly will share those results.

As for your inquiry about the deck's weaknesses, I can answer that from a global perspective. Over the years I have honed a certain deck-building blueprint. One of the many guidelines of this blueprint is to try and avoid any form of sorcery-speed spell that "targets." In the current deck list, only Decimate and Finale of Devastation apply. Casting Decimate is always risky, as any one of the targets can be bounced or removed prior to resolution, thereby whiffing on all targets. The potential reward of 4-for-1 for just is acceptable, however, and worth including. Finale of Devastation is not as concerning because most of the time the target is in the library. Reap the Past may provide similar apprehension if the graveyard is exiled prior to resolution. This is a reason why I chose not to include Rishkar's Expertise. I envision the creature getting removed instantly before the spell resolves, leaving only hopeful thoughts of what might have been. For me, this awareness translates to other facets of deck-building as well.

EXAMPLE: The only two auras I will ever include in an EDH/Commander deck (aside from strict aura/enchantment builds) are Rancor and Journey to Eternity  ^Flip. If each aura sticks, perfect. The returns on these investments are amazing due to their built-in recursive benefits. If they don't stick, at least the mana invested is not a great loss. I think including spells like Deflecting Swat, Bolt Bend or even Shunt in order to protect sorcery-speed spells is advantageous, and even more so when considering the benefits you outlined above. For the purposes of including versatility to the deck, including these change-of-direction spells seem quite useful. If all options for instant-speed spells have been exhausted, I would consider adding some "sorcery protection."

EXAMPLE: When Generous Gift was released in Modern Horizons, I swapped out Vindicate for it in nearly every deck I could. Instant-speed, undoubtedly, is more powerful than sorcery-speed. This is why I opted for Return of the Wildspeaker and Momentous Fall over Rishkar's Expertise.

However, the benefits you mentioned of including a spell like Deflecting Swat or Bolt Bend are intriguing. This is a consideration to ponder further.

Well, I suppose this is my long-winded attempt to answer your Xenagos-specific question with an overgeneralized deck-building philosophy (micro into macro): I try to construct decks through a card-by-card guideline of "How much can this card hurt me? If I invest mana into this card, what are the returns? What are the risks? What is the balance?

Hopefully this response will be useful in some way. Keep on Xenagosing!

ClockworkSwordfish on What are your favorite underused, ...

2 weeks ago

Rain of Thorns seems criminally underplayed in green budget decks. Six mana is a definite price barrier, but a 3-for-1 is worth it. Unlike the more popular Decimate, you don't need all three targets so it's still not a dead card if you have to settle for taking out a land and a mana rock.

Likewise, Hull Breach feels underplayed considering it's the card advantage of Return to Dust at the same speed and half the mana.

rdean14 on Card creation challenge

2 weeks ago

I love midrange, so another Jund Orc Midrange commander!

Fec the Elder

Legendary Creature - Orc Archer

: Fec the Elder gains Reach and gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Whenever a spell you control targets at least two players, cards, and/or permanents, you may return it to your hand at the beginning of the next endstep.

2/3

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Very much designed with Kolaghan's Command in mind, also works with Casualties of War, Decimate, and other such spells. To me, midrange in Commander is removal and card advantage/value focused.

Unfortunately, Atarka's Command doesn't work with this at all.

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ninja'd, see above

aholder7 on Wrench Mind

1 month ago

just as a clarifying comment for timmy's example. Decimate still requires all 4 targets satisfied. the targets just don't all have to be different. if there is some weird abomination of a permanent that is a land, creature, artifact and an enchantment all at once, that card alone could satisfy all parts of Decimate. however if there are no enchantments on the board, just artifacts, creatures, and lands, then you would not be able to cast it as you still need to satisfy all of the targeting conditions on the card.

TypicalTimmy on Wrench Mind

1 month ago

A card will always try to do as much as possible, if able.

For example, Blightning will still deal 3 damage to the target player even if they have zero cards in hand. If they have one, they will still discard it.

Some cards are worded such that they may ONLY be cast / resolve if all requirements are met, such as Decimate. You must destroy one of each. Prior to 2004, you needed all 4 targets or you could not cast it. According to Gatherer, you no longer need all four targets. However, if you are the only player with an artifact, you absolutely must destroy it.

Profet93 on Xenagos? More like Xena-gross!

1 month ago

Card Draw

You're lacking serious card draw. If you want a candles chance of maintaining gas, then add some of the following...

Greater Good - Best card in Xenagos EVER. If you listen to ANYTHING, this is it.

Lifeblood Hydra - Beater as well, fun with Berserk, which you should add 100%

Lifecrafter's Bestiary - Draw and filter, nice to have

Life's Legacy - Very good, just be careful of blue

Momentous Fall - See above, also use in response to removal

Rishkar's Expertise - Draw a bunch and don't lose tempo

Other ideas include....

Skullclamp- Cheap all around, works well on dorks should you wish to go that route

Sylvan Library - Card draw + Top deck manipulation

The Great Henge - Very cheap to play, very good benefits

Tireless Tracker - Decent card draw on a body that gets bigger

Other Ideas

Deflecting Swat - Redirect removal for free, which is AMAZING given that removal is this deck's achilles heel

Decimate - 4 for 1 removal, very good

Voracious Hydra - Beater and removal

I can give you more ideas here should you wish, I just don't want to overwhelm you given all of the card draw you NEED to add

Cuts....

Caller of the Pack - Too expensive, hitting all opponents gives other opponents you're not hitting a reason to remove your creature precombat to ensure myraid does not go off

Hydra Omnivore - Same issue above

Phyrexian Juggernaut - 1 hit infect is cool, but putting all your eggs in that basket is too risky for my taste personally

Phyrexian Hydra - Same issue above

Savageborn Hydra - Voracious hydra is much better and has trample

Compost - Too meta, unless its filled with black

Guardian Project - They can kill it in response to the trigger so you don't draw

Runic Armasaur - Too meta, unless it's filled

Shadowspear - See above

Vexing Shusher - See above

Wars Toll - Doesn't address the main issue of removal, doesn't do much against blue due to their artifact ramp and playing on your turn anyways

Blood Mist - Winmore 100%

Fire Shrieker - See above

Grafted Exoskeleton - Makes you a target, 9 infect sucks. Cost + equip cost = Loss of tempo

Triumph of Hordes - Better in a token deck, you rarely will play a beater, not have it removed during your turn, pass your turn until it goes back to you (while praying that your beater is still there). Then hoping your beater doesn't die when you cast this? Very bad card. I know you're trying to go for infect, but if you want the deck to be more competitive, removing it would help mitigate your many weaknesses.

Gravitic Punch - Fling and Soul's fire do the trick for 1 less mana. See above for having all the mana to cast beater + this on same turn or hope beater lives while passing

Primal Rage - Bad card, just bad. Might as well get Nylea, God of the Hunt which can maybe be a creature and a booster as well.

You don't run enough lands or card draw at the moment to justify Exploration and Burgeoning. Dorks would be much better for this build.

x2sock on Atla Palani

1 month ago

I did build Ghired, Conclave Exile myself using the Precon. I found smth like Hammer of Purphoros, Fires of Yavimaya and Anger to be rather usefull.

For some Creatures i can suggest Aurelia, the Warleader, a little bit more but not that expensive and hits rly hard. And since you what big creatures maybe include a Helm of the Host

Swords to Plowshares works good so do Path to Exile, Generous Gift, Beast Within and Chaos Warp as well as Decimate. If you ever fall behind on board smth like Blasphemous Act helped me a lot.

I would play lands such as Temple of Triumph, Temple of Plenty, Temple of Abandon over Guildgates for sure. Maybe you like the Vivid Lands over some of the Guildgates (or similiar). Vivid Crag, Vivid Grove and Vivid Meadow.

Some funny lands to cheat in big stuff aswell are Hideaway Lands. Windbrisk Heights, Mosswort Bridge, Spinerock Knoll.

I guess Shocklands are not the budget you are looking for? Temple Garden,Stomping Ground and Sacred Foundry But maybe the Painlands? Karplusan Forest, Brushland and Battlefield Forge.