Dismember

Instant

({BP} can be paid with either {B} or 2 life.)

Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (48)

Andramalech on Uren8

1 month ago

Balaam__ I appreciate the concern! Up the Beanstalk being banned put a stake in this type of concepts heart, because see.. I think drawing enough cards would push out the value. However- you're completely right. I have sideboard tech for removal, but the removal could stand to be better. I'm thinking Dismember, as it is my favorite piece of spot removal in Modern. Considering x3 for x3 and replace x1 of each of my free-counterspells in the sideboard. I hope that proves worthy for your thoughts, I happen to think a lot of your competitive analysis. Please don't forget to upvote! Y'boi is aiming for #2, if not #1 on the site.

kamarupa on Orzhov Rottenmouth

2 months ago

I really like your creature base here - It seems like it's well focused on getting you cantrips to progress your deck toward your wincon and utilities.

That said, I think the supporting spells are a little all over the place and sometimes not the best option for the purpose they serve. For example, you might swap Blood Fountain for Raise the Past. They're basically the same MV (4), except with the former you get a Blood Token (not that great, IMO, and a mana sink in a deck with already too few lands) vs getting all your 1 drops not back to your hand, but to the battlefield. Similarly, I don't see any purpose to Niveous Wisps at all. Can-trips aren't card advantage, so the only real function it serves is to make a creature white, which has no bearing I can see on any other spells. Night's Whisper would be better, I think, though you've already got Dawn of a New Age AND quite a few Investigate triggers, so I don't think you really even need anymore card draw spells.

I think you'd be better served with some classic removal spells at instant speed than the Artifacts and Enchantments you're running. Path to Exile, Fatal Push, Dismember, etc. Even the two instants in your Sideboard seem more like Mainboard spells, while some of the Mainboard spells seem like Sideboard spells.

Since it seems like the goal of the deck is to play weenie creatures until you slam down a Rottenmouth Viper, I think the deck would benefit from another 4x creatures 1-2MV creatures. To that end, I think your protection spell that currently in your sideboard really deserves being in the mainboard - given that your plan is to sac most your board to play one big creature, your opponents are going to wait until you do that and then try to remove your one creature. So having something ready to protect it seems essential to the success of the deck.

As far as possible creatures to add - I think your best options are "when...dies" creatures like Deathgreeter, Doomed Traveler, and Fear of Lost Teeth - The ones like Doomed Traveler seem especially good as they replenish your board state as you sac. There's a bunch of them, too - here's a link to a search I did :)

Finally, I suggest adding at least 2 more lands.

Andramalech on Mono-green infect

2 months ago

Sliverguy420 thanks for reminding me about Scale Up. Dependent on the shell he wants to use, I'd also say Dismember, Apostle's Blessing, and Noxious Revival all cover key-actions that correlate to the typical shell requirements.

There's Draw/Go for the UG fragment. There's Aggro/Control for the BG fragment. And then there's straight gas in the Mono-G fragment. Plenty of choices to pick from!

kamarupa on Darkest Heart Challenge - Horror Tribal

2 months ago

Wow, Andramalech, it's been so long since anyone's offered such thorough comments on one of my decks. I have so much gratitude for the time and thought you put into it. My sincerest thanks!!

You're probably right that I ought to add Dismember - it's certainly useful and the deck would benefit from it's ability to get around indestructible. I kind of half-consciously considered it when I was adding Tragic Slip and [tragically?] it's usefulness slipped my mind.

I have to say, I'm not really a fan of the flavor of Chart a Course (or really quite a few sets in the last 5 years) I like my MTG to be Goblins, Elves, Dragons, and the ilk. So I've decided to swap out CaC for Sign in Blood, which is much more flavor-aligned.

I'm a tyro when it comes to Commander, so if you're saying Mastermind's Acquisition wouldn't be allowed in a tournament, I'll defer to your experience. That said, Wizards lists it as Commander legal. And the text of the spell doesn't require its caster to search outside their library, it just offers that as one of two options. Truth be told, I've gotten so used to including it instead of Diabolic Tutor I really didn't think about how Commander decks aren't allowed a sideboard for it to search. Given that it's 4MV cost is really higher than I want for a tutor, I'm happy to just cut it. It makes room for Dismember anyway. Also, I have no interest in playing any tournaments, so there's really no issue there anyway.

I hear what you're saying about the decision to include Shapeshifters. I wouldn't say your conclusion isn't rational or fair, but I would say that it's an opinion. I mean, they are Horrors, if not exclusively, then undeniably by choice - "...choose a creature type. This creature is the chosen type..." I have to say, when I view other people's decks that claim to be tribal in both their deck title and hubs and I see significant numbers of creatures that are not only not that tribe, but not even thematically adjacent or relevant - I'm usually pretty off-put. However, given that spells like Adaptive Automaton and Metallic Mimic are strictly printed to enhance tribal builds and are very frequently included, especially in tribes that lack tribal support, I'd say I consider them fair game, if not of the best flavor. It's a good debate if nothing else.

Andramalech on Darkest Heart Challenge - Horror Tribal

2 months ago

kamarupa I finally got around to my review! Let's break it down piece by piece, but lead our review with gratitude and praise. You've completed the challenge! That's awesome because completing any task is worthy of a high-five. Now let's break it down:

• "..To round it out, I included a number of ramp spells, draw card, lots of removal, and a bit of counterspell.." and you did! I'm rather impressed not only by the frequency and presence of your spot removal, but by it's costs, and efficacy and expansive supply. The level of removal reflects that you understand how to protect your deck, play a good game, even if the pieces you're protecting are glaringly out of meta. Who cares about that? We don't. I care about your competitiveness. And it shows. Solid 9/10 for this category, the category of competitive choices.

• I'm going to personally comment on the artistic value of your choices, as it corresponds to the artworks in each card. Your choices are (to me) very apparent, and I refuse to complete this review without bringing special attention to the various printing choices you made, which led to a cohesive list of cards that reflect horrors, and horrific events. It's seriously worth checking out you guys. Infernal Grasp is a choice selection. And surprisingly? Hurkyl's Recall is also pretty impressive, from an artistic standpoint. It invokes eeriness, an unsettling swirled nature.

• This series of collected cards and the artwork attached to them, reflects a lot of advanced choices and a critically-influenced line of decisions. You could use things like Dismember, and is only thwarted by the occasional off-choice like Thoughtseize. Not like it's the worst thing.. but I'm a critic for artistic decision. Some of your choices are fantastic, others like Chart a Course kind of break the illusion. I can't stand by this principle 100% because competitive choices needed to be made. I think overall for artistic value, I provide your deck with a 9/10.

• I now need to address a fundamental issue with Mastermind's Acquisition; the gatherer ruling references that in Casual play this card provides no issue, but in a tournament setting- you would need to fetch a card '..from the sideboard..' of which, in EDH.. there is none. I reference this in some of my rule zero EDH builds. A sideboard DOES NOT exist in EDH, womp womp. I mean, it doesn't affect how I review or feel about your build, but I couldn't do this justice without mentioning this on the off-handed chance you attempt to go to an event with the deck.

• Construction wise, I have a small gripe with including creatures that nowhere include the typing of Horror. This is because with my builds (albeit Wacky Arm, which was a joke of a build.) I chose only creatures that were Horror typing by one way or another. The typical typal support in Adaptive Automaton and Metallic Mimic are not unwelcome for their competitive edge, but rather how I personally feel that it goes against the principle of the challenge. I will consider this a mark against.

• Considering what I said above, I also want to acknowledge that you technically still included exactly 25 Horror Typed creatures. So you did it! My gripe above can't really stand outside of priniciple. Is it allowed? ...yeah, it's just frowned upon.. but what a deck otherwise! Time to wrap up this compliment sandwich.

• Alright! Lets review; Aesthetic, Construction, Competitive. 9/10 in all categories. With regards to how you favored the challenge, I feel confident in giving this deck a solid 9.8/10. So little to comment about what to change.. it's obvious this deck is perfectly suited to the duelist who created it, and it's a great deck at that. Clap for you, and congrats- I'm definitely gonna say your build wins! (imo)

Thanks for inviting me to take part in this challenge with you! I've really enjoyed it.

Bookrook on Wear my foot up on they necks....

6 months ago

Would Ignoble Hierarch be better than Noble Hierarch because it can pay for the black in Dismember?

Profet93 on Toshiro Umezawa Spellslinger Control

8 months ago

SufferFromEDHD +1

Forbidden Orchard - To always have a creature to target/destroy + politics

Lashwrithe > Nightmare lash - Option to use mana to equip + comes with a token attached.

Sword of Wealth and Power/Glamdring > Spellbinder - High equip cost, chance for 2 for 1, and requires instants in hand. The casting without paying is nice but I believe having your commander be pro instants + sorceries is huge as they need to interact prior to combat. Not to mention the first strike on Glamdring.

Demonic Tutor > Mastermind's acquisition?

Shizo, Death's Storehouse > Swamp

Instants to Consider

Sheoldred's Edict - Removal with an option

Defile - Not needed but can pack a punch

Dismember - A bit expensive but flexible. Might be worth noting

Grim Return - Cute, especially with ETB effects

Force of Despair - Interact while tapped out

Card Questions

Dash Hopes - How has this been playing for you? Seems like they just lose 5 life for 2 mana.

Liability - Is this impactful enough? I feel it can backfire and the upside isn't incredibly strong. Although, it does wreck token decks with a board wipe.

Mirrorpool - One of my favorite cards! What is your target with it usually, I don't see any incredible payoffs.

leovolt884_ on Rotpriest Infection

10 months ago

Definitely Does not need as many pump spells. Keep the Vines of Vastwood for protection and maybe a Snakeskin Veil or two if you want to argue for that. Heroic Intervention is a good alternative as always but doesn't have pump capabilities. I think it would be decent as mass removal is pretty common especially with -x/-x to all creatures being a common effect on black cards and your deck is very susceptible to that kind of removal. Most mass removal doesn't target so you wont even get Venerated Rotpriest triggers so some board wide protection seems necessary. Might of the Masses seems like a good cut because only 16 creatures with very limited card draw won't end up pumping more than other spells too often. Groundswell and Might of Old Krosa seem pretty redundant so picking one or the other would be best.

Depending on how you feel about splashing, maybe consider red for something like Rhythm of the Wild for protection and better aggro. Something to provide trample can be found here as well. Temur Battle Rage is an okay option and can be deadly but requires an additional pump spell to be at full potential. Can't think of any other cards like it off the top of my head but they definitely exist. If staying in two colors, consider 3-4 Vexing Shusher to simulate Rhythm and serve as removal bait in which case Triumph of the Hordes can maybe be justified as a boardwide buff and trample enabler, also giving shusher infect. In terms of creatures, running a few more may perform well, possibly a few copies of Flensermite and I would highly recommend Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon to close out games if you can't take them early. It would be a good idea to at least sideboard it against control or burn. Some of your current sideboard cards should be run mainboard like Dismember, a Force of Despair, and some Thoughtseize to disable your opponent.

I understand running Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth especially with the Inkmoth Nexus but it feels a bit pricey and could be replaced with an Overgrown Tomb since your mana ratio is already pretty good. A few lands may also be cut, considering 1.4 average cmc is very low and with limited card draw you really don't want to get mana flooded.

The deck feels almost like a "one trick" kind of deal and would be pretty easy to work around. You have to play really well to force your opponent into numerous combat tricks so maybe take it easier on yourself by running more removal and card draw. Dumping your hand then drawing 1 to 2 combat tricks per turn may not work against control decks or even aggro decks that can afford to chump block. Unearth is a good idea, consider running 1 less in favor of a mass recursion effect or something that lets you access multiple cards from the graveyard later in the game when you've run out of resources.