Feed the Swarm

Sorcery

Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent's mana value.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	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
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Standard Brawl	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

OberstHati on Sinister Life Syphon

1 month ago

Feed the Swarm, Withering Torment against enchantments, Virtue of Persistence, Vampire Nighthawk or Phyrexian Fleshgorger can help against Aggro, Cut Down Anoint with Affliction Nowhere to Run, Torch the Tower or Scorching Dragonfire might be options too,…

CommanderNeyo on From the Crypt

1 month ago

Welcome to the Commander! As this is your first commander deck, I highly recommend watching The Command Zone's deckbuilding guide (which you can find on YouTube), it is extremely helpful in knowing how to balance a deck out. After you have watched it, here are a few thoughts on my end:

1. 30 lands is quite low for commander, I would recommend upping it to 38.

2. Syphon Soul seems like it could be replaced, since it drains only a small amount.

3. Eat to Extinction is a lot of mana for removal, and even though it lets you mill 1 you may be better off saving the mana by playing something like Go for the Throat or Infernal Grasp, or some removal that lets you hit enchantments, like Withering Torment or Feed the Swarm.

4. Demonmail Hauberk is a lot of mana and a hefty price to attach.

5. Scion of Halaster does nothing until your commander comes out, and doesn't do much when he is out.

Profet93 on Simping for an Emo Girl [Ayara]

2 months ago

DadHumanPraetor

What kind of suggestions are you looking for? Any budget in mind?

I'm unsure if you have any basics to warrant cabal stronghold. You need 4 basics to break even, 5 to ramp a little. Rather than run it in a deck whose commander is {B}{B}{B}, have you considered swapping it for another utility land? Something like Deserted Temple can be used to untap your coffers (or untap opposing land for political tool) or even a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx which seems perfect here. Thespian's Stage is another potential consideration to copy coffer or opposing utility lands.

Mind Stone > Felwar

How do you deal with artifacts and enchantments? Feed the Swarm is a versatile tool which can deal with the latter.

How is mox amber treating you? You only have about 6 legendaries.

SufferFromEDHD on This Deck Does Not Believe In Free Will

2 months ago

A lot of unique mono black combos in one deck. I utilize some of these myself but not all together. Great deck!

Any problematic enchantments in your current meta? Feed the Swarm

Demonic Counsel you run a playset of demons Ob Nixilis, Unshackled being a combo piece. With delirium it is classic D Tutor. Not necessary but something to ponder.

Last Laugh big fan of this janky old rare. I think it's an EDH sleeper. Indestructible "fixes" it. Perhaps Darksteel Plate?

multimedia on Zombies.

5 months ago

Hey, those are good changes since Warren Soultrader is an infinite sac combo with Gravecrawler + Bontu's Monument, this gives you a wincon without needing to attack.

Three cuts to consider are Bad Moon, Stoneforge Masterwork and Gruesome Fate since these cards do nothing without having creatures in your control and even then I don't think they are needed. Now that you may be adding Soultrader then I don't think you need Fate. Fate could potentially be a wincon if you can't attack with your Zombie horde, but now Soultrader combo can be the nonattacking wincon and you don't need a Zombie horde to win.

For other cuts to consider, some of the lesser removal spells Murder, Poison the Cup, Assassin's Ink since the others you have here are better. Next cuts could be switching recursion Ghoulcaller's Chant, Cemetery Recruitment, Stitch Together for more lower mana cost reanimation. Stitch could be reanimation, but not in the early game where you want it.

You could cut two cards that are only good with Gisa Thornbite Staff (is there a combo here with Staff that I don't see?) and Patriar's Seal, replacing them with more haste enablers. The haste enablers are good with Gisa plus they can protect her, but also with any creature you reanimate as well as protecting Soultrader when combo.

Other cuts to consider could be some of the lesser creatures Gempalm Polluter, Nested Shambler, Death Tyrant for some better reanimation targets. Consider cutting the 3-4 drop ramp Heraldic Banner, Nyx Lotus for draw?

Feed the Swarm can be an important removal spell for mono black since it can remove an enchantment. Vile Mutilator can be reanimated and it makes each opponent sac an enchantment as well as a creature. Bubbling Muck with 30x Swamps could produce a lot of mana on your turn. If you want more ramp then Muck/Mind Stone/Jet Medallion are good options.

wallisface on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

7 months ago

DemonDragonJ as has kindof been addressed already in this thread, mana costs are very format dependent (for example, commander games are far more forgiving with letting players get-away with casting higher mana spells) - but for pretty much all of the competitive formats, that 1 additional mana of Withering Torment is more likely to cost you the game than the sorcery-speed of Feed the Swarm. From what i've seen online the overwhelming majority of the competitive community are in agreement that Feed the Swarm is just a much stronger card (not that it's particularly playable to begin with, however).

In commander/multiplayer/casual formats, I can definitely see the additional mana cost of Withering Torment being justifiable for its added utility. But in prettymuch any 1-v-1 game, it's just too high a mana-cost to take seriously.

wallisface on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

7 months ago

Last_Laugh you have to take into account that Feed the Swarm is likely the better card and sees almost no play in Pioneer or Modern, a pretty clear indicator it’s not remotely playable there.

What format are you referring to when you imply this is viable? I assume Standard?

Crow_Umbra on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

7 months ago

I'm pretty excited for Withering Torment in my Black aligned decks that don't have access to White or Green. Three mana is hefty, but it's not nearly as flexible as something like Stroke of Midnight, for a comparable CMC & rarity. I wouldn't replace Feed the Swarm, but might run it as a compliment in more Grixis leaning color combos.

Picking the option to destroy a creature feels less ideal, especially when compared to other creature-centric removal options in Black like Bitter Triumph, Go for the Throat, or Infernal Grasp. If anything, Withering Torment is just Infernal Grasp with enchantment removal stapled onto it for 1 more mana.

I'm seeing more artifact heavy commanders more frequently in my main play group, like Brenard, Ginger Sculptor, Ygra, Eater of All, a Dr. Who Historic Duo, and Rocco, Street Chef, to name a few. Given this uptick in these varied artifact strats, I'm shifting towards more artifact punishing interaction or removal, than I am enchantment focused stuff.