Volrath's Curse

Enchantment — Aura

Enchant creature

Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated. That creature's controller may sacrifice a permanent for that player to ignore this effect until end of turn.

{1}{U}: Return Volrath's Curse to its owner's hand.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Big Apple Highlander	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
PreDH	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (12)

legendofa on split second combo stack manipulation …

3 months ago

TL;DR: Look for triggered abilities, and keep those face down creatures on standby. They're probably the most useful thing that can happen.

To answer the rules question, split second prevents players from casting spells or activating non-mana abilities. Triggered abilities can still trigger, either from casting the split second spell or from a special action that doesn't use the stack. Here's a list of those special actions that don't use the stack, courtesy of rule 116.2:

• playing a land (sorcery speed)

• unmorphing, uncloaking, or otherwise flipping something face up (instant speed)

• delaying or ending certain effects, like Quenchable Fire or Tempting Licid (read the card for timing restrictions)

• paying to ignore certain effects, like Leonin Arbiter or Volrath's Curse (instant speed as needed)

• discarding Circling Vultures (instant speed)

• suspending a card (normal timing restrictions for whatever you're suspending)

• adding a companion to your hand from outside the game (sorcery speed)

• foretelling a card from your hand (instant speed during your turn)

• rolling the planar die in a Planechase game (sorcery speed)

• revealing a Conspiracy card in a Conspiracy draft format (instant speed)

• plotting a card from your hand (sorcery speed)

• unlocking a Room (sorcery speed)

Most of these don't apply to your deck or the situation, or are restricted to sorcery speed and can't be used around split second.

Balaam__ on Merfolk Pauper Tribal

2 years ago

Nice Pauper Merfolk deck. A thought-Reality Acid doesn’t seem to pull its weight here. It’s too slow and ineffective for {2}{U}. I’d recommend replacing it with either more countermagic or maybe a lockdown type card. Something like Volrath's Curse would offer more value.

ValkiGodofLies on Caustic Curse

4 years ago

Keep going strong, you're almost finished!

Try adding: Volrath's Curse, Witchbane Orb, Curse of the Cabal, Raze the Effigy, Prince of Thralls, Cursed Mirror, Cursecatcher, Burn the Accursed, Demon's Herald, Electric Revelation, Geistwave

Colgate on Which cards allow you to …

6 years ago

I found Leonin Arbiter , Damping Engine , Lost in Thought , Volrath's Curse , Glass Asp and Nafs Asp .

Dete on

6 years ago

first thing Creeping Chill is not pauper legal and it can be used in this deck since its black, Expel from Orazca is not legal either.

good card for them to replace are :High Tide, Distant Melody, Airborne Aid, Shared Discovery, Mizzium Skin, Gigadrowse, Sage's Row Denizen, Rhystic Study, any of the cantrips. theres a bit of protection, control and card draw. but i suggest you take out Sudden Storm, Aerial Formation, Piracy Charm, Hubris, Jace's Scrutiny, Refocus, Reach Through Mists, Tidal Bore. for more useful cards like Gush, Hoodwink, Man-o'-War, Snap, Volrath's Curse, Relic of Progenitus and more counters like Dream Fracture, Faerie Trickery, Arcane Denial, Logic Knot oh and See Beyond seems like a good enough hand filter.

LostDragon01 on Boonweaver Blue

7 years ago

Thank you for proper explanation in description and categories! Way much easy to understand how your decks works. Also, nice idea with Volrath's Curse as suck outlet.

P.S. Rhystic Study probably should be in "Digging" category.

Force_of_Willb on Curse of drawing

8 years ago

I don't know if blue is adding much value. some of the best curses are in black: Curse of Misfortunes, Curse of Death's Hold, Curse of Thirst, Accursed Witch  ^Flip, Bitterheart Witch - they are unfortunately very high casting....

not a curse tribal but Curse of the Cabal, Curse of Wizardry, Cursed Scroll.

If your set in blue maybe Volrath's Curse

wjohnson936 on Hate for maelstrom wanderer and …

9 years ago

Maybe stuff like Curse of Exhaustion, Arcane Laboratory, Eidolon of Rhetoric, or Rule of Law. Derevi's ability jumps around the global effects nicely. Erayo, Soratami Ascendant and Jace, Unraveler of Secrets might work as well. Should frustrate the Maelstrom player a little bit when they can't cast the spells off of the double cascade.

Assuming the Niv-Mizzet is built as a combo, give it shroud with stuff like Alexi's Cloak, Aspect of Mongoose, Diplomatic Immunity, Favorable Destiny, Mystic Veil, or Robe of Mirrors. (Hexproof might be better actually.) Alternatively, lock-out it's activated ability or give yourself hexproof with Abeyance,Aegis of the Gods, Arrest, Azorius Guildmage, Bind, Detainment Spell, Encrust, Faith's Fetters, Gelid Shackles, Ice Cage, Interdict, Ivory Mask, Katabatic Winds, Krasis Incubation, Leyline of Sanctity, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Lost in Thought, Orbs of Warding, Peace Talks, Phyrexian Revoker, Pithing Needle, Serra Bestiary, Squelch, Stifle, Stupefying Touch, Suppression Bonds, Trickbind, Voidstone Gargoyle, or Volrath's Curse. I feel like throwing a Pemmin's Aura on it could lead to some interesting politics.

Obviously some of these cards are better than others, but that's everything I've got.