Withering Torment

Instant

Destroy target creature or enchantment. You lose 2 life.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	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
Pioneer	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (3)

Crow_Umbra on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

1 day 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.

wallisface on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

1 day ago

I should also note, from discussions i’ve seen so far, most people are in agreement that competitively Feed the Swarm is much better than Withering Torment - so assuming that holds true Wotc have only made a spell worse than what’s already available.

DemonDragonJ on Is Enchantment Destruction in Black …

1 day ago

WotC stated that black's ability to destroy enchantments would be far less powerful than that of white or green, but I feel that Withering Torment is too powerful, since its drawbacks are not sufficient to prevent it from encroaching on white and green's territory; for a mere 1 additional mana over Feed the Swarm, Withering Torment is an instant, has a lower loss of life, and (most significantly) allows its caster to destroy their own enchantments, which goes against WotC's philosophy that black should not be able to destroy or otherwise remove its own enchantments, given that color's focus on "deal with the devil" effects.

What does everyone else say about this matter? Do you believe that enchantment destruction in black is becoming too powerful? I certainly am interested to hear your responses.