I knew a player once who liked to say, "Hecatomb is hecka good" while he would tap out every turn to shoot me in the face with it.
Etregan
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Great card, and with black, the drawback doesn't have to be a drawback.
blindthrall
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Bah. I've run this card for years, not once has it won me the game. Even with breeding pit, it seems like I never have the expendables for it. Would have preferred it cost 3BB and only needed two sacrifices.
Robert_G
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is underrated. Now with the addition of Bloodchief Ascension, black enchantment decks can work well.
"At the end of your turn I'll tap some swamps and destroy that creature. Oh...and you lose 2 life I gain 2 life too."
The possiblities are endless.
It's easy to get out too...just as it was then.
Why do you think Homelands had Sengir Autocrat??? And now with Soulstair expedition, Hecatomb is easy to play.
Kirbster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Just make damn sure the stupid thing isn't bounced or blown up.
McThor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(11 votes)
I like to trick my friends into thinking that I can play this without any creatures in play, saying that the sacrifices are an additional cost.
Your deck with four copies of Bloodghast just got interesting.
djflo
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@McThor: I don't approve of cheating, but if you do, do it right. You can't play something if you can't pay a cost.
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Actually, with the wording on the card, McThor would be correct. It doesn't include an "or else" on the card, so you have to do what it says if you can, but if you can't, you don't.
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sengir Autocrat is probably my favorite card with this, as you'll only really lose a single creature to it. You can even have Hecatomb up and running by turn 3 if you use a Dark Ritual to cast the Autocrat on turn 2.
JARYISM
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a mono black EDH card at best I believe. It'd be easier to abuse with the massive card draw (Necro/Arena/Muse) and tutors black has to get the cards needed, but what I'd do is get Vedalken Orrery out once I've got a handful of creatures, not hard to do, then when an opponent goes to Wrath the board I'd flash this into play. You now have an empty board and total domination assuming you've kept up with your land drops :)
having four creatures to sacrifice is such a huge premise, so i think Wizards could consider printing a hexproof version of this.
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Even if you can't make this baby stick, you can use it as a monoblack Rolling Thunder if you need to. Sweet card.
nemokara
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"I like to trick my friends into thinking that I can play this without any creatures in play, saying that the sacrifices are an additional cost."
"Actually, with the wording on the card, McThor would be correct. It doesn't include an "or else" on the card, so you have to do what it says if you can, but if you can't, you don't."
Clearly neither of you have read the actual Oracle text: "When Hecatomb enters the battlefield, sacrifice Hecatomb unless you sacrifice four creatures.". Variations of this very cut-and-dry wording are also on the other three printings of this card.
Is it so hard to double-check these things so that you can be sure you actually know what you're talking about?
Complexpants
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My friend used to play one of these in his mono black deck back in the day. It usually came out late and was a game ender if it stayed in play, but rarely would it bend the game to his advantage. It also is probably the fact that I ran a blue control deck so he didn't have to worry about a lot of my creatures.
This card was sort of like Lord of the Pit. Everyone who played it thought it would win them the game forever and always... and it never really did.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just a point, playing it puts a triggered ability on the stack. At this point, Hecatomb is in play and you can respond to the trigger by tapping your Swamps.
Grixish
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hecatomb "Hecka Tomb" "He-cat-tomb" "He-catacomb" "Hey! Catacomb!" I think i finally nailed what this is suppose to mean!
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Swamp koth emblem on an enchantment, alright. Just need to get something that makes tokens in mono .
@Blurrymadness Nice with Mindslicer. If he's one of those 4 creatures, good luck to your opponent figuring that one out.
Consider this: -Put this on the stack -Sac Mindslicer to Carrion -Each player discards their hand -This resolves and eats the creatures you put out
Now you have an opponent in top-deck mode while you have 4-6 swamps eating his creatures and life total (depending on if you accelerated at all.) Any kind of recursion will put a quick end to your opponent, and your deck doesn't need this combo to work; its just one possible way to go.
Good with Korlash or green land-fetchers. Veteran Explorer, Viridian Emissary and Yavimaya Elder will get you all the swamps you need to easily close out the game, and pull this spell off maybe in the T3 zone.
Love the mindslicer combo, but kind of pointless to sac mind slicer while this spell is on the stack. If they had a counterspell they could counter it while the mind slicer ability is on the stack.
MisterAction
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This + R&D's Secret Lair = instant win.
The original printing doesn't specify that the swamp has to be untapped, and you can respond to the sacrifice trigger, so you can just tap the same swamp as many times as you want for infinite damage.
Hunter06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
BOLD...
Color Shifted version I kinda wish existed 'when - citp, Sac 4 creatures or sacrifice this. Tap a plains you control to gain 1 life'
Comments (25)
"At the end of your turn I'll tap some swamps and destroy that creature. Oh...and you lose 2 life I gain 2 life too."
The possiblities are endless.
It's easy to get out too...just as it was then.
Why do you think Homelands had Sengir Autocrat??? And now with Soulstair expedition, Hecatomb is easy to play.
so i think Wizards could consider printing a hexproof version of this.
"Actually, with the wording on the card, McThor would be correct. It doesn't include an "or else" on the card, so you have to do what it says if you can, but if you can't, you don't."
Clearly neither of you have read the actual Oracle text: "When Hecatomb enters the battlefield, sacrifice Hecatomb unless you sacrifice four creatures.". Variations of this very cut-and-dry wording are also on the other three printings of this card.
Is it so hard to double-check these things so that you can be sure you actually know what you're talking about?
This card was sort of like Lord of the Pit. Everyone who played it thought it would win them the game forever and always... and it never really did.
"Hecka Tomb"
"He-cat-tomb"
"He-catacomb"
"Hey! Catacomb!"
I think i finally nailed what this is suppose to mean!
@Blurrymadness
Nice with Mindslicer. If he's one of those 4 creatures, good luck to your opponent figuring that one out.
Consider this:
-Put this on the stack
-Sac Mindslicer to Carrion
-Each player discards their hand
-This resolves and eats the creatures you put out
Now you have an opponent in top-deck mode while you have 4-6 swamps eating his creatures and life total (depending on if you accelerated at all.) Any kind of recursion will put a quick end to your opponent, and your deck doesn't need this combo to work; its just one possible way to go.
Good with Korlash or green land-fetchers. Veteran Explorer, Viridian Emissary and Yavimaya Elder will get you all the swamps you need to easily close out the game, and pull this spell off maybe in the T3 zone.
Love the mindslicer combo, but kind of pointless to sac mind slicer while this spell is on the stack. If they had a counterspell they could counter it while the mind slicer ability is on the stack.
The original printing doesn't specify that the swamp has to be untapped, and you can respond to the sacrifice trigger, so you can just tap the same swamp as many times as you want for infinite damage.
Color Shifted version I kinda wish existed 'when - citp, Sac 4 creatures or sacrifice this. Tap a plains you control to gain 1 life'