This card tickles my inner Johnny in a way, that if Loretta tickled me in that way, I'd say, "Oh yea ... that's nice ... that's the spot."
This SCREAMS combo out with me and draw your whole deck. A+++ for the guy who designed this.
Dilleux_Lepaire
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(6 votes)
Play it with Children of korlis. Draw, draw, draw, draw, gain all the life you've lost! And if you've got two childrens of korlis, then draw, draw, draw, and end up with two times the life you had to begin with!
Ellwynd
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
I can't wait to use this with Tainted Sigil. Draw until your almost dead then sacrifice Tainted Sigil and gain all your life back.
Rakdos_Ninja
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Angel's Grace (tehe). Seismic Assault (also tehe)
DarthExecutor
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(6 votes)
Spellbook \|/ Platinum Angel \|/ Ad Nauseam most of your deck \|/ Sacrifice Children of korlis
If you have boon reflection and cradle of vitality it's even better. you'll probably end up with life in the triple digits and if you have a creature in play, a creature with +xxx/+xxx. Spark Elemental works best as it's the cheapest source of trample I can find.
CommandoDroid1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(13 votes)
This is a horrible excuse for a rare.
aswa0901
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
is there anyway to stop this chain of getting cards? like if you draw a land what happens?
MightyMortox
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
Play this, draw down as low as you're comfortable with, sacrifice Tainted Sigil all while Sanguine Bond is in play.
ColossusofSardia
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
In an Esper deck with 4 Platinum Angel's this means gameover for most people.
the art is sick....this is one of those cards that MUST be in evry esper deck along with Tainted sigil
ICEFANG13
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(4 votes)
As stated many powerful combos but is it good alone? Rather play Diabolic Tutor for a similar effect. I guess why it's a rare, good combos and cool art.
pensaint
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
so much fun to play, even in a mono black with tendrils of corruption was able to do this at the end of someones turn, revealing a demigod and a damnation. fun sure i would have gotten them later, but i want them NOW
shady-tradesman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(12 votes)
Suddenly my Kobold and ornithopter deck seems more feasible.
klaff
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@Arglypuff: No, read the card.
chrishocker
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Points for having some of the creepiest art in Magic.
A3Kitsune
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(11 votes)
Notice that symbol on the zombie's head? Look familiar? Yep, it's the Dimir guild symbol. This card's art was originily for a Ravanica card that got killed in development. This card was designed for the art.
Necropotence, meet your little cousin. Death's Shadow, meet your mate.
Aun
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(15 votes)
This card has the most frightening art in the whole game.
Tezz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5 for style and art for pros only, very black
FogRaider
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I just read an article about using this card in a red-black aggro list. Note that this is instant speed, so you can resolve it at EoT, then do awesome stuff with fistful of cheap burn and critters, not the least of which are Death's Shadow and Goblin Bushwhacker. I want to add Devastating Summons to that list and run it. Best thing is, the whole deck ran me only $12, and only a few more if I want to add the most expensive card - Goblin Guide.
GoblinNaysayer93
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a great draw spell if you have a lot of 0-drops in your deck.
You've cast Ad Nausem and are in the middle of drawing cards. If the card on top of your library is a land card, can you play it and keep on drawing cards if the oracle is on the battlefield?
Guest513736147
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(6 votes)
MasterOfEtherium is the Ad Nauseam of Gatherer. He's smelly, bad for my health, and has caused more Pro Tour suicides than any other card since Dark Confidant.
Swordfishtrombones
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
5/5. One of my favorite cards. Sad it's leaving. provides some crazy combos. Who doesn't love suicide decks with Death's Shadow's + Goblin Bushwhacker?
annenoise
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Incredible art, one of my favorite Magic pieces of all time.
Ad nauseum decks ( the ones with cheap {B}{R} burn/discard and death's shadows ) could have easily become one of the better T1 decks in standard but was simply overlooked early on and not really looked into until too late.
@ Wraique : You do realize you can just use ad nauseum to draw the land and then just play it from your hand for the same end result.
storophanthus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i think now its fine, as wizard attempt to balance the ridiculous cards like its father Yawgmoth's Bargain and grandfather Necropotence, so this card might be save from the banned list.
lol the guy's like: "cant you see i have no hands, i cant pick up the papers". black needs more art lke this, check out plague spitter.
also please reprint these in core set, since reprinting Necropotence seems far fetched at least give us these, its just so much pure and core FUN, that i dont care for the life loss, even if i lose to a lighting bolt. GIVE US THESE BACK ON STANDARD, REPRINT IT ON M12 PLEASEE !
MegaHertz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card is nice!!!! with spiraling Embers+Silence+Quicken+Angel's Grace
I love this card, I made multiple decks with it. As long as you have some life gain (drain spells work perfectly) and you keep your casting costs low (the sacrifice), this can literally draw half your library.
Combo with Angel's Grace to draw your entire library followed by one turn kill combo of your choice, only for !!! Or if you are so afraid of losing life, drop your Platinum Emperion first somehow. I'm amazed nobody realized this card begged to be abused it's not even funny.
Here is how you play it with no limits about cards in hand. Play Lotus Petal and play fastbond you can put all lands (Angel's Grace effect prevents you from dying). You can use Pact of Negation with impunity as you are going to win this turn.
Since this insanity bares no bounds, there is no kill like overkill so you gonna humilate your opponent at the cruelest way possible.
Play Upheaval again to take all your permanents back (use Eternal Witness to take it back if you have only one copy) Play Timetwister. Your opponent lose with all his cards in exile zone and is forced to draw 7 cards, while you have 7 cards in hand and 53 cards in library, and any amount of life (yes, even at negative life).
NextSureThing
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Using this card with Tainted Sigil is only half of the combo. The other half is having Sanguine Bond on the board. Instant life bullet straight to your opponents mouth/face area.
Woops, someone already mentioned it in conjunction with Sanguine Bond.
nope.avi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Broken card is broken. Probably one of the cards that has caused the most legacy ragequits, along with golgari gravetroll.
@Wraique: I'm nearly positive you wouldn't be able to play the land on top of your library while you're still Ad Nauseam-ing, just as other spells can't be cast while Ad Nauseam is resolving. However Oracle of Mul Daya does interact well with Ad Nauseam as you'll already know what card you're about to draw.
nukeshooter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@MechaKraken: Life loss and damage are different. Personal sanctuary only stops you from taking damage. If a card specifically says "lose life" it will still happen with sanctuary out.
This card won't kill you instantly; it kills you after you use it. By which time Laboratory Maniac wins you the game. All you need to do is draw all of the cards in your deck. Maybe get in some Ponder's, Brainstorm, Dark Ritual and the like, some tutors, and maybe even Whispering Madness. Mill yourself with Glimpse the Unthinkable or Jace, and get in Reanimate and the like. Those two cards are all you need; you could even have them as buffers in normal decks, but I think it would better if everything else was the buffer for them. Nowadays, Crypt Ghast and Realmwright will make the decks even better. You don't even need to worry about creatures! Or your opponent at all!
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I think this is too risky, but I'm not sure.
herban123
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(2 votes)
what if you have reduced all the cards in your decks mana cost to zero? do you still lose life?
LordRandomness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
The flavor text subtly hints at what you're supposed to be doing here: set up some way to become undead and use this card. Possible candidates for infinity draw are: - Phyrexian Unlife (Only sources of damage gain infect) - Lich (you only need to sacrifice permanents when you take damage) - Platinum Angel/Platinum Emperion (derp) - Soul Echo (little risky though) - Angel's Grace (VERY risky, you'll need to win before Angel's Grace wears off. Although you DID just draw your entire deck...)
All in all, an Orzhov coloured deck with lifegain/lifeloss shenanigans already running can probably make good use of this card. Either they'll have enough life to turn into cards, or it'll combo out with one or more of the above pieces.
Osprey_93
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Guys just use Phyrexian Unlife with this, life loss is not the same as damage. :)
Captain_Sisay_2591
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Deadly card, sick art. 4.5/5
Earthdawn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combo with Platinum Empereon :)
Combofriend
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Incredible card/hand advantage! Easy to ramp out in mono black and draws into more card advantage! 5/5
IamjustnotCreative
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'd prefer Necrologia, as I tend to have very high mana cost spells in my deck... but this card still has it's uses.
@TheWrathofShane: that's great and all, but you're life total won't be 1, it'll be whatever the loss is, even past one because it's not damage, it's life loss. but you'll totally be alive for the turn you semi-murder urself. nbd maybe enough time to win. like if you had a seismic assault out and pulled up a bunch of lands. then again, if some moron tries this and you're a red mage in a similar position, on the opposite side of it, with a fork, reverberate, or wild ricochet...
anyway, the best part about this is that it's at instant speed and you can ignore the maximum hand size if you do this during your opponents turn and then wait for your lands to reset to play the newly acquired cards.
One and only one of those strategies avoids a need for .
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ooooh, part of me really wishes they named this Ad Mortem.
Lazrbeams
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is a 5/5, why? The design is (IMHO) perfect, {3BB} at instant speed is the perfect costing for this effect, to abuse it you have to build your deck around it. It's like a fixed yawgmoth's bargain with enough randomness to be fair but still very playable. Seriously, this card is perfect.
Logistican
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@Existential, et al: Laboratory Maniac doesn't help you. This is not drawing. See 120.5
@LordRandomness and @TheWrathofShane: Angel's Grace won't help you. You will still die when the spell fully resolves since you are losing life rather than taking damage.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Logistican: Read Angel's Grace again, twice if need be. Even though your life total will drop below 1, you still won't lose the game that turn — the card explicitly prevents it.
SeriouslyFacetious
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Dude in the art looks like a stalker from the Half Life 2 expansions.
Great card, too! I run this in my Esper Lich EDH deck. Of course, things often go horribly wrong....
Me: "Okay I cast Ad Nauseam... I reveal Darksteel Forge... alright, I reveal Broodstar... okay I'm done."
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Angel's Grace turns this into Enter the Infinite @ Instant speed. The only catch is that you will be at 1 life, but you can win with some kind of combo right?
Comments (63)
This SCREAMS combo out with me and draw your whole deck. A+++ for the guy who designed this.
\|/
Platinum Angel
\|/
Ad Nauseam most of your deck
\|/
Sacrifice Children of korlis
If you have boon reflection and cradle of vitality it's even better. you'll probably end up with life in the triple digits and if you have a creature in play, a creature with +xxx/+xxx. Spark Elemental works best as it's the cheapest source of trample I can find.
was able to do this at the end of someones turn, revealing a demigod and a damnation. fun
sure i would have gotten them later, but i want them NOW
for pros only, very black
You've cast Ad Nausem and are in the middle of drawing cards. If the card on top of your library is a land card, can you play it and keep on drawing cards if the oracle is on the battlefield?
@ Wraique :
You do realize you can just use ad nauseum to draw the land and then just play it from your hand for the same end result.
Can i have my infinite draw now?
also please reprint these in core set, since reprinting Necropotence seems far fetched at least give us these, its just so much pure and core FUN, that i dont care for the life loss, even if i lose to a lighting bolt. GIVE US THESE BACK ON STANDARD, REPRINT IT ON M12 PLEASEE !
with spiraling Embers+Silence+Quicken+Angel's Grace
I love this card, I made multiple decks with it. As long as you have some life gain (drain spells work perfectly) and you keep your casting costs low (the sacrifice), this can literally draw half your library.
Here is how you play it with no limits about cards in hand. Play Lotus Petal and play fastbond you can put all lands (Angel's Grace effect prevents you from dying). You can use Pact of Negation with impunity as you are going to win this turn.
Since this insanity bares no bounds, there is no kill like overkill so you gonna humilate your opponent at the cruelest way possible.
Play Crucible of Worlds and Zuran Orb for unlimited life and mana.
With bouncing land such as Orzhov Basilica you can retrace Raven's Crime to cause all opponent to discard their hands.
Play Upheaval to remove all cards in play. Keep some mana floating so that you can play fastbond and all lands again.
Play Identity Crisis to exile those cards.
Play Circu, Dimir Lobotomist, then keep retracing Raven's Crime so that opponents have their entire library exiled.
Play Upheaval again to take all your permanents back (use Eternal Witness to take it back if you have only one copy) Play Timetwister. Your opponent lose with all his cards in exile zone and is forced to draw 7 cards, while you have 7 cards in hand and 53 cards in library, and any amount of life (yes, even at negative life).
Woops, someone already mentioned it in conjunction with Sanguine Bond.
Probably one of the cards that has caused the most legacy ragequits, along with golgari gravetroll.
Damage is Life loss, but life loss is not damage
- Phyrexian Unlife (Only sources of damage gain infect)
- Lich (you only need to sacrifice permanents when you take damage)
- Platinum Angel/Platinum Emperion (derp)
- Soul Echo (little risky though)
- Angel's Grace (VERY risky, you'll need to win before Angel's Grace wears off. Although you DID just draw your entire deck...)
You can additionally use Tainted Sigil, Eternity Vessel, Sorin Markov, Tree of Redemption, Arbiter of Knollridge, Magister Sphinx, and/or Children of Korlis to restore your life total in case your lifeline goes kaput. Don't forget that if you have a Sanguine Bond out, setting your life total counts as lifegain so this will very probably kill your opponent!
Or you could just use Magus of the Mirror, Soul Conduit, Repay in Kind, or Reverse the Sands to give your less prepared opponent a negative life total.
All in all, an Orzhov coloured deck with lifegain/lifeloss shenanigans already running can probably make good use of this card. Either they'll have enough life to turn into cards, or it'll combo out with one or more of the above pieces.
4.5/5
@TheWrathofShane: that's great and all, but you're life total won't be 1, it'll be whatever the loss is, even past one because it's not damage, it's life loss. but you'll totally be alive for the turn you semi-murder urself. nbd
maybe enough time to win. like if you had a seismic assault out and pulled up a bunch of lands.
then again, if some moron tries this and you're a red mage in a similar position, on the opposite side of it, with a fork, reverberate, or wild ricochet...
anyway, the best part about this is that it's at instant speed and you can ignore the maximum hand size if you do this during your opponents turn and then wait for your lands to reset to play the newly acquired cards.
@MightyMortox: maybe you can fool a lot of dumb people into using this with hive mind, plus your tainted sigil & sanguine bond combo.
-Swag_Crow
Ad Nauseam
Doomsday + Meditate/Ideas Unbound
Ill-Gotten Gains + Intuition
One and only one of those strategies avoids a need for
@LordRandomness and @TheWrathofShane: Angel's Grace won't help you. You will still die when the spell fully resolves since you are losing life rather than taking damage.
Great card, too! I run this in my Esper Lich EDH deck. Of course, things often go horribly wrong....
Me: "Okay I cast Ad Nauseam... I reveal Darksteel Forge... alright, I reveal Broodstar... okay I'm done."