Significant card advantage. Rarely will you be disappointing if this resolves.
Disciple_of_Magic
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(10 votes)
To quote a friend: "If this doesn't win you the game, you're doing something wrong."
Claov
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(17 votes)
Might as well say "Destroy target player". To weather this sort of storm, you need a strong board presence and some way of recouping all the lost cards.
MtgTGG
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Seven card advantage and a ten life swing for seven mana!
Shoe2
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've4 heard good things about this card, but have yet to see it in action. in 1V1 it seems hard to pull off without already getting killed and in multiplayer it wishes it didnt target and said all opponents. Fair card i guess
neruka
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
After a couple Blightnings leading up to this baby, expect your opponent to lose all morale, if not the game.
This card has won me the game after almost losing multiple times.
Used in combination with Furnace of Rath it is by far a most powerful union.
wo0zie
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(11 votes)
Cruel Ultimatum the most usable ultimatum..and the most demoralizing card i've played when this card resolves the opponent doesnt only sacrifices a creature, discards three cards and loses 5 life he also loses hope...hehehe..
A good finisher but when you draw 2 of these in your opening hand its just like your holding 5 card..
BayushiKazemi
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(5 votes)
This card is amazing. Every one of its abilities is loyal to its colors and it is actually GOOD.
Furnace of Rath only works with damage dealt, not with loss of life. It won't help.
Andrew25
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This card is good but the problem is that my games end with me having around 6 mana. The only bad thing about this card is that its converted mana cost is 7
Wrathofthemany
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
This card seem to be unfair to all the other ultimatums. Woopy with Violent ultimatum you can destroy three perment while nice you can still use other cards to do that. Brillant ultimatum 1 good card for free but with cruel you can revive any card in your grave yard. Clarion ulti duplicating 5 cards while nice it just doesnt have that 5 damage to your life and discarding hand. Titanic Ultimatum if your playing this card and it works you already won. Cruel ultimatum is unfair to all the other ultimatum because it just so much better.
Demonic_Angel13
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
To bad Nicol Bolas didn't have the second half of this card. great as titanic ultimatum
DrakeKXI
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I've revived my deck three times, and in the first two, I ran three copies of Cruel Ultimatum. Needless to say, if one popped off -- with the other in hand-- You had to hope you had enough creatures to overrun me the next turn, or you were already dead. However, the deck was intolerably slow.
Don't get me wrong, Ultimatum is a great card, but it's more of a sideboard against the BIG SINGLE creature decks (Progenitus, Chamelion Colossus, etc...)
SocialExperiment
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This is one of those cards that can (and almost certainly will) turn the game around. Combine it with Sanguine Bond to deal ten damage instead of five, and you'd have a harder time NOT winning when you play this.
Rainyday2012
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Only once did my opponent resolve this and lose, and then he was already being beaten down by a huge army. A game-winner.
VardthLokkur
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"Concentrate" 2 Blue Blue "Raise Dead" Black "Lava Axe" 4 Red "Three Tragedies" 3 Black Black "Cruel Edict" 1 Black
Equals to...
"Cruel Ultimatum" Blue Blue Black Black Black Red Red
This card could be called crusher of the hopes...
U-caster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow. This card is definitely a killer. I wouldn't want to run into this thing any time soon.
nukeme11
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the most powerful ultimatum. Count the card advantage: 3 cards you draw 3 cards you make them discard 1 card creature sacrifice 1 card creature return* This is an 8 for 1. depending on the creature being returned, it can be even higher. Returning Broodmates win games. Returning any creature who allows you to draw cards (Mulldrifter) Nets you even more cards. The Life swing is excessive.
Donovan_Fabian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This card has a huge amount of hype. Yes, it is awesome, I know, but it can also be a lot less powerful than it looks. Late game your opponent may have no cards in hand, may have a number of creatures and will only sacrifice a birds of paradise or token, and lose 5 life. The most immediate value is in the things it does for your own side of the field, even then however, it doesn't actually play the creature you return to hand, and the card draw really depends on how much card draw is already in your deck and what cards are on top of your library, which leaves you with 5 life gain benefit. All in all, still fantastic, but maybe over hyped. I side board this and use a wish card to get it out of the side board when I have the mana for it.
Dingo777
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have had friends talking about useing this and the new chandra and pyromancer ascention and I just say, if you ever manage that, the table will kill you, with evil glares from everyone
really, 4 copies in graveyard, via chandra, pyromancer ready, that is roughly 8 copies, cast for free, and since we normally play multi player, it is like, we all just lost 15 life except 1 lucky guy who only lost 10 (4 people, 3 targets) no one has a hand now, no one has a creature and he is now at +40 life
and that is saying he only got the ultimatums back, who knows what removal or pain spells he has? blightning lightning naya charm jund charm titanic ultimatum violent ultimatum terminate elemental appeal pyroclasm volcanic fallout
all of that is doubled via the pyromancer remember
Nickkom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think Ralph was on acid when he drew this. If you squint, the picture becomes a gorilla with its mouth open, bleeding from its eyes.
nammertime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Imprint it on Panoptic Mirror for some good fun. You don't even need the right mana!
coyotemoon722
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's annoying how much more powerful this card is than the other Ultimatums. Too low of cost with the current mana accel. I'm hatin on this card.
Kontrey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Bolas rules!
ChampionofSquee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lol throw this in with a Cloven Casting and that will be the end of your opponent
Belz_
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Someone posted somewhere a combo using Conflux and Dream Halls to play four of these cards in a single turn, for the win.
blindthrall
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The way I look at it, it's a drain life spell with a huge cantrip, as the other abilities won't really matter by the time it pops. I'm not bagging on it, it's still worth it.
BlackAlbino
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
i milled my opponent some, attacked with wrexilis, used his cruel ultimatum, won the game basically it was then i realized just how good this is despite its mana cost
EnV
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A great card but you forget, losing five life for a myriad of decks isn't that big a deal, discarding three? nah. Sacrificing a creature, many deck don't care. This doesn't win the game but it leads up to a win.
achilleselbow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Overall, I think Last Stand is better. Yes, it requires an additional combo piece (Prismatic Omen), and it doesn't provide the immense card advantage. However, it has double the life drain, allows you to choose what creature to destroy, lets you see more cards, and has a greater immediate effect on the board by putting more tokens into play. By the time you get to seven mana, your opponent may not have many cards to discard, and if he has board control and is about to kill you, this may simply not be enough.
NeoSin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome card, and I love the flavor text. On a side note, the demon that Bolas is about to own looks just like Rakdos the Defiler Am I mistaken, or did mdawk576 just call Cruel edict a bad card???
FouCapitan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love Grixis so much.
All the Ultimatum's are brutal, but this one's effects are especially delicious.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
really REALLY want four of these for my Dream Halls deck
klauth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
twincast?!? why not Echo Mage then to unite everyone against you in multiplayer?
Robface
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I feel like if the opponent puts a creature from play into his graveyard, then you should be able to put a creature from your graveyard into play, not into your hand.
Falgorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Who cares? It's Bolas.
LarsBM
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
It's just deliciously cruel.
seydaneen
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nicol Bolas in his pure form. coolest card ever
Talcos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My favorite play experience with this card involved casting Cruel Ultimatum, and drawing into another Cruel Ultimatum off of it, and then casting the second Ultimatum on the following turn.
Victory. Merciless, unrelenting victory. ^_^
Mightyass
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(14 votes)
well, this card has mana cost of UUBBBRR. If you read it, what do you get? ÜBER!!!!
Actually aside from the card draw (blue), every other ability is distinctly black-flavoured (life drain, creature sac, resurrection, discard), and yet the red still fits perfectly -not with any one mechanic, but with the card as a whole. If it was it wouldn't have been as cool. Also the card evokes Bolas, so it is flavourful just for that.
I also like all of these ultimatums because I think they appeal to Timmy in an interesting way. It has been said that Timmy doesn't care about mana costs (mana efficiency to be precise), but I think that Timmy would look at these cards, look at the mana first because it is so colour-heavy, and think "ohmygosh, look at all that mana... this must do something WICKED." Just getting all of the right mana to play these spells can be a fun build-up in itself.
Flavour text rocks too.
DarthParallax
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
you know about the worst thing that can happen to you when you play this card? freakin' COMMANDEER!
KABOOM I cast Nuclear Weapons!!!!
Blue jerk: Ok, I steal your Nuclear codes. You told me not to play any counterspells this time.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS!
Actually, I don't like him much, but I like that this embodies his sheer power.
WateryMind
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Cruel Ultimatum UUBBBRR
Nuke your opponent.
Opaque
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I wonder how many deaths have occurred from these ultimatums getting countered? I would either lose my will to live or be justified in euthanizing my opponent for being uncool. Fun fact: 72% percent of decks are U/B control!
Rikiaz
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
The thing I love most about this card is not only does it flat out win games, it does so in style without being insanely broken like most game winners nowadays. Long live Bolas!
Alsebra
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
@Stray_Dog - Actually, black does dabble in card drawing from time to time. Usually, it's a cantrip...but sometimes it's the focus of the spell (Ambition's Cost, Contract from Below, Decree of Pain...); it's just not often that you don't have to pay life (or other prices) for the card drawing.
JaxsonBateman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Haven't played this card in a while. Must do it again. One of the most devastating affects at 7 CMC, and the card advantage potential is insaaaane. 8-for-1 for 7 mana? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING?!?
VoidedNote
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
When you cast Cruel Ultimatum, exile target player's chances of winning. Then destroy that players morale, it can't be regenerated. If that player does not concede, they lose the game on the beginning of your next upkeep.
SgtSwaggr
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
My brother ended up playing 2 of these EVERY GAME against me. I dont play Magic with him anymore.
kothsapprentice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Probably one of the weaker Ultimatums, in my opinion. It does too many little things to be really great.
Palutena
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Triple cast it with a level 4+ Echo Mage just for giggles.
stille_nacht
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
chandra, the firebrand can copy this just for -2 8D
The only thing that could stop you is a countering spell, so keep a couple of Negates around.
mdakw576
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
this is by far the best ultimatum.
ParallaxtheRevan
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
One day, they're going to do "From the Vault: Gold" and this will get it's deserved Mythic Status.
True, FTV: Legends was a sad excuse for a Vault because too MANY things from Alara were present. But, I think years from now this will still look like it should have been Mythic Rare.
I consider Cruel Ultimatum to be part of a Super Mega Ultra Cycle with
Terminate, Vindicate, Pernicious Deed, and Glimpse the Unthinkable.
The Cycle of Bad Ass Shit Black can do with Multicolor.
TheWallinator74
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
...And this, Planeswalkers, is a mere fraction of Lord Bolas' power.
Toquinha1977
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I mostly know this card from playing Duel of the Planeswalkers 2013 and its presence in the Nicol Bolas deck. When controlled by AI, this card always seems to come out when you're about to stabilize. If this doesn't raise your suspicions that the AI cheats, I don't know what else will.
YoungSloshee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A really tough, but rewarding, card to play. I'll run it in my U/B/R sac deck with a dose of Gem of Becoming just to balance it out.
Tears are shed if this resolves.
Latronis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's not that tough to play. Play it return Snapcaster Mage to hand.
Win
Iam_IronMan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There is nothing red about this card.
Hussalo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Panoptic Mirror please. Judge! Is it wrong that I just cast this for free with Jeleva, then copied it four more times with Echo Mage with Illusionist's Bracers?
Comments (65)
"If this doesn't win you the game, you're doing something wrong."
This card has won me the game after almost losing multiple times.
A good finisher but when you draw 2 of these in your opening hand its just like your holding 5 card..
Furnace of Rath only works with damage dealt, not with loss of life. It won't help.
Don't get me wrong, Ultimatum is a great card, but it's more of a sideboard against the BIG SINGLE creature decks (Progenitus, Chamelion Colossus, etc...)
"Raise Dead" Black
"Lava Axe" 4 Red
"Three Tragedies" 3 Black Black
"Cruel Edict" 1 Black
Equals to...
"Cruel Ultimatum" Blue Blue Black Black Black Red Red
This card could be called crusher of the hopes...
Count the card advantage:
3 cards you draw
3 cards you make them discard
1 card creature sacrifice
1 card creature return*
This is an 8 for 1. depending on the creature being returned, it can be even higher. Returning Broodmates win games. Returning any creature who allows you to draw cards (Mulldrifter) Nets you even more cards.
The Life swing is excessive.
really, 4 copies in graveyard, via chandra, pyromancer ready, that is roughly 8 copies, cast for free, and since we normally play multi player, it is like, we all just lost 15 life except 1 lucky guy who only lost 10 (4 people, 3 targets) no one has a hand now, no one has a creature and he is now at +40 life
and that is saying he only got the ultimatums back, who knows what removal or pain spells he has?
blightning
lightning
naya charm
jund charm
titanic ultimatum
violent ultimatum
terminate
elemental appeal
pyroclasm
volcanic fallout
all of that is doubled via the pyromancer remember
it was then i realized just how good this is despite its mana cost
All the Ultimatum's are brutal, but this one's effects are especially delicious.
Victory. Merciless, unrelenting victory. ^_^
I also like all of these ultimatums because I think they appeal to Timmy in an interesting way. It has been said that Timmy doesn't care about mana costs (mana efficiency to be precise), but I think that Timmy would look at these cards, look at the mana first because it is so colour-heavy, and think "ohmygosh, look at all that mana... this must do something WICKED."
Just getting all of the right mana to play these spells can be a fun build-up in itself.
Flavour text rocks too.
KABOOM I cast Nuclear Weapons!!!!
Blue jerk: Ok, I steal your Nuclear codes. You told me not to play any counterspells this time.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Actually, I don't like him much, but I like that this embodies his sheer power.
Nuke your opponent.
The only thing that could stop you is a countering spell, so keep a couple of Negates around.
True, FTV: Legends was a sad excuse for a Vault because too MANY things from Alara were present. But, I think years from now this will still look like it should have been Mythic Rare.
I consider Cruel Ultimatum to be part of a Super Mega Ultra Cycle with
Terminate, Vindicate, Pernicious Deed, and Glimpse the Unthinkable.
The Cycle of Bad Ass Shit Black can do with Multicolor.
Tears are shed if this resolves.
Play it
return Snapcaster Mage to hand.
Win
Judge! Is it wrong that I just cast this for free with Jeleva, then copied it four more times with Echo Mage with Illusionist's Bracers?