Good luck not confusing this particular -1/-1 counter with all the others such a deck would deliver! I kind of want to play Fate Transfer with it just to confuse people.
DoomCanoe
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
5/5 just for flavor text
djbon2112
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
@LeafWheels That wouldn't matter. It says "target creature" in the first sentence, then "that creature" in the second. It cares about the creature, not the -1/-1 counter. So unless they have a massive board, confusion should be low.
MechaKraken
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Good way to get the ball rolling early in proliferate/poison decks. Cast this on turn one if you can against a weenie of theirs, then for the rest of the game simply concentrate on defending yourself and proliferating.
side note- this would have been a magnificent answer to skullclamp decks back in the day...
mph
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Shouldn't the wording for this card be:
"IF that creature is put into a graveyard this turn, its controller gets a poison counter."
Or alternatively:
"When that creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, its controller gets a poison counter." (Don't like this version as it creates an invisible trigger which players must remember)
As is, the wording seems to imply that the creature WILL go to the graveyard as a result of this spell regardless of size or other factors.
Stray_Dog
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Awww I feel sorry for that goblin!
http404error
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Won me so many matches in a draft. Best common instant in the set, IMO.
Richard_Hawk
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
kill your myr and +1 poison, all for 1 mana? yes!
Crow_Of_War
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
So, this does to Scar what Screeching Silcaw does to Storm Crow. This card is gold for all kinds of infect. Solid weenie remover that also deals poison. What more could you want for one mana? 5/5 for great function and even better flavour text.^^
Araphen
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Virulent Wound and Diminish is an amazing combo for really cheap.
__Silence__
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
lol it says WHEN that creature is put into a battlefield this turn not IF xD
@mph: I agree that "if" would make more sense, but there's probably some wording convention for these triggers that would suggest saying "when" instead. Your second version skips the "this turn" clause, which would make the card substantially better and as you say, tricky to have to remember. It doesn't need to say "from the battlefield" because if, say, the creature card gets bounced and then discarded it isn't still technically the same creature that was targeted.
@Enchantment_Removal: So basically you want this card to be strictly better than Instill Infection would be even if that card was CMC 1? Unlikely.
On topic: This is definitely a decent kill spell for infect, especially in limited. Your opponent will probably be running something with 1 toughness, and if they don't you can still use it as a combat trick to turn what would be a trade into a straight kill. Obviously intended for use in the early game. I wouldn't 4-of this in a constructed deck when there are options like Grasp of Darkness and Go for the Throat available, but it has its place.
just wanted to point out that this art makes me very sad for some reason. Poor goblin trying to make his way home to die and doesnt realize he's going to infect his whole family :(
Selez
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
You can still run Scar is red decks! Stop beating up on Scar!!
...Just kidding, love this card, fits it function perfectly, great in draft, constructed worthy when (and I mean when, not if) Infect becomes a constructed contender.
if I cast 2 of these on a 2/2 creature to kill it, will it's controller get 1 or 2 poison counters?
MagicLango
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Drixy: Should get 2 poison counters because there are two separate abilities in that scenario that give the player a poison counter upon the creature hitting the graveyard, one from each copy of virulent wound.
Pugno
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
so i have a question if you use four of these on a 4/4 or three on a 3/3, etc. would that creatures controler get four/three poison counters or just one?
SarpNasty
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So many combat tricks with this. Not to mention using more than one will give them that many poison counters, so even if you have to 2 for 1, you'll still get a benefit.
Great removal, 4.5/5
htgtmd
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Is there something I'm missing? This card is implying that the creature will most definitely die.
Maybe the fine fine print says "Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated."
NeoKoda
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
People complaining about the "when": That's just how they word things. Look at Narcomoeba, for instance. That card rarely will get milled (ignoring self mill, mmk?) and it uses "when."
morugatu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I agree, this card is extremely depressing. Its so sad I actually feel for this fictional character. Oh, and with so many one-drop creatures out there now, this card is going to be an amazing advantage for infect.
j_mindfingerpainter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In an undying deck, can fill the role of Fume Spitter and can be used against opponents as well.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Poor Gerkk.
But cheer up. soon you'll be with Glok and Makht! :)
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This really only belongs in poison decks, but it is an amazing first or second turn play in anything running infect.
The best designed cards in the game are ones that won't always be played, but will shine in thr right deck. That's what this is.
deggdegg
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@mph - this is standard wording. Your examples have two problems
1) The "if" version doesn't say when the ability triggers. By using "when", we know that the ability triggers as soon as the creature goes to the graveyard. "If" implies this, but it doesn't explicitly say it.
2) "From the battlefield" is unnecessary. Creatures only exist on the battlefield. Everywhere else, they are creature cards or creature spells.
Buderus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Proliferate works 2 times here, so does Doubling Season (even better)
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This one seems pretty good in a poison deck to me. For just you can kill an annoying Phytohydra, for example, and in addition get 1/10 of the way to winning the game =D
cardraptor6
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I know that's the way the card has to be worded from a rules perspective, but the "When that creature dies this turn..." makes this card sound super douchey and overconfident about itself. I like that.
Comments (32)
Good luck not confusing this particular -1/-1 counter with all the others such a deck would deliver! I kind of want to play Fate Transfer with it just to confuse people.
The Ichor Rats/Unsummon tactic can speed things up too.
side note- this would have been a magnificent answer to skullclamp decks back in the day...
"IF that creature is put into a graveyard this turn, its controller gets a poison counter."
Or alternatively:
"When that creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, its controller gets a poison counter." (Don't like this version as it creates an invisible trigger which players must remember)
As is, the wording seems to imply that the creature WILL go to the graveyard as a result of this spell regardless of size or other factors.
This card is gold for all kinds of infect. Solid weenie remover that also deals poison. What more could you want for one mana?
5/5 for great function and even better flavour text.^^
@Enchantment_Removal: So basically you want this card to be strictly better than Instill Infection would be even if that card was CMC 1? Unlikely.
On topic: This is definitely a decent kill spell for infect, especially in limited. Your opponent will probably be running something with 1 toughness, and if they don't you can still use it as a combat trick to turn what would be a trade into a straight kill. Obviously intended for use in the early game. I wouldn't 4-of this in a constructed deck when there are options like Grasp of Darkness and Go for the Throat available, but it has its place.
...Just kidding, love this card, fits it function perfectly, great in draft, constructed worthy when (and I mean when, not if) Infect becomes a constructed contender.
Great removal, 4.5/5
Maybe the fine fine print says "Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated."
But cheer up. soon you'll be with Glok and Makht! :)
The best designed cards in the game are ones that won't always be played, but will shine in thr right deck. That's what this is.
1) The "if" version doesn't say when the ability triggers. By using "when", we know that the ability triggers as soon as the creature goes to the graveyard. "If" implies this, but it doesn't explicitly say it.
2) "From the battlefield" is unnecessary. Creatures only exist on the battlefield. Everywhere else, they are creature cards or creature spells.