This is very similar to Ragged Veins which does almost the same thing but can be flashed in for surprise victories.
However, there is a subtle difference between the two. Ragged Veins causes the controller to lose life. Spiteful Shadows causes the creature to damage it's controller. This is relevant on cards like Phyrexian Obliterator (which is in a whole different league than this card) and would cause both players to sac permanents.
I think it's best application is to be placed on a wall which is almost the same as removing it with something like Doom Blade (which is useful more often).
Dolorosa
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I guess you can put it on a Defender as a sort of "I DARE you to block me" kind of thing? I guess?? What a strange and ridiculous card...
jsttu
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
I liked this when it was called Ragged veins. With that card you could get a surprise win, even when it wasn't your turn. This one, not so much.
Combos well with blasphemous act :) Oh you want to play lots of creatures ok well. I'll just put this here. Oh ok my turn, I'll kill all your creatures and do 13 damage to you. Have a nice day. This has some nice combos. Also combos well with infect. Oh you block my Blighted Dragon well now you take 5 infect anyway.
I use this with blasphemous act and early control of creatures i dont like with doomblade or go for the throat and incinerate and then use fireballs copied with increasing vengeance and then alpha brawl cause i mostly control the game till i get the mana for it and i pick the enchanted creature to be the alpha lol...then i control the rest of the game with chandra and then win either with the first combo...also another fun one against inkmoth nexus is spiteful shadows with curse of the bloodletting out...double source damage then i blow up your inkmoth...just for fun and kill u with into the maw of hell...thats my red black control...and new school burn deck....
This is pretty good in a sufficiently aggressive Limited deck. Granted, I'd rather play actual removal over this, but sometimes being able to pretend your blocked creature is a Rhox is all you need to close out the game.
Not really playable outside of limited unless you're going in for Blasphemous Act shenanigans or the like, but it has its uses.
TrueKitsonga
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@NinaNinja
This doesn't combo with infect, at least not in the way you described. It will not "redirect" the damage from your creature with infect, but rather make the blocking creature deal damage, so unless the blocking creature also has infect, the opponent will simply take 5 damage.
doombladez
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I actually like this, combine it with cards that only burn creatures and it's actually pretty decent, such as into the maw of hell, or useful with Chandra's outrage. Not a perfect card by any means, and there are better alternatives (Ragged Vein), but it has it's uses. 3/5
garbagegatherer
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
So you're making a horror set, but you don't reprint Binding Agony?
j_mindfingerpainter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Ultimate insult (in standard) to BS Colossus player:
This enchanting BS Colossus, then play Wrack with Madness.
Wraique
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Saw this and a Manor Skeleton win a draft game once. Opponent had one enchanted larger-than-skeleton creature, but was a fair bit behind on life. Skeleton just kept swinging for 1. The other guy was not happy :)
Toquinha1977
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I likes me a Blasphemous Act combo, but alas, you can only do it once. In the words of my opponent who didn't see it coming in the second round, but knew what was happening when I tried to set it up again in third round, "I can't believe you made me Dead Weight my own guy."
Vakyoom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Omfg guys, this totally shuts down palisade giant. Makes this a really relevant card since it made a huge difference in prerelease games.
Other than that, I may consider putting it on sideboard in an enchantment deck where things like ethereal armor can pump you up farther.
An alternation of Binding Agony which makes the damage come from the creature (like Jackal Pup) instead of the aura. As pointed out by others already, this triggers more abilities than the original - for better or worse. For example, while creatures with wither or infect would be great targets, it would have no impact on creatures with lifelink.
Ragged Veins in comparison won't cause any such triggers at all. I'd generally prefer it since it has flash, which makes a huge difference since you can still wait for your opponent to play a potential target in his turn, use it as combat trick (he might not attack if he'd know about it) and pretty much ensure at least a single use.
Spiteful Shadows is the third iteration of such an aura by now. What gives these 'curse auras' a huge advantage over regular auras is that it's impossible to get into a 2-for-1 situation by playing them, since you'll target an opponent's creature.
Nonetheless it doesn't remove the threat. I think it should have had flash like Ragged Veins, or just cost .
Comments (23)
However, there is a subtle difference between the two. Ragged Veins causes the controller to lose life. Spiteful Shadows causes the creature to damage it's controller. This is relevant on cards like Phyrexian Obliterator (which is in a whole different league than this card) and would cause both players to sac permanents.
I think it's best application is to be placed on a wall which is almost the same as removing it with something like Doom Blade (which is useful more often).
Or makes it go infinite with Pariah's Shield.
In most cases, Ragged Vein is better. But, there is one difference (besides flash), the creatures deal the damage with Spiteful Shadows. Imagine Phage the Untouchable, infect cards, or Undead Alchemist.
Not really playable outside of limited unless you're going in for Blasphemous Act shenanigans or the like, but it has its uses.
This doesn't combo with infect, at least not in the way you described. It will not "redirect" the damage from your creature with infect, but rather make the blocking creature deal damage, so unless the blocking creature also has infect, the opponent will simply take 5 damage.
This enchanting BS Colossus, then play Wrack with Madness.
Other than that, I may consider putting it on sideboard in an enchantment deck where things like ethereal armor can pump you up farther.
As pointed out by others already, this triggers more abilities than the original - for better or worse. For example, while creatures with wither or infect would be great targets, it would have no impact on creatures with lifelink.
Ragged Veins in comparison won't cause any such triggers at all. I'd generally prefer it since it has flash, which makes a huge difference since you can still wait for your opponent to play a potential target in his turn, use it as combat trick (he might not attack if he'd know about it) and pretty much ensure at least a single use.
Spiteful Shadows is the third iteration of such an aura by now.
What gives these 'curse auras' a huge advantage over regular auras is that it's impossible to get into a 2-for-1 situation by playing them, since you'll target an opponent's creature.
Nonetheless it doesn't remove the threat. I think it should have had flash like Ragged Veins, or just cost