this very reason you want draw one mana spell in the late games
abdulmuhsee
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This is the one card I'm really hoping for at the pre-release.
I mean, I'm not even a zombie fan, but something about this card just speaks to me. I'm not sure if it's the art, the P/T ratio, or the ability, but it's just one of those cards I'd thumb through my deck just to look at.
Fingers crossed for pulling one this weekend.
Rancid_Raptor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't like the fact that the Orzhov have a zombie. It doesn't seem like thier thing to be honest.
If it was a Spirit, thrull or human or even a vampire I'd be fine. vampires make much more sense for the Orzhov then zombies. I mean Vampries does seem like the next logical step up from Spirits for them. Zombies on the other hand feel more Golgari or Rakdos.
Still a good rare.
Flyheight
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(6 votes)
All the Extort triggers. All of them....wait a sec...lemme go check the FAQ...fraggit it's not there. Time to check the boards...ooh, found the rules quote I wanted to see:
702.99b If a permanent has multiple instances of extort, each triggers separately.
AAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAAH!
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You can turn any deck into an extort-vaganza now. Your friends will hate you.
Nucleon
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(7 votes)
Black's Sublime Archangel. Definitely want these for my swarm EDH decks.
.Blaze.
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
That sure is some mana sink. Should be a TON of fun when mixed with Selesnya and all those tokens.
ChttrBox88
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Use with Crypt Ghast, however I feel that this card alone is not strong enough to warrant play.
marmaris74
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(13 votes)
"You get Extort! And you get Extort! EVERYBODY'S GETTING EXTORT!"
The_Evictee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Real Heartless Tax Collector.
The_Trendkill
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I imagine this can get out of hand very quickly. Good.
MightySqueeth
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
I didn't even look at that second line of text, all I saw was a zombie with extort in the same colour as Gravecrawler and the same guild as Cartel Aristocrat. Time to have some fun >={D>
Haplo81
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
4.5 for being awesome. -0.5 for not being a Vampire.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
pretty much unbeatable in limited
Tiggurix
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm not sure how I feel about Orzhov getting vampires and zombies in Dragon's Maze. They just don't feel very, you know, Orzhov.
Atali
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
I'm OK with this being a zombie. From the looks of it, it's not a reanimated corpse, but more akin to a Lich. I'm fine with Orzhov having Lichs, a reward of immortality for favored minions of the Obzedat.
bowlofgumbo
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Hey, bro, I heard you like Extort.
wolftree
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
The answer to the question: "Whatever happened to Joseph Ratzinger?"
Ratoly
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@Flyheight: You realize there's reminder text on the card, right?
This card is a monster in multiplayer. Anyone who has every played with Extort in MP will know it's absolutely awesome.
Krysto
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(5 votes)
Was debating putting this in a vintage zombie deck, considering the high cost and mana-sink of an effect, then I considered this: Despite his high mana cost, it's a solid blocker with 7 toughness and using Animate Dead wouldn't change that. Pulling zombies from the grave for less than their CMC is as easy as it gets. Zombie synergy, duh.
And ultimately, the mana sink comes in as the final question, when it occurred to me that the bulk of a zombie deck is in the 3-CMC range, and having extort as an ability serves some interesting purposes: A vent for otherwise useless mana when you have 4 lands and are still playing 3-CMCs. A source of incredibly valuable lifegain to extend your lifespan. And finally, a way to ultimately break stalemates and grind your opponents to death.
So I'll definitely give him a shot - maybe he won't be the winning edge, but he looks like he'll help. Now if only I could get my mitts on a Blood Scrivener.
A) I only spend another B/W and my opponents lose 3 life and I gain 3x(# of opponents) life?
B) I can spend another B/W and my opponents lose 1 life and I gain 3x(# of opponents) life?
C) I can spend another 4 B/W and my opponents lose 4 life and I gain 4x(# of opponents) life?
D) I can spend another 4 B/W and my opponents lose 12 life and I gain 12x(# of opponents) life?
E) something else
SolomonRedfang
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
@arcaneimperator
You can pay extort on the third Knight of Infamy up to three times for 1 mana each- each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1*(number of opponents) life for each time you extort.
The third Knight can't extort itself because at the time you cast it it's a spell and not a creature. It only has Extort once it's resolved and entered the battlefield.
qwery123844
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
You want to attack Orzhov, OK, just pay the Orzhov raiding fee.
Continue
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Add an Exsanguinate to each of your spells. Ohhh yeah.
a7wingedsheep
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@bowlofgumbo .. so we put extort onto your extort creatures.. So you can Extort while you Extort!
Once you have enough creatures, you're pretty much always going to tap out with this guy. It's like having a conditional Drain Life anytime you want it. The multiple extort triggers don't even really matter as long as you have more extra mana than you have extortionists. All in all a really cool card, though it's something of a lightning rod for removal.
Pipikako
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
BEAST !!! WOW !
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A religious figure that controls plague? It's DotA 2's Necrolyte!
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really like this card. I pulled a foil one and it is beautiful. I put it into my Vish Kal EDH deck which has a lot of tokens and usually a lot of mana to spare. Extort is kind of broken in multiplayer - even when everyone has 40 life to start.
EdgarPoeAllen
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Finally, a good use for late game one-drops. Have opponents lose 7+ life and you gain 7+ life works for me.
FaceClaimer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I actually can attest to the power of blthis card in limited and I'll tell you how it works.
seriously. All of my zombie tokens have extort and I just lost a gravecrawler last turn. I bring him back and drain X life. I HAVE COME BACK FROM 1 LIFE WITH THIS COMBO. DON'T KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. SERIOUSLY.
the_nonaffiliated
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this+ xenograft or conspiracy naming sliver + mana producing sliver= whenever you cast a spell, your opponents each lose life equal to the number of slivers in play and you gain life equal to the life lost this way. tap all creatures you control.
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Kind of looks like some unholy singer with a badass microphone.
RAV0004
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
FUN FACT TIME
Extort is a dual ability that appears equally in both black and white, like first strike is dual colored ability that appears equally in both white and red. (see boros recruit, Tundra Wolves, Striking Sliver) In fact there's no reason at all it should say "pay w/b", since only white and black cards have the cost... It should have just been printed as "pay an extra 1,..." Except for one reason:
Mark Rosewater specifically requested the design team to make Extort have the hybrid w/b cost in it so that extort cards could only be used in white AND black EDH decks, not one or the other.
Or, more accurately, he designed it so that the people in charge of the EDH format would remove the ridiculous (in his mind) rule that hybrid cards can't be played in mono colored EDH decks. In Magic Design, Hybrids are cards that can fit into either of the colors it is (for example, Merfolk of the Depths is a card that could be printed at 4GG OR 4UU, without changing or editing anything besides perhaps it's creature types in any way. Gold Cards on the other hand, are cards that give abilities that exist solely because the card is that color (Skyward Eye Prophets gets vigilance because it's white, card draw because it's blue, and land accel, however bad, because it's green. With any one of those colors lacking, they would not have printed skyward eye the way it was).
It's interesting to note that the people who run Elder Dragon Highlander changed the entire rule on color identity just to spite the entire design philosophy behind hybrid costs, and the whole point of extort, while still allowing this card to be run in mono black EDH decks.
I guess that makes PoB Danger Mouse, he goes great with everyone (Sort of)
SirLibraryEater
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Orzhov Pontiff, I see you're doing well for yourself. Been a while since original Ravnica block, eh? @faceclaimer Under what circumstances were you playing both Dark Ascension and Dragon's Maze in Limited?
lock_doggy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is perfect for team play, I would probably put it in a black/white seck
Comments (40)
Win
I mean, I'm not even a zombie fan, but something about this card just speaks to me. I'm not sure if it's the art, the P/T ratio, or the ability, but it's just one of those cards I'd thumb through my deck just to look at.
Fingers crossed for pulling one this weekend.
If it was a Spirit, thrull or human or even a vampire I'd be fine. vampires make much more sense for the Orzhov then zombies. I mean Vampries does seem like the next logical step up from Spirits for them. Zombies on the other hand feel more Golgari or Rakdos.
Still a good rare.
702.99b If a permanent has multiple instances of extort, each triggers separately.
AAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAAH!
-0.5 for not being a Vampire.
This card is a monster in multiplayer. Anyone who has every played with Extort in MP will know it's absolutely awesome.
Despite his high mana cost, it's a solid blocker with 7 toughness and using Animate Dead wouldn't change that.
Pulling zombies from the grave for less than their CMC is as easy as it gets.
Zombie synergy, duh.
And ultimately, the mana sink comes in as the final question, when it occurred to me that the bulk of a zombie deck is in the 3-CMC range, and having extort as an ability serves some interesting purposes:
A vent for otherwise useless mana when you have 4 lands and are still playing 3-CMCs.
A source of incredibly valuable lifegain to extend your lifespan.
And finally, a way to ultimately break stalemates and grind your opponents to death.
So I'll definitely give him a shot - maybe he won't be the winning edge, but he looks like he'll help. Now if only I could get my mitts on a Blood Scrivener.
I have 6 mana, Pontiff of Blight, and two Knight of Infamys in the battlefield. Next turn I cast another Knight of Infamy.
Each Extort triggers separately,
does that mean:
A) I only spend another B/W and my opponents lose 3 life and I gain 3x(# of opponents) life?
B) I can spend another B/W and my opponents lose 1 life and I gain 3x(# of opponents) life?
C) I can spend another 4 B/W and my opponents lose 4 life and I gain 4x(# of opponents) life?
D) I can spend another 4 B/W and my opponents lose 12 life and I gain 12x(# of opponents) life?
E) something else
You can pay extort on the third Knight of Infamy up to three times for 1 mana each- each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1*(number of opponents) life for each time you extort.
The third Knight can't extort itself because at the time you cast it it's a spell and not a creature. It only has Extort once it's resolved and entered the battlefield.
.. so we put extort onto your extort creatures.. So you can Extort while you Extort!
one word. Gravecrawler.
seriously. All of my zombie tokens have extort and I just lost a gravecrawler last turn. I bring him back and drain X life. I HAVE COME BACK FROM 1 LIFE WITH THIS COMBO. DON'T KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. SERIOUSLY.
Extort is a dual ability that appears equally in both black and white, like first strike is dual colored ability that appears equally in both white and red. (see boros recruit, Tundra Wolves, Striking Sliver) In fact there's no reason at all it should say "pay w/b", since only white and black cards have the cost... It should have just been printed as "pay an extra 1,..." Except for one reason:
Mark Rosewater specifically requested the design team to make Extort have the hybrid w/b cost in it so that extort cards could only be used in white AND black EDH decks, not one or the other.
Or, more accurately, he designed it so that the people in charge of the EDH format would remove the ridiculous (in his mind) rule that hybrid cards can't be played in mono colored EDH decks. In Magic Design, Hybrids are cards that can fit into either of the colors it is (for example, Merfolk of the Depths is a card that could be printed at 4GG OR 4UU, without changing or editing anything besides perhaps it's creature types in any way. Gold Cards on the other hand, are cards that give abilities that exist solely because the card is that color (Skyward Eye Prophets gets vigilance because it's white, card draw because it's blue, and land accel, however bad, because it's green. With any one of those colors lacking, they would not have printed skyward eye the way it was).
It's interesting to note that the people who run Elder Dragon Highlander changed the entire rule on color identity just to spite the entire design philosophy behind hybrid costs, and the whole point of extort, while still allowing this card to be run in mono black EDH decks.
I guess that makes PoB Danger Mouse, he goes great with everyone (Sort of)
@faceclaimer
Under what circumstances were you playing both Dark Ascension and Dragon's Maze in Limited?