Pointed Discussion

Does this give Tarmogoyf +1/+1? I'm glad I learned this wasn't an enchantment - that would've been sick.

When I first saw this in a box of old cards, my friends and I thought it was an enchantment. :( That deck was outrageous while it lasted. Its best game ever with me on the play:

Turn one: Swamp, Culling the Weak (as an enchantment)
Turn two: Swamp, Wicked Akuba
Turn three: Swamp, Dregscape Zombie, sac it, unearth for B, sac it again (now have BBBBBBB in my pool), play Rotting Rats and we discard, sac it, unearth for 1B and we all discard again, sac it again (now we're up to BBBBBBBBBBB), attack with Akuba for 2, tap my other Swamp and use the Akuba's ability to drain for 12. You're at 6, go.

Yeeeeeeah.

This is now an instant so yes, it would give Tarmogoyf +1/+1, but not an additional +1/+1 it there were any other instants in the graveyards.

Turn 1: Land, Myr Moonvessel
Turn 2: Swamp, Culling the Weak. Enjoy your turn two Sorin Markov or whatever.

(Or use two Dark Rituals instead, though that's no fun at all.)

"Mana Source"? Really? xD

@ratchet1215 - That's cool but what's snazzier is dropping a couple 0 drops on turn one and sac'ing them to play phage right then and there. Which is what I saw someone do today who didn't know that mana source was an old name for instant.

From a color pie perspective, I actually think this is more Black than Dark Ritual. The Ritual doesn't exemplify "Power at any cost," which I think is central to Black's philosophy. This one does.

This is a nice way to get rid of abyssal persecutor, or another one of your own creatures which might be bothering you. A little too risky for me, if it gets countered your creature still dies from sac.

@ratchet1215, PLEASE delete that trash post. Instants are not enchantments.

Don't be mislead, cards with the mana source card type were errated to be instants. (several years before ratchet1215's post lol)

Bah! I thought this was an enchantment. Too bad.

I was using this as an enchantment + Breeding Pit in a Drain Life deck :(.

A agree that this is more Black than Dark Rit (which always seemed kinda Red...) and I know R&D is not loving Dark Ritual right now. So - maybe this is due for a reprint? ;-)

a 0 CMC artifact creature, this, abyssal persecutor on turn 1, this is insane!
(Or, if you really wanna make your opponent scoop, this can mean chimney imp turn 2!!!)

@Dont Or Turn 1 - Swamp (B), Ritual (BBB), Myr Moonvessel (BB), Culling the Weak (1BBBBB), Sorin

~Zuty

Depending on the creature Sacrifice or Burnt Offering may be better.

Got it in my shade-deck (yes, i have a shade deck. I think it's funs. So suck it).
As long as the opponent knows there is a possibility that I can pump a creature with +4/+4 for a single B they won't attack me with all they've got. Yay for me :)

If you say anything other than 'Phyrexian Obliterator', or 'two Hymns to Tourach', you're wrong. Beatdown or Control, pick your Combo. Apostle's Blessing for the idiots with 'dies to X' on the tip of their tongue.

Not as good as dark ritual= 4.5/5
but damn good in suicide black and with zero cost artifact creatures
Culling The Weak=4.0/5

Mana Source? Never heard that one before.

This was from back in the day when they were trying to come up with the idea behind the stack, but just hadn't quite figured it out yet. There was about a year when all these cards were officially classified as "mana sources" (which worked basically the same way as what's now called "mana abilities") in order to make them work as intended with the proto-stack.

turn one: swamp, lotus petal, : Dauthi Horror
turn two swamp, ANY 2 power 2 cost creature (tempest block was full of them) swing for 2
turn 3 swing for 4, wait for opponent to block either of your creatures (most likely only have one blocker) cull the blocked creature cast Hatred on the unblocked creature.

LOVE this card 4.5!

This card is one of the main reasons why I like Memnite, Ornithopter, Phyrexian Walker, and every 0-drop creature; and it is one of the main reasons why I like Phyrexian Obliterator, Abyssal Persecutor and the almighty Djinn.

Plus, it's if you sacrifice Su-Chi.

What?! A mana source that gives 4 black mana PER sac'd creature that's playable turn 1 and is a common??!? How is this not the best card ever??

persist & undying ftw

@Mike-C: You can only sacrifice one creature.

Combos with Little Girl to get funny looks from your opponent.

Strictly more black-flavored than Dark Ritual.
Here's a card that needs a reprint; mana ramp in black should come at a cost.

Turn 1: Memnite, this, Phyrexian Obliterator.
I will be accepting your pleas for mercy now.

I find this card as useful as Dark Ritual, especially in my Spirit Reanimator deck. I use it on creatures like Nether Shadow, Nether Traitor and Bloodghast to free up mana for my instants and sorceries, or for other, bigger creatures. But its uses go beyond that, easily making Culling the Weak 1 of the 3 most important cards in this deck.

Example -

Turn 1: Swamp, Dark Ritual, Entomb Iname, Death Aspect, Exhume Iname.
Turn 2: Swamp, Culling the Weak, sacrifice Iname, raise 4 Nether Traitor in addition to the 4 Nether Shadow I raised at upkeep and the 4 Bloodghast I raised when I played the second Swamp.

I then have that extra from the second Swamp to Unearth any of the more use-specific Spirit creatures, such as Kataki, War's Wage (if I'm playing against Affinity/Artifacts) or Kira, Great Glass-Spinner (if I'm playing against Control/Removal). I can otherwise save those I got from Culling the Weak to end the game early with Mortal Combat, or similarly win by using those 4x and the extra I got from the second Swamp I played to raise all my Spirits with Patriarch's Bidding.

Culling the Weak is useful in many other situations. Say my opponent drops a fattie that could really hurt me as soon as it hits the table and I only have 1 Swamp untapped but no Dark Ritual -Culling the Weak and Rend Flesh. It also helps me cast that Angel of Flight Alabaster with just and the I get from my Cavern of Souls. That's for a 4/4 with Flying that returns 1 Spirit card to me every upkeep (and that includes Nameless Inversion). I can then use Nameless Inversion as removal for small creatures or on my Thief of Hope for a small combo engine.

The sac outlet and 4x Culling the Weak also helps me cast my Karador, Ghost Chieftain early and when I don't have enough creatures to reduce his cost to .

What were the rules when this was printed?

Under Revised rules any cost that was presented cost: effect format without tapping as cost could be paid several times as a bundle. So you only needed to activate your COP: Black once when you paid five black mana to Pestilence.

So under those rules you could sacrifice several creatures when playing this and get the effect as many times as the number of sacrificed creatures.

I use it in my Zombie Mill deck with Nightscape Familiar to summon another from my hand and regenerate the other.You pay 1 mana to get 2 creatures and use and additional land mana! Love it <3