One of the better permission spells out there. 4/5
Faidite
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(15 votes)
Deliciously evil.
Silverware
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Wow, this is a really cool card. I can't say I have seen many cards that have this much flavor.
Qazior
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
This have been played against me and yea it wasn't really nice to choose that number... I agree, deliciously evil
sir_dwar
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Hurts no matter what, a great, fun spell... For you, that is.
adam_b
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
epic against a weenie deck.
nfitz322
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(10 votes)
Flavor text should read "Oh noes, the bugs are going to take my vase!"
Keino
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Does the opponent have to say the number out loud?
themlsna
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(6 votes)
Could you choose a negative number?
hid@n
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
So fun, and so evil. Great card.
nibelheim_valesti
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Ladies and gentlemen, the new top-rating gameshow.
Beetle or Pot... Beetle or Pot... Is it a Beetle, is it a Pot? BEETLE or POT?! (dun-dun-da!)
AXER
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
Flavor text is really cool.
Guest513736147
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
Most of the time, this reads "Target player loses 1 life for each permanent he or she controls." unless they have something so useless they wouldn't be willing to pay 1 life to keep it.
Regardless, I appreciate the fun factor.
RedRapist
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(9 votes)
How to lose in style:
Opponent: Choice of Damnations, pick a number
Me: ONE BILLION!!!11!!!#%!!1!!!1!
Fun card
VoidedNote
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(9 votes)
Me: Pick a number. I can have you - Opponent: 48 Me:... ok... you lose. Opponent: *reads card* ... can I take that back?
Zaneshift
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Twincast (or worse yet, Panoptic Mirror) makes this card win games just by the sheer anger it causes. It's the fun flavor cards like this that keep me playing magic, no matter how horribly ridiculous those stupid "turn one win" nonsense decks get to be.
Pwnsaw
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I like that a card like this exists in the game. Very very black, which is super cool.
Carnophage_4ever
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Awesome. Awesome. One of the blackest card I've seen in flavour. Two thumbs up to the designer.
Equa1ity
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(10 votes)
I actually got into physical combat with my 19 y/o younger brother over this card and me playing it. thats how much this card owns
Friend of mine didn't read it properly and chose a number that was over 9000.
GreatWulf
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
i cast this against my brother and he said minus 10. so what happens there? does he get ten life? if so this spell is useless.
TheSwarm
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ sanderleet, you could pick zero, and then youd sacrifice all your permanents.
PhyrexianAssassin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Every opponent will say the number 1! Wich opponent says 2?
Hancocky
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
@PhyrexianAssassin
it says that the opponent must sac all permanents but one! so if an opponent says 1 than you can chose that he must sac all permanents but one --> he is fucked up
Bowshewicz
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
@GreatWulf: Players are not allowed to choose negative numbers. Here's a piece from the relevant ruling.
107.1b Most of the time, the Magic game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can’t choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on.
Blackshayde
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Ridiculously underrated card. For example, I played an opponent with TWO planeswalkers in play. He had 6 life. I play Choice of Damnations. He chooses 5, I choose sacrifice and he sacs both planeswalkers and 3 creatures. Game over folks.
teddythebenn
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
the principal is so.. uh bizarre.
this is how it works folks.
me; choose a number opponent; 'reads the card' (turn 7+ or less, meaning permanent number, 10 or less/more) opponent; has 10 permanents, so chooses 11. (canceling the sacrifice, as 10-11= -1 = no sac) me; u lose 11 life.
tah dah.. it works .. a choice.. literally.. even if your opponent uses his/her head, the greater the permanent number, the greater the life loss, so the best way is, to lose life, then lose a couple of useless permanents, which by late game, would be a few lands..
iUseBreakOpen
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I love choice cards and I particularly love the idea of a choice between health and possessions. That said, I have seen generally poor results from this card in casual play. It seems like my opponent almost always either: sacrifices his or her 2-3 least valuable permanents OR loses 7-8 life and I question why I didn't just use Corrupt. For Commander/EDH, it's amazing.
@teddythebenn - Why would a player choose a number HIGHER than the number of permanents he or she owns?
Paladin85
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Well Mr Bond, would you like to lose that much life or would you sacrifice your stuff until only those are left?
*Insert evil maniacal laughter*
Averyck
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
I chose 6 with 7 life, and a field of zuberas. there was no hope for him.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Only works if you swung a few times. If they have twenty health, well loosing 8 or so isn't that bad.
psychichobo
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
6 Mana huh? It's really more of an late game spell anyway. Still delightfully evil.
Xineombine
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A game ender, but it's all in the timing of when you cast it, like Temporal Extortion
JackP
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Card power ~3.5-4 out of 5 Card flavor: 6 out of 5
DeviousPie
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't care how good or playable this card is. This card deserves a functional, non-arcane reprint, because it is flavorful, interactive, and fun. It also makes both players think, which is great in my book.
Also, it's deliciously cruel.
In it addition to it not being arcane, I would petition to have it cost 3BB or even 2BBB, rather than 5B, simply because it is so, so very black.
BryceCarmony
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Too bad it's Life loss instead of Damage, I'd love to throw a temper tantrum and say 1 Trillion only to watch them scoop as I entered 9 digit life total with a Hallow
OstravaBoletaria
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'd consider it too siutational, particularly for six mana. Similar to Fact or Fiction, you're the one that makes the final choice, so that's definitely a plus.
But this won't do much against control decks, or decks that just don't run all that many permanents. Sure, this will usually destroy at least a couple of lands in the process, but other times you'll just end up letting your opponent lose 5 or 6 life rather than saccing a permanent or two that he doesn't need that urgently.
There are more reliable cards to choose from that are either more destructive or make your opponent lose about as much life.
However, I really do like the design and the flavor behind it, and it looks like an excellent, fun card in multiplayer, which also makes it more likely that you'll find a "good victim".
Comments (43)
Beetle or Pot...
Beetle or Pot...
Is it a Beetle, is it a Pot?
BEETLE or POT?! (dun-dun-da!)
Regardless, I appreciate the fun factor.
Opponent: Choice of Damnations, pick a number
Me: ONE BILLION!!!11!!!#%!!1!!!1!
Fun card
Opponent: 48
Me:... ok... you lose.
Opponent: *reads card* ... can I take that back?
it says that the opponent must sac all permanents but one!
so if an opponent says 1 than you can chose that he must sac all permanents but one
--> he is fucked up
107.1b Most of the time, the Magic game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can’t choose a
negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on.
this is how it works folks.
me; choose a number
opponent; 'reads the card' (turn 7+ or less, meaning permanent number, 10 or less/more)
opponent; has 10 permanents, so chooses 11. (canceling the sacrifice, as 10-11= -1 = no sac)
me; u lose 11 life.
tah dah.. it works .. a choice.. literally.. even if your opponent uses his/her head, the greater the permanent number, the greater the life loss, so the best way is, to lose life, then lose a couple of useless permanents, which by late game, would be a few lands..
@teddythebenn - Why would a player choose a number HIGHER than the number of permanents he or she owns?
*Insert evil maniacal laughter*
Card flavor: 6 out of 5
Also, it's deliciously cruel.
In it addition to it not being arcane, I would petition to have it cost 3BB or even 2BBB, rather than 5B, simply because it is so, so very black.
Similar to Fact or Fiction, you're the one that makes the final choice, so that's definitely a plus.
But this won't do much against control decks, or decks that just don't run all that many permanents. Sure, this will usually destroy at least a couple of lands in the process, but other times you'll just end up letting your opponent lose 5 or 6 life rather than saccing a permanent or two that he doesn't need that urgently.
There are more reliable cards to choose from that are either more destructive or make your opponent lose about as much life.
However, I really do like the design and the flavor behind it, and it looks like an excellent, fun card in multiplayer, which also makes it more likely that you'll find a "good victim".