Withering Torment – Duskmourn
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.13
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.63
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
I am all on board with the notion that black’s early removal spells kept the clauses from Terror way longer than they needed to. Years passed, and more years, and before we knew it we were almost two decades in, and these words were just part of the landscape although there was no real reason any more, so Doom Blade felt almost transgressive when it came out. Yet to me, it still feels a little odd when black cards take out enchantments so readily, perhaps because it’s still the early stage of that evolution. If you can get past that, Withering Torment might be the Doom Blade of its era – or perhaps the Vindicate, especially once Standard is more influenced by the post-Desparkening sets and the most problematic non-creature permanents are enchantments (as was often the case historically). As a cube designer, I actually quite like removal spells that aren’t randomly blanked by mirror matches, especially when they have different types of restrictions or clauses that you can design the environment around. Consider Go for the Throat, which creates scenarios and stories when you then add a few creatures like Etched Familiar and Esper Sentinel. Someone might pick Withering Torment highly but then lose to Elspeth, and that’s okay sometimes.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Black’s enchantment removal has slowly been creeping up, and Withering Torment is one that might stand out for all the right reasons. It’s instant speed, targeted, and competitively costed, sharing Murder’s mana value…and serving as a Murder if you need a creature dead. That it’s also creature removal matters a healthy amount, as this means there will rarely be games where this has nothing to hit, and while the life loss isn’t nothing, paying two life to take out a troublesome enchantment is a great deal. This feels like it might become a bit of a black staple, and while it won’t solve every problem, it solves enough of them to be worth considering.
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.75 (premium removal that hits a lot of what’s worth hitting)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉