It's worth noting that, once this card hits the
board, even if your opponent has a Naturalize
ready to point at it he still needs to pay 5
life or a card for casting the Naturalize. Only
through counterspells can a player get out of
having to pay the toll. And the toll must be
paid with every spell cast. Unless your opponent
already has complete board control, he or she
will have to keep bleeding cards or life while
you can keep firing spells off with no problem.
And if the enemy already HAS board control,
well, how long can they hold it without casting
spells while you continue to fire away?
And forget about an occasional spell here and
there to maintain that control, because casting
even one spell will cost them an extra card, or
5 life.
I would definitely recommend this card for any
black deck that expects the game to go fairly
long. And remember to pay attention to which
they choose to lose-- cards or life. Their
choice implies which they value more and can
give you insight on their plan.
There's a reason effects like this cost so much
nowadays - they're crazy powerful once they come
online. Of course, by the time the Quandary
becomes active, your opponent may not have any
spells left to cast, and it is also slower at
ending the game than something like Corrupt or
Skithiryx. In multiplayer, the increased number
of potential victims is a big plus, and it also
puts the brakes on anyone who thinks they're
very clever for using Mind Over Matter.
Today's card of the day is Painful Quandary
which is a five mana enchantment that causes an
opponent to choose to lose five life whenever
they cast a spell or discard a card.
Combined with a discard deck working with
Liliana's Caress this is actually a fairly
viable strategy for an otherwise weaker
archetype. A truly dedicated design is
needed and it is a bit expensive to run, but it
is worth giving it a try to bring a much needed
threat to the hand destruction style of play.
For Limited the lack of support keeps this from
being a bigger threat and the opponent can keep
another card in hand once this is in play.
It does apply pressure though and is worth
playing in a Black sealed pool while in Booster
it can be a playable first pick if Psychic
Miasma is aggressively drafted as support.
The strategy is a little risky, but can be fun
and worthwhile if no other big threats are in
the pack.
Welcome back to Pojo’s card
of the day column. I hope everyone has had a
Happy Holiday thus far, and a safe new year to
come.
Today’s Card of the Day is Painful Quandary from Scars of Mirrodin.
I personally love this card, especially in
vintage. For three generic and two black mana,
when an opponent casts a spell, they must either
discard a card, or pay five life.
In standard formats, this card could be greatly
limited, as there are not a lot of things to
punish for tossing card. But it still makes it
tough when you are either discarding something
you may need, or giving up life to keep it. As
said, limited in limited and standard, but still
very useful.
However, this cards greatest potential is in extended
and larger formats. In extended Excruciator
Demon can really start things swinging with this
card, not to mention Liliana’s Caress. But
ultimately, this is built to be a multi-player
and vintage deck staple. Megrim and Liliana’s
Caress, Leyline of the Void, all these things
just scream pain, no matter what you choose.
Discard the card and lose life, and watch as it
vanishes? Take five damage and risk Dash Hopes?
Worse, combo it up even further with Wound
Reflection and then they will really feel the
pain.
