Commander is truly one of the most fascinating formats in Magic. In some ways it’s the ultimate Timmy format, full of the biggest, most expensive cards in the game. In others, it’s like Vintage extended to 100 cards, with hyper-efficient interaction and combos galore. The latter side of the format is on full display in the EDHRec rankings of the most popular Duskmourn cards in Commander. Where you might expect to see some of the set’s big MTG bombs, instead Withering Torment has taken the top spot. That’s no mean feat for a humble uncommon.
Withering Torment In MTG Commander
- Mana Value: 2B
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Card Text: Destroy target creature or enchantment. You lose 2 life.
At the time of writing, EDHRec puts Withering Torment in the 99 of 15,082 different Commander decks. This is over 3,000 more than the next most-played card in the set. Withering Torment is the most popular new MTG Commander card from Dukskmourn by a pretty wide margin, then.
Just looking at the card, it’s not hard to see why. Three mana is a perfectly fine rate for unconditional creature removal. Plenty of decks run variations on that effect, most of which come with minor upsides. Withering Torment has an upside too, and there’s nothing minor about it.
The ability to destroy enchantments is nothing exciting if you’re a green or white player, but it’s a big deal in black. As we’ll get into, enchantment destruction is an ability the color is rarely afforded. This makes black decks that don’t also include green or white particularly vulnerable to powerhouse enchantments. Cards like Rest in Peace or Rhystic Study, for example.
For that reason, Withering Torment is seeing the bulk of its play in Mono-Black decks so far. Commanders like Toshiro Umezawa and Gisa, the Hellraiser are playing it in significant numbers. This makes sense, since both benefit from single-target removal. Even beyond that though, Torment is finding plenty of homes. Wick, the Whorled Mind, Braids, Arisen Nightmare, and K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth are all including it now too.
That Withering Torment is Duskmourn’s most-played Commander card is remarkable for a few reasons. Players are famously averse to including one-for-one removal in the 99, for one thing. Additionally, Duskmourn has plenty of more exciting cards, such as the Overlord cycle and the Verge lands. That it’s being played as much as it is should give you an idea of its raw power.
Rare Removal Options
To give a bit more context on the significance of Withering Torment in the grand scheme of MTG, it’s useful to take a look at the black enchantment removal options that have been available throughout the game’s history. These have been incredibly few and far between, with only 11 cards in total filling such a role.
Some of these cards are pretty solid. Zendikar Rising gave us Feed the Swarm, which was the very first example of targeted black enchantment removal. Other than the six mana Ghastly Death Tyrant it was the only example too, until Withering Torment came along. Destroying any enchantment or creature for two mana is a great deal. The fact that Feed the Swarm shows up in over 400,000 Commander decks should be a testament to that.
Outside of that though, pickings are very slim indeed. There are several Edict effects for enchantments in black, such as Pharika’s Libation and Invoke Despair. These are much less reliable than targeted options, even if enchantments are rare enough that your opponents generally won’t have that many. The vast majority of black enchantment removal follows this model. In Commander, where boards go wide, this just isn’t good enough to handle the powerful enchantments played in the format.
We did get another targeted option with Shatter the Oath in Wilds of Eldraine last year. Five mana is not a good rate for this effect, however, even in black. While traditionally known as a slower format, Commander certainly isn’t that slow anymore.
For that reason, Withering Torment is a significant printing indeed. Sure it costs more than Feed the Swarm, but it also typically costs less life and comes at instant speed. Expect to see that figure go much, much higher than 15,000 decks soon.
Worthy Runners-Up
Withering Torment being in the top spot for new MTG cards in the 99 makes perfect sense. Looking at the runners-up in this category is an interesting experience in its own right, however. Torment being number one might imply a kind of utility-first trend, but not every popular card follows that.
Take Razorkin Needlehead, for example. This is the next most popular Commander card in Duskmourn, appearing in just under 12,000 decks. While technically generic, in that your opponents will always take some damage from its effect, this is clearly a card meant for specific strategies. Decks like Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls, Nekusar, the Mindrazer, etc. Valgavoth has been incredibly popular thanks to the Endless Punishment precon, so this isn’t a huge surprise.
Enduring Vitality isn’t too surprising either. Cryptolith Rite sees play in around 78,000 decks, and this is a better card for the most part. Starting as a creature makes it more vulnerable, sure, but it returns as an enchantment afterward if it does get removed. Go-wide Commanders like Baylen, the Haymaker are loving this card so far.
Rounding out the top four we have Untimely Malfunction; a card which feels quite similar to Withering Torment, actually. This is an incredible utility instant, capable of removing artifacts, disabling blockers, or redirecting spells. These are the kinds of effects that rarely warrant a card on their own, but become excellent on a modal piece like this. Just over 11,000 decks are running this flexible tool. Just like Withering Torment, that figure is remarkable for an uncommon that was largely glossed over during preview season.
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