Culling the Weak

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1cmc instant ritual that produces BBBB at the cost of sacrificing a creature — effectively Dark Ritual doubled but requiring a creature fodder payment. Signature in black combo/storm shells (fast mana to accelerate a game-winning line) and aristocrats (where sacrifice is a feature, not a cost). Not a permanent mana source, so it's irrelevant in control and anti-synergistic in aggro/voltron where sacrificing creatures is a tempo loss. Primarily a cEDH-bracket card due to the steep setup requirement.

• Culling the Weak produces net +3 black mana (pay 1B, get BBBB) when a free or cheap creature is available, making it among the most efficient one-shot rituals in black after accounting for the sacrifice — stronger than Dark Ritual in dedicated sacrifice shells where creatures are expendable anyway.

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• In cEDH aristocrats lines, Culling the Weak frequently enables turn-1 or turn-2 wins by accelerating into a commander or combo piece well ahead of curve, often using tokens, mana dorks, or reanimated creatures as sacrifice fodder.

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• Unlike most rituals, Culling the Weak doubles as a sacrifice outlet on the stack, which can preemptively protect a creature from exile-based removal while still generating value.

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• EDHREC rank: #588