Hell to Pay

X-cost red sorcery that deals X damage to a creature, generating Treasures equal to overkill damage. A flexible creature-removal spell with a mana-refund upside in treasure shells; the Treasure payoff is win-more (best when you already have mana to overshoot small creatures) and sorcery-speed limits interaction. Signature in treasure-themed midrange decks that want removal that accelerates into bigger plays.

• The Treasure generation from Hell to Pay only triggers when you overkill a creature — killing a 3-toughness creature with X=5 yields 2 Treasures, but killing a 5-toughness creature with X=5 yields zero, so optimal play requires knowing the target's toughness in advance.

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• In Commander this card competes directly with Chaos Warp and other red removal that doesn't require sizing up X; its edge is the Treasure upside, which is relevant in Magda or Prosper treasure-engine shells.

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• Hell to Pay cannot target players or planeswalkers — it is strictly creature removal, unlike many other X-damage red spells, which limits its flexibility in Brawl or Commander where planeswalker threats are common.

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• EDHREC rank: #2,745