Rush of Dread

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Rush of Dread is a modular black sorcery that can simultaneously force an opponent to sacrifice half their creatures, discard half their hand, and/or lose half their life — for a maximum cost of {1}{B}{B}+{1}+{2}+{2} = {1+1+2+2}{B}{B} = {6}{B}{B}. Each mode is powerful independently (especially the life-loss mode which scales into the late game), and combining all three in one sorcery is backbreaking. Signature in control and midrange black shells that want to close games; the half-life mode is particularly strong in 1v1 Brawl at 25 starting life.

• The half-life mode rounds up, meaning at 25 life an opponent loses 13 life in one shot — effectively a near-lethal spell in Brawl for just {3}{B}{B} total.

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• All three Spree modes target the same opponent, so Rush of Dread cannot split its modes across multiple opponents in multiplayer — it is always a single-target spell regardless of how many modes are chosen.

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• Because the opponent chooses which creatures to sacrifice and which cards to discard (rounded up), they retain the best half of each resource; stacking all three modes is most effective when the opponent's board and hand are already taxed.

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• EDHREC rank: #4,646

• Astarion's Lifegain Drain2026-05-29