Demogorgon's Clutches MTG Card

Demogorgon's Clutches - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
2021-07-23 - Number 96

Demogorgon's Clutches - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)

Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
2022-07-07 - Number 151

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Mill

Key Takeaways

By discarding, you slow down opponents’ strategies, gaining a subtle but significant upper hand.
Instant speed allows for strategic flexibility, disrupting opponents at critical moments.
Tactically, this card thrives in control decks, but high mana costs can be a constraint.

Text of card

Target opponent discards two cards, mills two cards, and loses 2 life. (To mill a card, a player puts the top card of their library into their graveyard.)

The good will be corrupted, the kind will be devoured, and all will be dragged into the bottomless Abyss.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Demogorgon’s Clutches excels at disrupting your opponent’s strategy by forcing them to discard two cards. This move can effectively strip them of their crucial plays and simultaneously fuel your own game with additional resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana, this card can be considered a form of indirect resource acceleration. By discarding two of an opponent’s cards, you’re hindering their potential for developing their board, effectively setting them back while you continue to advance unimpeded.

Instant Speed: The capacity to play Demogorgon’s Clutches at instant speed provides a tactical edge. You can wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to disrupt their plans, ensure they discard freshly drawn cards, or use it as a surprise element when they least expect it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Casting Demogorgon’s Clutches means you must force an opponent to discard two cards which can sometimes be less impactful, especially if your opponent has an empty or near-empty hand, reducing the card’s effectiveness.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires one black and two generic mana, which necessitates a deck that can efficiently produce or fix black mana, potentially complicating your mana base or limiting the card’s inclusion to black-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a three mana investment, you might find that Demogorgon’s Clutches has a prohibitive cost. This is especially true in formats where tempo is crucial and lower-cost alternatives for hand disruption are available, thereby offering more utility or flexibility at a lesser mana expense.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Demogorgon’s Clutches allows for a robust approach in disrupting an opponent’s hand, making it a suitable inclusion in a variety of black decks that focus on control and denial strategies.

Combo Potential: By compelling a player to discard two cards, this spell pairs well with mechanics that capitalize on an opponent’s depleted hand, such as those found in “madness” or “delirium” focused decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans heavily on carefully curated hand strategies or combo pieces, Demogorgon’s Clutches can effectively disrupt those plans and give you an upper hand during crucial moments of gameplay.

How to beat

If you’re facing Demogorgon’s Clutches in your MTG matches, it’s essential to approach this card with a solid strategy. As a spell that forces a player to discard two cards and enables its caster to delve into the top four cards of their library, it can feel overpowering. However, there are tactics to diminish its impact. Cards with graveyard-fetching abilities can help recover vital resources lost to Demogorgon’s Clutches. Playing cards that benefit from being in the discard pile, like those with Flashback or Unearth, can turn a seeming disadvantage into an advantage.

In addition, a focus on hand replenishment can mitigate the discard effect. Employ cards with draw capabilities to promptly refill your hand. Cards like Think Twice or Behold the Multiverse offer instant-speed drawing, ensuring that you don’t fall behind after a disruptive Demogorgon’s Clutches. Remember that playing cards at instant speed allows you to hold onto your resources until the most impactful moment, lessening the potential disruption caused by Demogorgon’s Clutches.

Combining recuperation from the graveyard with consistent hand regeneration not only counters the immediate effects of Demogorgon’s Clutches but can also tip the scales back in your favor during a match.

Cards like Demogorgon's Clutches

Demogorgon’s Clutches stands as an intriguing option for players looking to disrupt their opponent’s hand in Magic: The Gathering. It shares common ground with Mind Rot, where both cards force an opponent to discard two cards. However, Demogorgon’s Clutches possesses an additional layer – the discard is also paired with a surveil 2 mechanic, allowing for deck manipulation alongside the disruption.

Delirium Skeins is another card with a discard theme, though it broadens the effect by hitting all players and making them discard three cards. While this card creates a more symmetrical effect, Demogorgon’s Clutches offers targeted control and strategic sculpting of the top cards of your library. Then, there’s Tasigur’s Cruelty which also causes a two-card discard while being cost-effective under the right graveyard conditions.

Overall, Demogorgon’s Clutches holds a special place amongst discard spells with its unique combination of opponent hand disruption and ability to set up future draws, crafting both a defensive and proactive game plan for MTG enthusiasts.

Cards similar to Demogorgon's Clutches by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Demogorgon's Clutches MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Demogorgon's Clutches and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Demogorgon's Clutches Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2022-07-07. Illustrated by Alexander Mokhov.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2021-07-23	Adventures in the Forgotten Realms	AFR		96	2015	Normal	Black	Alexander Mokhov
2	2022-07-07	Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate	HBG		151	2015	Normal	Black	Alexander Mokhov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Demogorgon's Clutches has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Demogorgon's Clutches card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2021-07-23	Demogorgon's Clutches requires its target to discard cards before milling cards. This means they do not get to know what cards are milled when they choose what cards to discard.