Demonic Pact MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Demonic Pact provides card advantage, replenishing your hand over time for strategic flexibility.
  2. Skillful use leverages Pact’s abilities without succumbing to its destructive final option.
  3. Its unique attributes make it a valuable addition to control and midrange decks.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, choose one that hasn't been chosen —• Demonic Pact deals 4 damage to target creature or player and you gain 4 life.• Target opponent discards two cards.• Draw two cards.• You lose the game.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Demonic Pact provides a substantial edge in terms of card advantage. Over the course of four turns, you can draw extra cards, which replenishes your hand and keeps your options open. This effect is particularly valuable when you’re seeking critical answers or simply want to out-resource your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Though not direct acceleration, one of Demonic Pact’s modes allows you to discard useless cards in exchange for new ones, effectively accelerating your access to useful resources. This selection process ensures you’re more likely to draw into the lands or spells you need to stay ahead.

Instant Speed: While Demonic Pact itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it forces opponents to play as though you have instant-speed responses. Knowing that you can potentially draw into an answer or create a significant life swing at the start of your upkeep puts psychological pressure on opponents to play more conservatively.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Demonic Pact requires careful play, as one of the options forces you to discard your hand, which could be detrimental if not timed correctly or without the right contingency plan in place.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Demonic Pact demands both black and generic mana, making the card a specific fit for decks that can produce black mana reliably, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total mana cost of four, including two black mana, Demonic Pact represents a substantial investment in the early to mid-game. Its impact must be weighed against other cards in the same cost bracket, considering there may be alternative uses for such a significant amount of mana.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Demonic Pact offers a unique flexibility that can significantly impact various game situations. Its four distinct choices enable a tailored response to different board states, making it a potent addition to control and midrange decks alike.

Combo Potential: This card is a favorite among players who appreciate clever card interactions. Its dangerous final option can be circumvented or exploited with cards that either donate the Pact to an opponent or remove it from play entirely, creating unexpected win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games often reach later turns, Demonic Pact shines by providing incremental advantage turn after turn. Its relevance grows in metas that favor longer games where leveraging all four options can lead to decisive victories.


How to beat

Demonic Pact is a unique Magic: The Gathering card that can be both a boon and a bane for players who wield it. With its four detrimental options, it’s akin to a double-edged sword. Unlike other enchantments, it demands strategic planning, as one wrong move can lead to your own defeat. To counteract this, players must be adept at orchestrating the timing of their moves or have removal strategies ready.

It’s crucial to note that Demonic Pact parallels the conundrum posed by cards like Harmless Offering, which transfers control of a permanent to an opponent. Those who face down Demonic Pact could take advantage of such cards to turn the tide against the owner of the pact before its most ruinous effect triggers. Disenchanted, another viable option, provides a way to remove enchantments directly from the battlefield and could offer salvation in a tight spot.

To sum up, confronting Demonic Pact requires forethought, precise execution, and the understanding that enchantment management is vital. Having a plan to neutralize its harmful potential or turning it against its user distinguishes savvy players and provides a clear path to victory in the complex world of Magic: The Gathering.


BurnMana Recommendations

As a capstone to our analysis of Demonic Pact, it’s clear that this MTG card is akin to a dramatic play, filled with tension and strategic depth. Whether it serves as the centerpiece of a high-risk, high-reward strategy or as a synergistic piece in a larger deck-building puzzle, it commands respect and careful consideration. We encourage players to think creatively on how to leverage this card’s potential, mitigating its risks while maximizing its versatile power. If you’re up for the challenge and keen to craft your next deck with Demonic Pact’s unique abilities, we’re here to guide you through every twist and turn. Discover more and refine your strategies with us for an edge that could turn the tide of your MTG duels.


Cards like Demonic Pact

Demonic Pact is a unique and powerful enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that stands out for providing a suite of advantageous options. Comparable to other modal cards like Trials of Ambition, which offers a more simplistic approach by letting opponents sacrifice a creature, Demonic Pact allows a player to choose from four different modes over consecutive turns. Yet, unlike Trials of Ambition, it comes with a high-risk endgame – if you cannot get rid of it before the final choice, it causes you to lose the game.

Examining another akin card, Harmless Offering, it becomes clear how it can be the perfect partner for Demonic Pact, enabling a player to donate the fatal enchantment to their opponent right before its deadly consequence. In contrast, the Eldest Reborn is another enchantment offering multiple choices over several turns, but it lacks the potential immediate game-ending threat that Demonic Pact possesses.

Therefore, while evaluating the risk versus reward factor that Demonic Pact introduces into your deck, its ability to sway the game over multiple turns with diverse options provides it with a distinctive position among MTG cards that offer choices or set conditions for both the player and opponent alike.

Harmless Offering - MTG Card versions
Harmless Offering - Eldritch Moon Promos (PEMN)

Cards similar to Demonic Pact by color, type and mana cost

Pestilence - MTG Card versions
Lich - MTG Card versions
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Nether Void - MTG Card versions
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Koskun Falls - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Servitude - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Embrace - MTG Card versions
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Nefarious Lich - MTG Card versions
Last Laugh - MTG Card versions
Court of Ambition - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Pestilence - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Lich - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Cursed Land - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Nether Void - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Breeding Pit - The List (PLST)
Greed - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Feast of the Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Koskun Falls - Homelands (HML)
Diabolic Servitude - Urza's Saga (USG)
Vampiric Embrace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Vile Requiem - Commander 2013 (C13)
Brink of Madness - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Death Pit Offering - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Tainted Aether - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Strands of Night - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Patriarch's Desire - Odyssey (ODY)
Nefarious Lich - Odyssey (ODY)
Last Laugh - Torment (TOR)
Court of Ambition - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nightmare Shepherd - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Demonic Pact MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Amonkhet Remastered, 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 Demonic Pact and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Demonic Pact Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 922015normalblackAleksi Briclot
22020-08-13Amonkhet RemasteredAKR 992015normalblackManuel Castañón

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Demonic Pact has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2015-06-22 If the ability doesn’t resolve (either for having its target become illegal or because a spell or ability counters it), the mode chosen for that instance of the ability still counts as being chosen.
2015-06-22 In some very unusual situations, you may not be able to choose a mode, either because all modes have previously been chosen or the only remaining modes require targets and there are no legal targets available. In this case, the ability is simply removed from the stack with no effect.
2015-06-22 It doesn’t matter who has chosen any particular mode. For example, say you control Demonic Pact and have chosen the first two modes. If an opponent gains control of Demonic Pact, that player can choose only the third or fourth mode.
2015-06-22 The phrase “that hasn’t been chosen” refers only to that specific Demonic Pact. If you control one and cast another one, you can choose any mode for the second one the first time its ability triggers.
2015-06-22 Yes, if the fourth mode is the only one remaining, you must choose it. You read the whole contract, right?
2015-06-22 You choose the mode as the triggered ability goes on the stack. You can choose a mode that requires targets only if there are legal targets available.

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