Triumph of Cruelty MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	122
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Izzy

Key Takeaways

Dominance in creature strength leverages Triumph of Cruelty to deplete opponent’s hand and sustain advantage.
Its upkeep-trigger effect acts like recurring card control, maintaining pressure without additional mana costs.
Effective in specific situations, the card’s strength is in dictating the opponent’s hand size to your benefit.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, target opponent discards a card if you control the creature with the greatest power or tied for the greatest power.

"I've seen corpses prettier than you, beastmage." —Liliana Vess

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Triumph of Cruelty allows players to maintain a lead by forcing the opponent to discard cards if you control the strongest creature. This can slowly deplete your opponent’s resources while you keep pushing your advantage on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or tokens, maintaining card advantage can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by depriving your opponent of answers to your threats, allowing you to effectively translate your board presence into faster victory.

Instant Speed: While Triumph of Cruelty itself is not an instant, its ongoing effect applies during the upkeep phase, which means it works like a recurring instant, doing its job at the beginning of each of your turns without the need for additional mana investment, keeping your other resources free for instant-speed interactions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Triumph of Cruelty demands a continuous advantage in card ownership. If the opponent has the same number of cards as you during upkeep, the card’s ability does not trigger, thereby limiting its effectiveness and potential card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two black mana means it fits well within mono-black or black-heavy decks, but in a multicolored deck, this can pose challenges in ensuring the right mana is available at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana including two that are color-specific, Triumph of Cruelty competes with other cards at this mana slot. Some players might find alternative cards that offer more immediate impact on the game, especially where mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Triumph of Cruelty has shown some interesting flexibility in decks that aim to control the opponent’s hand. This card can slot into various black-based strategies that focus on disrupting the opponent’s plays by dwindling their card advantage.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to force an opponent to discard at the start of your upkeep when you have a greater power creature can synchronize well with strategies that capitalize on reducing an opponent’s options. Moreover, it can combine with cards that reward you for the number of cards your opponent discards.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans towards creature-based strategies, having a consistent mechanism that erodes the opponent’s hand can give you a decisive edge. Triumph of Cruelty could serve as a tool in stymying the efforts of decks that rely heavily on card synergy and maintaining a board presence.

How to beat

Triumph of Cruelty is an enchantment card that can steadily tip the game in favor of the one who controls it in Magic: The Gathering. The card’s ability to give its controller a noteworthy advantage every upkeep is not to be underestimated. If you find yourself against a deck wielding this powerful spell, the key is to never let your hand size fall behind your opponent’s.

Consider including cards that enable you to draw more, ensuring you can maintain a larger hand size. Instant card draw spells or creatures that allow you to draw when they enter the battlefield or on certain triggers could be critical in avoiding the detrimental effect of Triumph of Cruelty. Furthermore, enchantment removal becomes a precious tool. Running cards like Disenchant or Naturalize can help you swiftly remove Triumph of Cruelty from the battlefield before its crushing ability overwhelms you.

When facing threats like this, the best defense often lies in proactive measures and swift answers. Triumph of Cruelty demands immediate attention, and with the right strategy and response cards, you can negate its advantage and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Triumph of Cruelty

Triumph of Cruelty is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering. Sharing the commitment to controlling opponents, it parallels to Oppression, which forces both players to discard a card whenever they cast a spell. Triumph of Cruelty, in contrast, specifically targets the opponent with more cards than you, subtly whittling down their hand only under that condition – thereby marking its strategic niche.

In a similar category, we have Painful Quandary, which provides the dilemma of losing life or discarding whenever an opponent casts a spell. While it offers a sterner penalty than Triumph of Cruelty, it affects all spells and lacks Triumph’s limitation to the draw step. Then there’s Necrogen Mists, a card that insists on a discard during each player’s upkeep. Triumph of Cruelty differs in that it is potentially less disruptive to the casting player yet continuous pressure on opponents with the upper hand.

Isolating these comparisons, Triumph of Cruelty sits in a unique position within Magic: The Gathering’s realm of discard-enforcing cards. It may not be as universally forcing as Oppression or as constant as Necrogen Mists, but its specificity to certain situations against well-stocked opponents can be advantageous in the right deck.

Cards similar to Triumph of Cruelty by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Triumph of Cruelty MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Triumph of Cruelty and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Triumph of Cruelty has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2012-05-01	Triumph of Cruelty’s ability will trigger at the beginning of each of your upkeeps regardless of who controls the creature with the greatest power. The ability checks whether the opponent will discard a card when it resolves.