Tormod, the Desecrator MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Zombie Wizard
Abilities Partner
Power 4
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Tormod excels in token generation, offering a continuous card advantage that threatens to overrun opponents.
  2. Zombie tokens serve as multifunctional tools, aiding in defense, mana ramp, and pairing with synergistic cards.
  3. Instant-speed ability activation allows for strategic plays, bolstering battlefield presence on any turn.

Text of card

Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)

"Life is but the precursor to a long and successful death."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tormod the Desecrator excels at creating an abundance of tokens as a persistent source of card advantage. Each time a card leaves your graveyard, you’re rewarded with a 2/2 zombie, which can quickly add up and overwhelm your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Those 2/2 zombie tokens aren’t just attackers; they are also versatile assets on the battlefield. They can be used for blocking, sacrificed for other effects, or even tapped for mana with other synergistic cards, turning your graveyard’s resourcefulness into in-game speed and efficiency.

Instant Speed: While Tormod himself isn’t an instant-speed card, his ability works at instant speed. This means any card leaving your graveyard for any reason on any turn can trigger his ability, allowing for strategically timed plays and unexpected defenses that can catch an opponent off-guard during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tormod the Desecrator pushes players to strategize around graveyard utilization, requiring a card to be discarded or another permanent to leave the graveyard to trigger its ability. This reliance can hinder your gameplay, especially when facing a hand-size depletion or graveyard disruption from opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: This card needs a precise combination of mana to be played. Its black color identity confines it to decks that run black mana sources, potentially limiting its inclusion to certain types of decks and affecting deck-building flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and one black mana, Tormod the Desecrator may be seen as cost-inefficient, particularly when evaluated against other creatures in the same mana range that could possibly provide immediate impact or more robust board presence.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tormod, the Desecrator offers a unique slot in Commander and other casual decks. His ability to produce a 2/2 zombie anytime a card leaves your graveyard means he synergizes with a wide array of strategies, from self-mill to reanimator tactics.

Combo Potential: Tormod’s talent for undead creation can combine seamlessly with cards that continually recycle or utilize graveyard resources. Pairing him with effects that sacrifice creatures for value can quickly overwhelm opponents with hoards of zombies.

Meta-Relevance: Graveyard-based strategies are often persistent in various metas. As a card that benefits from such strategies, Tormod can become an increasingly significant threat that needs to be answered, making him a relevant inclusion in decks that operate with the graveyard as a resource.


How to beat

Navigating around Tormod the Desecrator in Magic: The Gathering requires a good understanding of its strengths and the right strategy to undermine them. Tormod thrives in a deck designed around graveyard interaction, which enables the generation of numerous Zombie tokens. To counter Tormod effectively, one must tackle the graveyard, as this is where the power source lies.

A prime strategy is to include graveyard hate cards in your deck, which can remove or exile cards from graveyards – think Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace. Both serve as powerful deterrents against any graveyard synergy. Another method is to use removal spells that can exile Tormod directly, bypassing the usual zone of command and robbing it of further utility. Cards like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares are tools of choice here.

Always strive to be one step ahead, carefully maneuvering around the deck’s reliance on the graveyard, ultimately undermining its potential to flood the board with undead minions. An informed and proactive approach to disable Tormod’s strategy will significantly improve your odds during gameplay, keeping you in control of the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into MTG requires clever deck building and recognizing valuable cards for your strategy. With Tormod the Desecrator at your fingertips, creating a formidable undead army becomes a thrilling exercise in graveyard manipulation. If you’re intrigued by the intricacies of resource acceleration and token generation, Tormod might be the next great addition to your arsenal. Overwhelm your opponents with relentless 2/2 zombies and outmaneuver them with smart, on-the-fly tactics. Curious about crafting a deck that can harness the full potential of Tormod the Desecrator? We’re here with the insights and guidance you need. Step into the realm of advanced play and let Tormod lead you to victory.


Cards like Tormod, the Desecrator

Tormod the Desecrator emerges as a unique option for players keen on exploiting graveyard strategies. He draws comparison with cards like Sedris, the Traitor King, which both allow the reanimation of creatures. Tormod, with his ability to create a 2/2 Zombie token whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, adds a layer of board presence not directly offered by Sedris.

Focused on recurring value, Tormod synergizes well with cards that facilitate self-mill or frequent graveyard interactions, reminiscent of cards like Meren of Clan Nel Toth. While Meren focuses on incremental advantage by returning creatures to hand or battlefield, Tormod instead swells your ranks by translating each recurrence into undead tokens.

Lastly, Tormod’s potential in a deck is highlighted when considering its synergy with Undead Alchemist. Both convert graveyard activities into Zombie tokens, potentially generating a relentless undead army. Yet, Tormod does not restrict the strategy to mill, as with the Alchemist, opening avenues to broader deck-building creativity.

Analyzing these attributes, it’s evident that Tormod the Desecrator holds a fortified position in the roster of graveyard-centric commanders, offering versatile, relentless token generation as a solid tool for victory.

Sedris, the Traitor King - MTG Card versions
Meren of Clan Nel Toth - MTG Card versions
Undead Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Sedris, the Traitor King - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Meren of Clan Nel Toth - Commander 2015 (C15)
Undead Alchemist - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Tormod, the Desecrator by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Faceless Butcher - MTG Card versions
Magus of the Abyss - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Deathgazer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Faceless Butcher - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Magus of the Abyss - Future Sight (FUT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tormod, the Desecrator MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Tormod, the Desecrator and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Tormod, the Desecrator Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Grzegorz Rutkowski.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862882015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 1552015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5692015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tormod, the Desecrator has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.
2020-11-10 You create one Zombie token each time Tormod, the Desecrator's ability resolves, no matter how many cards left your graveyard.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks