Descent into Madness MTG Card

Descent into Madness is a control enchantment that excels in attrition-driven strategies, deepening resource imbalances. The card is challenging to integrate into multicolored decks, but offers unique combo potentials in the right scenarios. Token generation and enchantment removal are effective counters to mitigate the disruptive effects of Descent into Madness.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Enchantment
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	97
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony Francisco

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, put a despair counter on Descent into Madness, then each player exiles X permanents he or she controls and/or cards from his or her hand, where X is the number of despair counters on Descent into Madness.

The stairs lead down in both directions.

Cards like Descent into Madness

Descent into Madness stands out as a unique enchantment within the world of MTG. Its closest relatives in terms of functionality might be cards like Smokestack, which similarly forces players to sacrifice a permanent every turn. Descent into Madness adds a layer of strategy with its counter accumulation mechanic that intensifies the mandatory sacrifices for both players as turns progress. Smokestack, meanwhile, offers a more controlled version of attrition, allowing its controller to dictate the pace of sacrifices.

Another cousin in the world of control enchantments is Phyrexian Arena. While it doesn’t force sacrifices, it impacts the game by granting card advantage at the cost of life, creating a similar tension between resource advantage and personal cost. In comparison, Descent into Madness more aggressively disrupts both players’ boards but without the incremental card advantage offered by Phyrexian Arena.

Descent into Madness represents a balance of power and risk, creating game states that challenge players to navigate the fine line between chaos and control. In the domain of MTG enchantments that impact the board state significantly, it certainly carves a niche for itself.

Cards similar to Descent into Madness by color, type and mana cost

Curse of Death's Hold - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Descent into Madness ensures an escalating exchange, compelling both players to sacrifice increasingly more cards or permanents, potentially leading to a considerable advantage as opponents are forced to deplete their resources.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly accelerate resources, this enchantment can indirectly benefit your game by hampering your opponent’s board presence and resources, allowing you to capitalize on the disparities this creates.

Instant Speed: As an enchantment, Descent into Madness doesn’t operate at instant speed, yet its insidious effect at each upkeep interacts with ongoing game states dynamically, akin to the imminent and persistent threat that an instant poses.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Descent into Madness necessitates discarding precious cards to fulfill its escalating exile effect, potentially draining your hand and leaving you vulnerable to your opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two black mana, this card can be challenging to cast in multicolored decks, sometimes causing delays in playing it on curve and potentially hindering your strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Descent into Madness enters the battlefield later than many other impactful enchantments, and it may take a considerable amount of time before its cumulative effects justify its initial investment.

Reasons to Include Descent into Madness in Your Collection

Versatility: Descent into Madness offers a unique type of control that can be utilized in various deck builds, particularly those leveraging sacrifice mechanics or strategies that benefit from each player’s shrinking resources.

Combo Potential: This card can work seamlessly within combos that manipulate counters, enabling you to dictate the pace of the game while accelerating the potential for a lock-down scenario against opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where long drawn-out battles are common, Descent into Madness can become a game-changing asset, forcing opponents to deplete their critical resources while you steer the game towards an advantageous endgame.

How to beat

Descent into Madness is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering that can distort the flow of the game by forcing both players to unceasingly sacrifice their permanents and discard cards. To navigate around this potential descent, deck construction and strategic foresight are key. Implementing a strategy centered on token generation allows players to maintain a board presence, as expendable tokens can be sacrificed in place of more valuable permanents.

Another effective method lies in employing bounce spells or abilities to return Descent into Madness to its owner’s hand, thereby resetting the steepening sacrifice requirement. Decks with access to enchantment removal or cards that can exile enchantments also hold an advantage, as they can directly remove the threat from the field. It’s integral to keep in mind the timing of these actions, as preemptive removal could effectively waste your resources, while being too late may leave you with nothing to recover.

Ultimately, overcoming Descent into Madness is about adapting to the ongoing attrition it causes, precisely timing your responses, and ensuring that your deck has the means to either utilize the card’s symmetric effect to your advantage or eliminate it altogether before your resources are too depleted to mount a comeback.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Descent into Madness 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 Descent into Madness and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Descent into Madness 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 Descent into Madness 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	First you choose the permanents and/or cards from your hand that will be exiled. Then each other player in turn order does the same. Then all the chosen permanents and cards are exiled simultaneously. Players who choose after you will know what permanents you’ll be exiling when they choose. They’ll know how many cards you’ll be exiling from your hand, but they won’t see those cards.
2012-05-01	For each despair counter on Descent into Madness, you’ll exile a permanent you control or exile a card from your hand, not both.
2012-05-01	If Descent into Madness isn’t on the battlefield when its ability resolves, use the number of counters on it when it left the battlefield to determine how many permanents and/or cards from hands to exile.
2012-05-01	If there are more counters on Descent into Madness than the total number of permanents you control plus the number of cards in your hand, you’ll exile all permanents you control (including Descent into Madness) and all cards from your hand.