Golden Demise MTG Card

Golden Demise offers a potential one-sided board clear which is invaluable in creature-heavy metas. Its double black mana cost does make it less flexible in diverse mana base decks. Competing with similar removal spells, it can be a difference-maker or a strategic pitfall.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Ascend
Released	2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set name	Rivals of Ixalan
Set code	RIX
Number	73
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Deruchenko Alexander

Text of card

Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.) All creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn. If you have the city's blessing, instead only creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn.

Cards like Golden Demise

Golden Demise stands out in the realm of board clearing spells within Magic: The Gathering, sharing the stage with notable cards like Languish and Cry of the Carnarium. Like Golden Demise, Languish also offers a sweep of the board, reducing each creature’s toughness by four. Yet, it doesn’t provide the ascend condition that allows Golden Demise to spare your own creatures if you meet the city’s blessing threshold.

Comparatively, Cry of the Carnarium not only deals with creatures on the board but also ensures they can’t come back from the graveyard—an edge over Golden Demise’s simple destroy mechanism. This exiling effect can be essential in matchups against decks that leverage graveyard tactics. While Golden Demise and Cry of the Carnarium share a mana cost, the specific exile clause in Cry of the Carnarium can offer a unique advantage in certain gameplay scenarios.

When considering removal spells for your deck, Golden Demise makes for an intelligent choice where preserving your own battlefield presence is crucial, thanks to its potential one-sided effect. Its versatility in different match conditions must be weighed against the consistency and additional graveyard control provided by similar cards.

Cry of the Carnarium - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Golden Demise enables you to potentially clear multiple creatures off your opponent’s board with a single card, often leading to a significant swing in card advantage. In scenarios where you face a multitude of lesser threats, this card can be the key to reclaiming control of the game.

Resource Acceleration: Clearing the board with Golden Demise can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by paving the way for your own creatures to attack without obstruction. This can result in more efficient damage dealing or enable abilities tied to combat successes, hastening your route to victory.

Instant Speed: Although Golden Demise operates at sorcery speed, its Ascend mechanic works in harmony with instant-speed plays that can quickly qualify you for the City’s Blessing—a status that remains for the remainder of the game and strengthens the overall impact of Golden Demise on the board state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Golden Demise does not require discarding cards, managing card advantage remains a key aspect in MTG. Deploying Golden Demise at a crucial moment means one less card to counter other threats or advance your board state.

Specific Mana Cost: Golden Demise’s cost includes double black mana, which can be restrictive. Deck builders must carefully consider their mana base to ensure a timely casting of this sorcery in multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its three-mana cost, Golden Demise is competitive, yet in faster metagames, players may seek even lower-costing removal. The card vies with alternatives that can offer similar effects with less restrictive conditions or additional benefits.

Reasons to Include Golden Demise in Your Collection

Versatility: Golden Demise stands out with its adaptability in multiple deck archetypes. Its ability to clear the board of small creatures makes it an ideal fit for control decks, or even mid-range decks, looking to stabilize against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can act as a setup for graveyard-based combos, where players might benefit from having creatures in their own graveyard, or could serve to enable further control by reducing opponents’ board presence before establishing a game-winning board state.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-evolving MTG landscape, a card like Golden Demise retains its significance, particularly in a creature-heavy meta. Its potency is amplified in formats where token strategies or low-cost creatures dominate, thus it secures a place as a strategic sideboard or main deck option.

How to beat

Golden Demise stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a game-changer in wiping out your opponents’ creatures. It’s a spell that can sweep the board clean if your creatures aren’t sturdy enough to survive its activated City’s Blessing condition. The key to overcoming this card’s potency is to ensure resilience among your creatures. Creatures with toughness greater than three or those with indestructible attributes can withstand the demise that this spell tries to bring forth.

Investing in instant-speed spells that bolster your creatures’ toughness or provide hexproof can also be a strategic approach to counteract Golden Demise’s impact. It’s worth considering strategies that involve graveyard recovery, allowing you to bring back important pieces after they’ve been destroyed. Additionally, playing around the Ascend mechanic by controlling the number of permanents on the field can prevent your opponent from achieving the City’s Blessing, thereby reducing the efficacy of their spell.

Navigating around this formidable spell requires thoughtful deck building and strategic play. Maintain a strong defensive line and an awareness of the conditions that boost Golden Demise, and you’ll be well-equipped to keep your army thriving through the darkest of times.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Golden Demise MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Golden Demise and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Golden Demise has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren’t permanents.
2018-01-19	Golden Demise affects only creatures that are on the battlefield at the time it resolves. Creatures that enter the battlefield later in the turn won’t get -2/-2. Similarly, if you have the city’s blessing, creatures that come under your opponents’ control later in the turn won’t get -2/-2.
2018-01-19	If you cast a spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing until it resolves. Players may respond to that spell by trying to change whether you get the city’s blessing.
2018-01-19	If you control ten permanents but don’t control a permanent or resolving spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing. For example, if you control ten permanents, lose control of one, then cast Golden Demise, you won’t have the city’s blessing and the spell will affect creatures you control.
2018-01-19	If your tenth permanent enters the battlefield and then a permanent leaves the battlefield immediately afterwards (most likely due to the “Legend Rule” or due to being a creature with 0 toughness), you get the city’s blessing before it leaves the battlefield.
2018-01-19	Once you have the city’s blessing, you have it for the rest of the game, even if you lose control of some or all of your permanents. The city’s blessing isn’t a permanent itself and can’t be removed by any effect.