Vicious Rumors MTG Card


Vicious Rumors - Guilds of Ravnica
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Mill
Released2018-10-05
Set symbol
Set nameGuilds of Ravnica
Set codeGRN
Number89
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDavid Palumbo

Key Takeaways

  1. At just one black mana, Vicious Rumors is an efficient tool for early disruption and card advantage generation.
  2. The card’s discard effect targets each opponent, making it a strategic first play in multiplayer games.
  3. While limited in impact, its synergy with graveyard strategies can be pivotal in certain deck builds.

Text of card

Vicious Rumors deals 1 damage to each opponent. Each opponent discards a card, then puts the top card of their library into their graveyard. You gain 1 life.

"The alliances were already frayed. All we do is find the loose threads and pluck." —Lazav


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though Vicious Rumors may seem subtle at first glance, its ability to have each opponent discard a card can disrupt their options and inadvertently lead to card advantage. As they lose resources, you maintain your own, offering a subtle shift in power.

Resource Acceleration: Vicious Rumors is an incredibly cost-efficient spell, requiring only a single black mana. This enables you to deploy other resources or threats in the same or successive turns, effectively accelerating your board presence while disturbing your opponents.

Instant Speed: While Vicious Rumors is a sorcery, its low casting cost synergizes well with instant speed spells in your arsenal. By using minimal mana to cast it, you keep the majority of your resources available, thus allowing you to respond immediately with other tricks up your sleeve.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vicious Rumors forces the opponent to discard a card, but the requirement only hits once and lacks control over which card is discarded, potentially causing minimal disruption.

Specific Mana Cost: It can only be cast with black mana, making it restrictive and difficult to include in multi-color decks that may need a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While only costing one black mana, the impact of the card often doesn’t justify the slot it occupies in your deck compared to other one-mana spells that could provide a greater advantage.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Vicious Rumors is a card that effortlessly slips into various black-themed decks. This spell’s ability to target an opponent right out of the gate makes it a strategic first turn play, impacting everyone’s hand while also chipping away at their life total.

Combo Potential: The card shines in its ability to work with discard strategies and synergize with cards that benefit from opponents discarding or losing life. It can be an integral part of a deck engine that seeks to disrupt opponents’ plans from the very start of the game.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players rely on holding a full grip of cards, Vicious Rumors can be an underhanded way to tilt the scales in your favor. Not only does it dispose of a card, but it also slightly drains life and sets up graveyard strategies, all of which can be crucial in the current meta.


How to beat

Vicious Rumors, while not the most formidable card in Magic: The Gathering, can disrupt early game tactics. As a low-cost black spell, it forces each opponent to discard a card, lose 1 life, and grants you a sliver of life in return. The challenge with Vicious Rumors lies in its potential to nibble away at your hand and life total over repeated instances rather than a single heavy blow.

To effectively counter this subtle threat, it’s wise to adopt a strategy that minimizes the impact of discard mechanics. Consider including cards that thrive in the graveyard, turning a seeming disadvantage into a strategic asset. Alternatively, cards that allow you to draw additional cards or generate card advantage can help offset the loss instigated by Vicious Rumors. Keep a close eye on your hand size and try to maintain a buffer of less critical cards that can be discarded without significant consequence. Defensive life gain strategies also help negate the incremental life loss that Vicious Rumors aims to exploit over time.

Remember, while Vicious Rumors can apply early pressure, it lacks the potency to dominate a game on its own. With careful play and deck construction, you can mitigate its effects and stay ahead of your opponent’s strategies.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the strategic depth of MTG can be as intriguing as it is rewarding. With cards like Vicious Rumors, you unlock new dimensions of gameplay that hinge on subtlety and disruption. Efficient spells such as this can be the linchpin of a well-orchestrated strategy, especially in the hands of those who value precision over brute force. As you refine your deck and hone your skills, consider the potential of cards that play the long game. Gain further insight into crafting a deck that’s not just about raw power but clever manipulation. Learn more with us and deepen your understanding of MTG’s tactical layers.


Cards like Vicious Rumors

Vicious Rumors stands as a unique spell in Magic: The Gathering deck-building, offering a blend of opponent disruption and life point advantage. Analogous to Vicious Rumors, cards like Duress enable players to meddle with an opponent’s hand, albeit with more focus on noncreature, nonland cards. However, Vicious Rumors ensures the loss of life alongside hand disruption, underscoring its multifaceted impact even though it doesn’t grant the same level of control over the cards being discarded.

In comparison, Raven’s Crime operates in a similar design space, targeting opponent’s hand with the added flexibility of retrace, allowing repeated use from the graveyard. Yet, it lacks the direct damage and card advantage which characterize the subtle strengths of Vicious Rumors. While not affecting life totals, Thoughtseize is another comparable card that instead gives choice in discarding, a powerful tool in competitive play, but at the cost of life and a higher mana investment.

Ultimately, when assessing the strategic nuances of these hand disruption spells, Vicious Rumors is an intriguing choice for players looking to weave together early game pressure with psychological play, subtly whittling down an opponent’s resources while gaining incremental advantages.

Duress - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Duress - Urza's Saga (USG)
Raven's Crime - Eventide (EVE)
Thoughtseize - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Vicious Rumors by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Call to the Netherworld - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Imperial Seal - MTG Card versions
Bone Splinters - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Mind Twist - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Contract from Below - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Spoils of War - Ice Age (ICE)
Tendrils of Despair - Weatherlight (WTH)
Bloodcurdling Scream - Portal Second Age (P02)
Organ Harvest - Unglued (UGL)
Duress - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Reanimate - Jumpstart (JMP)
Soul Strings - Prophecy (PCY)
Cabal Therapy - Premium Deck Series: Graveborn (PD3)
Confront the Past - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Stir the Grave - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Cry of Contrition - Guildpact (GPT)
Deathmark - Coldsnap (CSP)
Call to the Netherworld - Time Spiral (TSP)
Raven's Crime - Eventide (EVE)
Imperial Seal - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Bone Splinters - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vicious Rumors MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Vicious Rumors and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vicious Rumors has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 As Vicious Rumors resolves, it deals 1 damage to each opponent, then the next opponent in turn order (or, if it’s an opponent’s turn, that opponent) chooses a card in hand without revealing it, then each other opponent in turn order does the same. Then the chosen cards are discarded at the same time. Next, each opponent puts the top card of their library into their graveyard at the same time. Finally, you gain 1 life.
2018-10-05 In a Two-Headed Giant game, Vicious Rumors causes the opposing team to lose 2 life, each of those players discards a card and puts the top card of their library into their graveyard, and you gain 1 life.

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