Archon of Cruelty MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Archon
Abilities Flying
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants significant card advantage and life swing when attacking or entering the battlefield, outpacing opponents.
  2. With specific and high mana costs, deck adaptability and planning are crucial to maximize its potential.
  3. Vital in Black-White midrange decks, its triggers disrupt opponents, enhancing its strategic inclusion.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Archon of Cruelty enters the battlefield or attacks, target opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker, discards a card, and loses 3 life. You draw a card and gain 3 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the major benefits of Archon of Cruelty is its ability to offer a significant card advantage when attacking, forcing the opponent to lose a card while you draw one. This mechanic shifts the game’s momentum in your favor, giving you more options and resources every round.

Resource Acceleration: The mana cost for this creature may seem high, but given its abilities, using it can accelerate your game play. The resource acceleration it provides by indirectly affecting the opponent’s resources is valuable – each attack results in your opponent losing 3 life and you gaining 3 life, a solid exchange in resource control.

Instant Speed: While Archon of Cruelty doesn’t operate at instant speed, its effect occurs when it enters the battlefield or attacks, making it timely during combat. The timing of these powerful effects can turn the tide of a game, making it a go-to card in many situations.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Archon of Cruelty has a steep asking price. Although it doesn’t demand an upfront payment of cards, triggering its powerful gameplay effect essentially obliges your opponent to lose resources. If your rival’s hands or field are barren, this indirect discard requirement can render the Archon’s potential almost useless.

Specific Mana Cost: The Archon’s casting price includes a very specific mana combination. The double black mana in its casting cost might deter players from incorporating it into multi-coloured decks. You’re often tethered to decks that can sufficiently generate black mana- and plenty of it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in with a mana value of eight, Archon of Cruelty is costly even by MTG standards. While it brings an imposing presence to the battlefield, its high resource demand may lead you to postpone its play or opt for lighter, faster alternatives to maintain the tempo of your game. Reserving eight mana for a single entity can significantly reduce your tactical options. Mounting a game-winning comeback after such an expense could prove to be a colossal task.


Reasons to Include Archon of Cruelty in Your Collection

Versatility: Archon of Cruelty is an indispensable card found in mid-range decks, particularly among those favoring Black-White Control dynamics. Its potent abilities provide multiple benefits, including life gain and card advantage, enhancing its versatility in various game situations.

Combo Potential: Archon of Cruelty acts as an ultimate game changer when combined with reanimation strategies. By bringing it back to the battlefield from the graveyard, you can reap more of its trigger effects thereby generating substantial board presence.

Meta-Relevance: With the current trend of MTG focusing on the interchangeability of control and aggro decks, Archon of Cruelty provides timely life drain and disruption for your opponents, making this card of significant relevance in today’s evolving meta.


How to beat

Archon of Cruelty can pose a significant threat in any Magic: The Gathering game due to its powerful abilities. This card, when it attacks or enters the battlefield, reaps extensive benefits, such as draining life from opponents, making them discard cards and sacrifice creatures, while you draw a card and gain life.

Among the strategies to counter this card, consider deploying swiftly aggressive creatures to pressurize your opponent, forcing them on the defensive, reducing the chance of Archon of Cruelty landing on the battlefield. Efficient removal spells are also essential, such as ‘Swords to Plowshares’ or ‘Path to Exile’ that can eliminate the Archon before its devastating effects kick in. Furthermore, instigating graveyard interruption tactics can prevent the Archon from being reanimated, thus nullifying its threat.

Finally, using counterspell can negate the Archon of Cruelty entirely. In the grand scheme of a Magic: The Gathering game, understanding your opponent’s plan and timely execution of your defense is crucial to overcoming formidable cards like the Archon of Cruelty.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving deeper into the sophisticated world of MTG invites each player to stretch their strategic muscles. Leveraging the might of Archon of Cruelty is a daring, yet fruitful maneuver that could elevate your playstyle. Imbued with multifaceted utility, this card can shape the ebb and flow of battle to your favor, but it’s essential to integrate it thoughtfully among your deck’s synergies. If you’re keen to further refine your approach or seek other formidable additions to your collection, we have a vast repository to enrich your tactical arsenal. Embrace the continuous evolution of your MTG journey—come learn more with us, enhancing every shuffle, every play, every triumph.


Cards like Archon of Cruelty

Archon of Cruelty takes its place as a compelling card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering creature spells. It stands shoulder to shoulder with cards like Massacre Wurm due to its powerful effect that triggers when it attacks or enters the battlefield, causing the opponent to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker, lose 3 life and discard a card. Massacre Wurm shares a similar dynamic, causing an opponent to lose life when one of their creatures dies.

On a parallel line lies Sheoldred, Whispering One, another creature that destabilizes the opponent’s board and hand. Like Archon of Cruelty, it forces the opponent to sacrifice a creature at each of their upkeeps. However, Sheoldred adds the benefit of bringing creatures back from your graveyard during your upkeep, providing a valuable tactical advantage.

Peer into the Abyss also bears mentioning in this conversation. It throws a drastic upheaval into an opponent’s life total and deck, halving the former and forcing the latter into a severe discard situation. What it lacks in board presence, it makes up for in disruptive power.

Based on the understanding of these distinctive features and evaluating the worth of the alternatives, Archon of Cruelty carves its value within the creature spells of Magic: The Gathering, attributed to its potent, game-swinging abilities.

Massacre Wurm - MTG Card versions
Sheoldred, Whispering One - MTG Card versions
Peer into the Abyss - MTG Card versions
Massacre Wurm - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Sheoldred, Whispering One - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Peer into the Abyss - Core Set 2021 (M21)

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

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Abundant Maw - MTG Card versions
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Infernal Denizen - Ice Age (ICE)
Baron Sengir - Masters Edition (ME1)
Avatar of Woe - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Devouring Strossus - Invasion (INV)
Griselbrand - Shadows of the Past (SIS)
Void Beckoner - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Scion of Darkness - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Reiver Demon - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Myojin of Night's Reach - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Sanguine Praetor - Guildpact (GPT)
Liege of the Pit - Time Spiral (TSP)
Tombstalker - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Skeletal Wurm - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Pestilence Demon - Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis (DDR)
Baleful Force - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Shambling Attendants - The List (PLST)
Distended Mindbender - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Abundant Maw - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Razaketh, the Foulblooded - Commander Masters (CMM)
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate - Game Night 2019 (GN2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Archon of Cruelty MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Archon of Cruelty and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Archon of Cruelty Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by Andrew Mar.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 3422015normalblackAndrew Mar
22021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 752015normalblackAndrew Mar
32021-06-19Modern Horizons 2 PromosPMH2 75s2015normalblackAndrew Mar

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Archon of Cruelty has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 You and the opponent you target take all the actions in the order listed. Notably, the creature or planeswalker they sacrifice won't be on the battlefield as they discard a card or lose life. If any abilities trigger, they will wait to be put on the stack until after the spell resolves. If any abilities controlled by that opponent trigger but losing 3 life causes them to lose the game, none of those abilities will be put on the stack.

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