Nihilistic Glee MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Abilities | Hellbent |
| Released | 2006-05-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Dissension |
| Set code | DIS |
| Number | 50 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Ron Spears & Wayne Reynolds |
Text of card
, Discard a card: Target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Hellbent , Pay 2 life: Draw a card. Play this ability only if you have no cards in hand.
"All ends in obliteration—love in hatred, life in death, and light in empty darkness."
Cards like Nihilistic Glee
Nihilistic Glee is a unique discard spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering, sharing similarities with other cards that turn a player’s discard into an advantage. It echoes the functionality of cards like Faith of the Devoted, which also offers a way to benefit from discarding. While Nihilistic Glee requires mana and life to draw cards, Faith of the Devoted simply demands cycling or discard to drain life from opponents.
Another card to compare is Geth’s Grimoire, which allows players to capitalize on discarding, but this time providing card advantage whenever an opponent discards a card. Unlike Nihilistic Glee, Geth’s Grimoire provides a passive and continuous effect without additional costs per use. Waste Not is also a contender, creating a range of token and card advantage effects based on the card types being discarded by an opponent, contrasting with Nihilistic Glee’s focus on the player’s own discards.
In evaluating these options within the realm of discard-related cards, Nihilistic Glee presents a unique blend of risk and reward, empowering players to transform their discards into new opportunities, setting it distinctly apart in this intriguing Magic: The Gathering strategy niche.
Cards similar to Nihilistic Glee by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Nihilistic Glee provides a consistent way to turn excess cards in your hand into direct damage against opponents, effectively converting resources into power on the battlefield and keeping your hand lean.
Resource Acceleration: By discarding a card, Nihilistic Glee fuels graveyard strategies that benefit from having a stocked graveyard, accelerating your game plan by enabling interactions with other graveyard-based cards.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Nihilistic Glee at instant speed gives you the flexibility to react to your opponents’ moves, choosing the optimal moment to discard and deal damage or bide your time for more strategic plays.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Nihilistic Glee demands that a player discard a card to activate its ability. This can often lead to a negative card advantage, which means you’re losing more resources than you’re gaining, potentially putting you at a disadvantage against your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: Nihilistic Glee’s specific mana cost requires both black and colorless mana, making it less flexible for decks that are not heavily centered around the black mana pool. This can make it challenging to incorporate into multi-colored decks or those that require a varied mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, which includes double black, Nihilistic Glee can be considered costly compared to other options in the same mana range. As players often look for maximum efficiency in using their mana, the card might be overlooked for alternatives that provide immediate impact or more cost-effective utility.
Reasons to Include Nihilistic Glee in Your Collection
Versatility: Nihilistic Glee offers a flexible discard outlet that can be a boon for reanimator or graveyard-based strategies. Its adaptability to multiple deck themes allows for creative deck-building and optimization. From enabling madness mechanics to simply assisting in sculpting the perfect hand, it can find a place in various builds.
Combo Potential: With the ability to turn discarded cards into direct damage, Nihilistic Glee pairs well with effects that generate card advantage or recur creatures from the graveyard. The synergy this card provides can serve as a catalyst for powerful combo finishes, making it a worthy consideration for players looking to craft intricate and effective strategies.
Meta-Relevance: As the game shifts and new decks emerge, having a card that can act as both an enabler and a finisher gives players an edge. Whether it’s disrupting opponent strategies or exploiting specific meta trends, Nihilistic Glee’s presence in your arsenal ensures you are prepared to capitalize on the evolving gameplay environment.
How to beat
Nihilistic Glee presents a unique set of challenges in MTG gameplay. One of the key strategies to counteract this card relies on mitigating its discard ability. Nihilistic Glee allows a player to pay a certain amount of mana and life to force their opponent to discard a card, which can be turned into a significant card advantage over time. In order to mitigate this, it’s crucial to maintain a hand size that makes the discard less impactful. This can be achieved through the use of instant-speed card draw spells that refill your hand during your opponent’s end step, ensuring that any card discarded to Nihilistic Glee won’t hinder your game plan too much.
An alternative approach involves utilizing graveyard synergies to your advantage. Since Nihilistic Glee feeds the graveyard with discarded cards, leveraging cards that benefit from or recycle graveyard contents can turn the tables. Cards with flashback or escape, creatures that reanimate, or spells that return cards from the graveyard to your hand can render the discard ability less potent. Keep your graveyard in mind as a resource when playing against a deck that runs Nihilistic Glee and focus on cards that can operate effectively from there.
Overall, the key to overcoming Nihilistic Glee is to employ strategies that either minimize the detriment of discarding or utilize the graveyard as an extension of your hand, ensuring no card is ever truly lost.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Nihilistic Glee MTG card by a specific set like Dissension, 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 Nihilistic Glee and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Nihilistic Glee has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |