Sickening Dreams MTG Card
2002-02-04 - Number 83
2003-08-07 - Number pk83sb
2011-11-18 - Number 18
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
As an additional cost to play Sickening Dreams, discard X cards from your hand. Sickening Dreams deals X damage to each creature and each player.
The Patriarch dreams of vile plague.
Cards like Sickening Dreams
Sickening Dreams is a unique spell in Magic: The Gathering, presenting players with an unconventional method for clearing the board. When examining it alongside other area damage spells, Sickening Dreams brings a notable twist with its life payment and card discarding costs. Compared to Earthquake or Pyroclasm that simply deal damage across the board, Sickening Dreams requires strategic hand management, making it a choice for players who seek control and calculated risks.
Analogous to Sickening Dreams is Toxic Deluge. Both are sorcery spells providing players the ability to manipulate the outcome by an additional cost – life for Sickening Dreams and mana for Toxic Deluge. While both clear the board of creatures, Sickening Dreams has the vaunted capacity to affect all players and planeswalkers as well, at the steep price of discarding cards. Deluge, though, allows for a more focused life expense without the need to sacrifice card advantage.
Ultimately, the utility of Sickening Dreams is unrivaled in situations that necessitate a versatile and wide-reaching solution. Catering to the needs of players who are adept at preserving and maneuvering hand resources, it stands out as a powerful albeit unpredictable tool in the arsenal of MTG discarding strategies.
Cards similar to Sickening Dreams by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Sickening Dreams. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Five-color Reanimator | Premodern | $1K - Pre-Modern - SCG CON Hartford - Sunday - 9:30 am |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sickening Dreams serves as a powerful option to bypass traditional one-for-one removal strategies. Though it dispenses your own cards, effectively managing this aspect can dismantle your opponent’s crafted board state, hampering their card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: By enabling the discard of excess lands or unnecessary cards in hand, Sickening Dreams can accelerate your resources directly into a significant impact on the board, pacing the game in your favor.
Instant Speed: As a sorcery that dictates the pace of the game on your turn, it aligns with the strategic deployment of resources while adapting to the evolving game state, ensuring its effectiveness within your carefully orchestrated game plan.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable drawback of Sickening Dreams is the discard condition it imposes on the caster. For each copy in your hand, you’re obliged to discard a card to activate its effect. This stipulation can be a significant hindrance, especially when your hand size is dwindling, leaving you vulnerable to card disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Sickening Dreams necessitates a deliberate mana build with its black mana requirement. Its integration into your deck demands careful consideration, as it aligns exclusively with decks that can generate black mana, thereby limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When assessed alongside other cards within the same mana range, Sickening Dreams’ mana cost is on the higher end for the damage output it provides. This factor may sway players to opt for alternative cards offering a more favorable cost-to-damage ratio, thereby dictating the card’s potential application and effectiveness within a game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sickening Dreams offers flexibility in various deck builds, serving as a strategic card for controlling the board. Its ability to deal damage to each creature and each player makes it a multipurpose tool, suitable for clearing the field of smaller creatures or for closing out a tight game。
Combo Potential: This card shines in setups that utilize life as a resource, or where the graveyard is a springboard for various effects. When combined with cards that mitigate negative impacts to oneself, Sickening Dreams can often result in a favorable asymmetrical outcome, paving the way to victory。
Meta-Relevance: In metas dominated by creature-heavy decks or where opponents often have large swarms of tokens, Sickening Dreams can act as an efficient equalizer. It presents an answer to fast-paced aggro strategies, potentially swinging the momentum in your favor at a key moment of the match。
How to beat
Sickening Dreams stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a potent card capable of dealing a devastating amount of damage to each creature and each player. This puts it in the same conversation as cards like Earthquake or Toxic Deluge, though the unique aspect of Sickening Dreams is that it requires the additional cost of discarding cards besides its mana cost to fuel the amount of damage dealt.
To strategically outmaneuver Sickening Dreams, it’s crucial to understand the balance between card advantage and life preservation. Since it damages the caster as well, maintaining a high life total can be the difference in longevity. Moreover, cards with lifelink or incremental life gain can mitigate the loss of life. Additionally, consider utilizing instant-speed removal or counterspells to prevent Sickening Dreams from resolving, safeguarding your creatures and life points.
Ultimately, countering Sickeing Dreams is about a deep understanding of game tempo and resource management. Keep pressure with creatures that can quickly recover from damage, ensure life gain avenues are open, and hold up interaction for key moments. With cards like Dispel or Negate in your arsenal, you stand a good chance of deflecting the nightmare that is Sickening Dreams.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sickening Dreams MTG card by a specific set like Torment and World Championship Decks 2003, 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 Sickening Dreams 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Sickening Dreams Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-02-04 and 2011-11-18. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-02-04 | Torment | TOR | 83 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Scott M. Fischer | |
| 2 | 2003-08-07 | World Championship Decks 2003 | WC03 | pk83sb | 2003 | Normal | Gold | Scott M. Fischer | |
| 3 | 2011-11-18 | Premium Deck Series: Graveborn | PD3 | 18 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Scott M. Fischer |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sickening Dreams has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |