Cruel Reality MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityMythic
TypeEnchantment — Aura Curse
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Consistent opponent sacrifices with Cruel Reality create substantial card advantage and board presence.
  2. Opponents’ playstyles morph from the psychological impact, keeping them on the defensive each turn.
  3. Despite high mana costs, its ability to control the board justifies the investment in suitable decks.

Text of card

Enchant player At the beginning of enchanted player's upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. If the player can't, he or she loses 5 life.

As Gideon watched the initiate murder his crop-mate, his admiration of the city of Naktamun gave way to horror.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Cruel Reality, the relentless pressure it puts on your opponent can equate to a significant card advantage over time. As they are compelled to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker every turn, it depletes their board and options, effectively diminishing their resources while you maintain your card resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although this enchantment does not directly accelerate your resources, the attrition it causes indirectly benefits your gameplay. By steadily dismantling your opponent’s defenses and potential resource generators like creatures that can tap for mana, it bolsters your position in the match as they struggle to keep up.

Instant Speed: While Cruel Reality itself does not operate at instant speed, it forces your opponent to play as if you have a persistent, unavoidable threat each turn. This can grant you the psychological edge, influencing their strategy and causing them to hold back instant-speed answers in anticipation of threats they can’t afford to ignore.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Cruel Reality doesn’t require an initial discard to play, this enchantment forces a sacrifice each turn unless the enchanted player discards cards. This could indirectly lead to a card deficit, especially if they manage to maintain board presence without sacrificing important creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: This powerful enchantment demands a considerable amount of mana, specifically requiring three swamp (black) mana. This mana requirement can limit deck-building options and hamper playability in multi-colored decks not heavily invested in black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of seven mana, Cruel Reality can strain your resources, potentially slowing down your strategy. In formats where speed is crucial, the mana investment could leave you vulnerable to faster, more aggressive plays from opponents.


Reasons to Include Cruel Reality in Your Collection

Versatility: As an enchantment with heavy impact, Cruel Reality can serve a pivotal role in various control and midrange decks. Its demand on opponents to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker each turn can be devasting in formats where such permanents are crucial.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that manipulate opponents’ resources. Pairing Cruel Reality with other control elements can lock opponents out of the game, cementing your position and leading you to victory through attrition.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by creature-heavy strategies, Cruel Reality acts as a means to continually clear the board. This can be particularly effective in slower, more methodical matches where maintaining board control is paramount to success.


How to beat

Cruel Reality is a formidable enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, striking fear into opponents with its persistent, unavoidable drain on their resources. Deployed under the right circumstances, this card can unquestionably turn the tides of a match. However, there are strategies for keeping its impact at bay. Going on the offensive is paramount; if you keep your opponent under pressure and maintain a board presence, you’ll limit the damage Cruel Reality can do.

Moreover, enchantment removal spells are your best friend against Cruel Reality’s oppressive aura. Utter End, Disenchant, or Nature’s Claim can send it directly to the graveyard, providing a respite from its relentless demands. Nonetheless, these are reactive measures. Anticipating that such a powerful card could be lurking in your opponent’s deck, it’s wise to apply pressure and demand answers early on. In such a scenario, your opponent might be forced to use their mana elsewhere, delaying the casting of Cruel Reality or perhaps scrapping it altogether.

With astute play and by considering the intrinsic value of each move, you can tip the scales away from the despair that comes with facing down Cruel Reality, and maintain your path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding Cruel Reality’s strengths and weaknesses is just the beginning of mastering MTG gameplay. This potent enchantment exemplifies strategic depth, offering game-changing abilities that require careful consideration both when playing it and when facing it. As you craft your deck and prepare for battle, consider how cards like Cruel Reality fit into your larger plan. Balancing mana cost, board control, and attrition tactics can enhance your gaming experience. For those ready to delve deeper into advanced MTG strategies and discover how to optimize their decks with powerful enchantments, join BurnMana for more insights and become adept in the art of clever gameplay.


Understanding Cruel Reality and Its Peers

Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts recognize Cruel Reality as a unique enchantment for its potent ongoing effect that can dictate the pace of play. Cruel Reality forces an opponent to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker at the beginning of their upkeep, dealing with a harsh penalty – much like its kindred spirit, Curse of the Cabal. While both entail sacrifice, Curse of the Cabal offers a suspended twist, delaying the effect and potentially disrupting later in the game.

Notably, the card ‘Torment of Scarabs’ shares a likeness with Cruel Reality with its recurring infliction of choice-based torment upon an opponent. Torment of Scarabs is less costly but also less punishing, granting opponents more options for suffering. While it applies pressure, it doesn’t match Cruel Reality’s relentless focus on depleting key pieces on the opposing field.

The necessity to disrupt an opponent’s board gives Cruel Reality a niche in controlling strategies where it can gradually ensure victory. Although its high mana cost might seem daunting, the devastation it wreaks over time can be well worth the investment, especially when compared to similar but less impactful curses in MTG.

Curse of the Cabal - MTG Card versions
Torment of Scarabs - MTG Card versions
Curse of the Cabal - Time Spiral (TSP)
Torment of Scarabs - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Cards similar to Cruel Reality by color, type and mana cost

Baneful Omen - MTG Card versions
Grave Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Price of Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Hedonist's Trove - MTG Card versions
Arvinox, the Mind Flail - MTG Card versions
Cacophony Unleashed - MTG Card versions
Baneful Omen - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Grave Betrayal - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Price of Knowledge - Commander 2013 (C13)
Hedonist's Trove - Commander 2019 (C19)
Arvinox, the Mind Flail - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Cacophony Unleashed - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cruel Reality MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet and Amonkhet Promos, 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 Cruel Reality and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cruel Reality Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-04-28 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Kieran Yanner.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-04-28AmonkhetAKH 842015normalblackKieran Yanner
22017-04-29Amonkhet PromosPAKH 84s2015normalblackKieran Yanner
32020-08-13Amonkhet RemasteredAKR 982015normalblackKieran Yanner

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cruel Reality has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-04-18 The enchanted player can’t choose to lose 5 life if they have a creature or planeswalker that can be sacrificed.
2017-04-18 The enchanted player chooses a permanent to sacrifice from among the creatures and planeswalkers that player controls. You don’t choose which type of permanent the player has to sacrifice.
2018-01-19 There are many important moments in the story, but the most crucial—called “story spotlights”—are shown on cards. These cards have the Planeswalker symbol in their text box; this symbol has no effect on gameplay. You can read more about these events in the official Magic fiction at http://www.mtgstory.com.

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