Wrack with Madness MTG Card


Wrack with Madness - Dark Ascension
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2012-02-03
Set symbol
Set nameDark Ascension
Set codeDKA
Number107
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byTodd Lockwood

Key Takeaways

  1. Indirect card advantage gained by Wrack with Madness can shift the control of the game.
  2. This card’s demand for strategic play rewards well-timed removals during your turn.
  3. While mana-costly, its ability to eradicate formidable creatures validates its inclusion.

Text of card

Target creature deals damage to itself equal to its power.

The skathul, spirits consumed by revenge, fester and seethe while looking for weak minds to assault.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Wrack with Madness doesn’t directly draw you cards, it aims to provide indirect card advantage by eliminating an opponent’s creature. This can make the difference in board presence, ensuring you’re one step ahead in the resource battle.

Resource Acceleration: Although Wrack with Madness itself doesn’t accelerate your resources, removing a key threat can slow down an opponent’s strategy. This allows you more time to develop your mana base and deploy your own threats unimpeded.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Wrack with Madness requires strategic planning for its use during your turn. While it can’t be used as a surprise during your opponent’s turn, it compensates by allowing for devastating plays when timed correctly to disrupt crucial combat phases or opponent’s synergies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wrack with Madness makes no exception to the rule that cards requiring a discard can lead to a dilemma, especially in the mid to late game when hand size may be critical. This forced choice can potentially put you at a disadvantage against opponents with fuller hands.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost heavy in black mana, Wrack with Madness demands a significant commitment to black mana sources within a deck’s mana base. This specificity can potentially restrict deck-building flexibility and the card’s inclusion in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Wrack with Madness can be a game-changer, its four-mana cost for a single-target removal spell is considered high when compared to other removal options in MTG. Players often gravitate towards more mana-efficient spells that offer similar or greater impact on the game state.


Reasons to Include Wrack with Madness in Your Collection

Versatility: Wrack with Madness is an adaptable removal spell suited for red-based decks looking to manage threats. It turns an opponent’s strength into their downfall, potentially taking out large creatures that other direct damage spells cannot handle.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in decks that manipulate power levels, working well with cards that temporarily boost an enemy creature’s power before deploying Wrack with Madness for a lethal effect.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state filled with hefty creatures, Wrack with Madness shines as a relevant choice, being able to deal with some of the format’s toughest monsters. It’s particularly effective in limited formats where creature combat is prevalent.


How to beat

Wrack with Madness is a potent magic card that alters the dynamics of the battlefield by leveraging the strength of your opponent’s creatures against themselves. It remains a card that can turn the tides when facing hulking foes. Nonetheless, players need not despair as there are strategies to navigate and resist the destructive spell.

One such tactic is to embrace the use of low-power creatures, primarily those with high utility over brute force. Since Wrack with Madness deals damage equal to the target’s power, small creatures are less affected or can even survive the onslaught. Another defensive measure includes protecting your important creatures with hexproof or shroud abilities, rendering them untouchable by such targeted spells.

Moreover, countermagic comes to the rescue for those in blue-aligned decks. Counterspells offer a shield, intercepting Wrack with Madness before it inflicts any harm. Meanwhile, some might find solace in instant-speed removal to preemptively retire their creatures in exchange for other benefits, dodging the damaging effects in the process.

Adapting to the presence of Wrack with Madness requires foresight and a deck that can either absorb the punishment or sidestep it entirely. Resilience is key; by assembling a deck that’s less dependent on power-intensive creatures or by buttressing your defenses with preventative measures, you stand a better chance of enduring its wrath and emerging victorious.


Cards like Wrack with Madness

Wrack with Madness stands out in the realm of creature debilitation cards in Magic: The Gathering. When looking at similar spells, Murderous Compulsion comes to mind as it also serves the demise of creatures, but it requires the creature to be tapped and acts particularly well in surprising tactics. What makes Wrack with Madness distinct, however, is its ability to target and destroy any creature based on its power, without the need for prior tapping.

Another comparison draws us towards Douse in Gloom, which not only provides the benefit of creature removal but the added advantage of life gain. Despite being more restrictive in terms of the damage dealt, the life gain component can offer a slight edge in prolonging survival. Alas, Wrack with Madness requires no such trade-off, aiming purely for that power-based creature removal. Furthermore, Spiteful Pranks, yet another spell which pivots on creature power, grants flexibility in hitting multiple creatures but lacks the outright destructive simplicity of Wrack with Madness.

Reviewing Wrack with Madness amidst its companions, it’s evident that its straightforwardness in dealing with creatures of might makes it a reliable and formidable spell in any player’s arsenal.

Murderous Compulsion - MTG Card versions
Douse in Gloom - MTG Card versions
Murderous Compulsion - MTG Card versions
Douse in Gloom - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Wrack with Madness by color, type and mana cost

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Flowstone Slide - MTG Card versions
Shatterstorm - MTG Card versions
Flashfires - MTG Card versions
Anarchy - MTG Card versions
Phoenix Heart - MTG Card versions
Reign of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Deadshot - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Flood - MTG Card versions
Relentless Assault - MTG Card versions
Flameshot - MTG Card versions
Bend or Break - MTG Card versions
Scorching Missile - MTG Card versions
Reckless Crew - MTG Card versions
Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions
Demolish - MTG Card versions
Granulate - MTG Card versions
Touch and Go - MTG Card versions
Sunder from Within - MTG Card versions
Thoughts of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Inner Fire - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Slide - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wrack with Madness MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension, 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 Wrack with Madness and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wrack with Madness has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2011-01-22 Creature abilities like deathtouch or lifelink may affect the results of the damage dealt.

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