Pernicious Deed MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Destroys multiple permanents selectively, providing a controlled board wipe in MTG strategies.
  2. Instant speed activation adds surprise factor, enhancing tactical plays and threat management.
  3. Demands careful planning due to specific mana requirements and higher activation costs.

Text of card

o X, Sacrifice Pernicious Deed: Destroy each artifact, creature, and enchantment with converted mana cost X or less.

"Yawgmoth," Freyalise whispered as she set the bomb, "now you will pay for your treachery."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Pernicious Deed provides the ability to destroy multiple permanents at varying mana costs, which can drastically shift the card advantage in your favor. It acts as a board wipe that can be controlled to preserve your beneficial permanents while crippling opponents’ board states.

Resource Acceleration: This powerful card may not directly accelerate your resources, but it effectively disrupts your opponents’ mana by removing their mana-producing permanents. The strategic elimination of artifacts, creatures, and enchantments can slow your opponents down and give you the upper hand in resource dominance.

Instant Speed: One of the key features of Pernicious Deed is its ability to be activated at instant speed. This means you can wait for the most opportune moment during any player’s turn to unleash its effect, maintaining the element of surprise and forcing your opponents to play around the potential threat of a board reset at all times.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other removal options, Pernicious Deed might sit in your hand without immediate payoff. Activating it requires a prior setup, potentially slowing down your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: With a demanding color combination of green and black, this artifact presents deck-building limitations, favoring only multicolored decks that can accommodate both mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Pernicious Deed is capable of clearing out multiple threats in one sweep, its combined casting and activation costs may be steep. Some players might prefer lower-cost removal spells for early game interactions.


Reasons to Include Pernicious Deed in Your Collection

Versatility: Pernicious Deed offers a flexible solution to a variety of in-game threats, easily clearing the board of pesky permanents and adaptable enough to work within multiple deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: Its ability to destroy tokens and other nonland permanents can be synergized with strategies that benefit from graveyard play or creature sacrifice.

Meta-Relevance: Pernicious Deed stands tall in metas cluttered with aggressive creature decks or enchantment-heavy strategies, providing a reset button that can be pivotal in turning the tide of the game.


How to beat

Pernicious Deed is a powerful and versatile card widely recognized for its ability to clear the board in Magic: The Gathering. The key to overcoming this enchantment lies in astute timing and the clever use of instant-speed spells. Players should consider playing cards like Disenchant or Nature’s Claim, which can destroy Pernicious Deed before it activates. Holding onto these responses until your opponent commits to using the Deed’s ability ensures that you maintain your board presence.

Another strategy is to bait the Pernicious Deed activation with less valuable creatures, thereby preserving your key threats. Additionally, playing around the specific mana your opponent has available for the activation cost can force them into suboptimal plays. Prioritize creatures or permanents with indestructibility or regeneration to circumvent the destructive power of Pernicious Deed. This will allow you to retain a threatening stance even after your opponent uses their Deed. Understanding and anticipating this card’s impact is essential for navigating it successfully.

Ultimately, the combination of these tactics can make Pernicious Deed less of a game-changer, and more of a manageable obstacle on the path to victory in MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG comes alive with cards like Pernicious Deed—an infallible addition to decks that thrive on control and versatility. Whether you’re maneuvering through metas dominated by creatures or enchantments, the Deed gives you the upper hand, offering dynamic responses to in-game threats. Don’t let its intricate activation deter you; mastery of this card can turn the tides of battle in your favor. Sharpen your skills and discover more about optimizing Pernicious Deed’s potential within your arsenal. Enhance your gameplay and outwit opponents with the right knowledge. Join our community for deeper insights into making Pernicious Deed a cornerstone of your victories.


Cards like Pernicious Deed

Pernicious Deed stands out in the pantheon of board-clearing options in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to the infamous card Wrath of God, both cards are adept at wiping the board clean of creatures. However, Pernicious Deed offers a unique flexibility; it allows a player to control what gets destroyed based on the mana paid into its ability, potentially sparing their own nonland permanents with lower converted mana costs.

Another similar card is the versatile Engineered Explosives. While it also uses sunburst to set the destruction threshold, it targets all permanents with an equal converted mana cost, not allowing selective demolition. Pernicious Deed differs by enabling targeted removal across a broader range of converted mana costs at once. Then there’s Cyclonic Rift, an instant that can reset all nonland permanents only opponents control. Unlike Pernicious Deed, Cyclonic Rift impacts all opponents’ permanents regardless of cost, but it does not destroy them, merely returning them to the player’s hand.

Assessing these options, Pernicious Deed’s control of the board and scalability reflect its unique position among destruction effects in Magic: The Gathering, offering strategic depth to those who incorporate it into their decks.

Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Engineered Explosives - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Engineered Explosives - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Cyclonic Rift - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cards similar to Pernicious Deed by color, type and mana cost

Grim Feast - MTG Card versions
Golgari Germination - MTG Card versions
Nyx Weaver - MTG Card versions
Pharika, God of Affliction - MTG Card versions
Autumnal Gloom // Ancient of the Equinox - MTG Card versions
Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity - MTG Card versions
Gloomshrieker - MTG Card versions
Grim Feast - Mirage (MIR)
Golgari Germination - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Nyx Weaver - Commander Masters (CMM)
Pharika, God of Affliction - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Autumnal Gloom // Ancient of the Equinox - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Gloomshrieker - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pernicious Deed MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse and Magic Online 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 Pernicious Deed and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Pernicious Deed Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2001-06-04 and 2018-03-16. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-06-04ApocalypseAPC 1141997normalblackChristopher Moeller
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 363062003normalblackIttoku
32006-01-01Judge Gift Cards 2006G06 42003normalblackIttoku
42014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 1912003normalblackChristopher Moeller
52018-03-16Masters 25A25 2122015normalblackChristopher Moeller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pernicious Deed has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-03-16 A token has a converted mana cost of 0 unless it is copying something else.
2018-03-16 If a permanent has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.

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