Feast of WormsHow it works & interactions with other cards

Land Destruction and Sacrifice

When you cast Feast of Worms, you must choose a single target land. As the spell resolves, that land is destroyed. The second part of the spell is a conditional trigger: if the land destroyed was legendary, the controller of that land must choose and sacrifice one additional land they control. Note that you do not choose the second land; your opponent does.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you cast the spell and choose a target land. Upon resolution, the game checks if the target is still legal; if it is, the land is destroyed. Immediately after, the game checks if the destroyed land had the 'Legendary' supertype. If it did, the player who controlled that land must select another land they currently control and put it into their graveyard. This sacrifice does not target, so it can affect lands with Hexproof or Shroud.

Timing and Strategy

As a Sorcery, you can typically only play this during your main phase when the stack is empty. Because it is an Arcane spell, you can also splice other Arcane spells onto it if you have them in hand. It is most effective against decks relying on powerful legendary lands like Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or Gaea's Cradle, as it forces the loss of a second resource.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that the sacrifice only happens if the targeted land was legendary. If you destroy a basic Forest, no sacrifice occurs. Additionally, if the targeted land is removed from the battlefield or becomes an illegal target before Feast of Worms resolves, the entire spell fails and no lands—not even legendary ones—will cause a sacrifice.

Interaction examples

Free Casting with Rishkar's Expertise

Rishkar's Expertise

If you control a creature with power 5 or greater, you can cast Rishkar's Expertise to draw cards. Since Feast of Worms has a mana value of 5, you can then cast it for free as part of the Expertise's resolution, allowing you to refill your hand and destroy an opponent's land in a single turn.

Resource Denial vs Ramp

Skyshroud Claim

If an opponent uses Skyshroud Claim to pull two Forests onto the battlefield, they are accelerating their mana. You can respond on your turn by casting Feast of Worms. If you target a legendary land they already had, they lose the target and must sacrifice one of the new Forests they just searched for, effectively neutralizing their previous ramp spell.

Destroying a Non-Legendary Land

You target a basic Mountain with Feast of Worms. Upon resolution, the Mountain is destroyed. Because a basic Mountain is not legendary, the controller does not sacrifice a second land. The spell finishes resolving and is placed in your graveyard.