Glorious Decay is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Choose one — • Destroy target artifact. • Glorious Decay deals 4 damage to target creature with flying. • Exile target card from a graveyard. Draw a card.
Complete guide
Glorious Decay is a versatile green instant that offers a toolkit for various battlefield situations. Whether you need to remove a pesky artifact, shoot down a flying threat, or cycle through your deck while cleaning up a graveyard, this card provides reliable utility for a low mana cost.
A Choice of Three Paths
When you cast Glorious Decay, you must choose one of its three distinct modes. The first mode targets an artifact for destruction, the second deals 4 damage to a creature with flying, and the third exiles a card from a graveyard and rewards you with a fresh card from your library.
Targeting and Resolution
Because each mode requires a target, you must be able to choose a legal one as you cast the spell. For the third mode specifically, if the targeted card is removed from the graveyard in response, Glorious Decay will be removed from the stack and fail to resolve. In this scenario, you will not draw a card because the spell no longer has a legal target.
Timing and Strategy
As an instant, Glorious Decay can be used to respond to your opponent's actions. You can use the second mode to ambush an attacking flyer or the third mode to remove a card your opponent is trying to reanimate. Remember that you only get to choose one mode, so evaluate the board state carefully before committing.
Interaction examples
Beast WithinIf your opponent controls a powerful artifact, you can cast Glorious Decay choosing the first mode to destroy it. Unlike Beast Within, which leaves the opponent with a 3/3 Beast token, Glorious Decay removes the artifact cleanly without providing a replacement creature.
Heroic InterventionIf you target an artifact with the first mode of Glorious Decay and the opponent responds with Heroic Intervention, their artifact gains indestructible. When Glorious Decay attempts to resolve, it will fail to destroy the target, though it was still legally targeted at the time of casting.
You choose the third mode, targeting a card in your opponent's graveyard. If the spell resolves, the card is exiled and you draw a card. If the card is moved out of the graveyard by another effect before Glorious Decay resolves, the entire spell is countered by rules and you do not draw.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Glorious Decay
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the last mode of Glorious Decay is chosen but the target is illegal as Glorious Decay tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't draw a card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Glorious Decay
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.