M.O.D.O.K. 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
Flying, lifelink Mental Organism — Pay 3 life: M.O.D.O.K. connives. Activate only during your turn. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.) Designed Only for Killing — Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1.
Complete guide
Meet M.O.D.O.K., the ultimate villainous threat that dominates the battlefield with pure intellect and raw power. This Legendary Artifact Creature not only drains the life from your enemies but also systematically weakens their forces just by being present.
What It Does
M.O.D.O.K. is a versatile 3/3 flyer with lifelink that provides two powerful passive effects. Its 'Mental Organism' ability allows you to filter through your deck and grow its power by conniving, while its 'Designed Only for Killing' ability applies a constant -1/-1 debuff to all creatures your opponents control.
Resolving the Mental Organism
When you activate the Mental Organism ability by paying 3 life, the connive keyword resolves in specific steps. First, you draw a card. Second, you choose a card from your hand to discard. Finally, if the discarded card was not a land, you place a +1/+1 counter on M.O.D.O.K. Note that this can only be done during your own turn, but you can activate it multiple times as long as you have the life to pay.
Static Debuffs and Death
The -1/-1 effect is a static ability, meaning it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. As soon as M.O.D.O.K. enters the battlefield, your opponents' creatures lose 1 power and 1 toughness. If a creature's toughness becomes 0 or less because of this effect, it is put into its owner's graveyard the next time state-based actions are checked.
When to Play M.O.D.O.K.
This card is best utilized when your opponent relies on small utility creatures or tokens. Because it has lifelink, the life you pay to connive can often be regained through combat. Cast it when you have a hand full of nonland cards to maximize its growth potential through the connive mechanic.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf your opponent controls a Solemn Simulacrum, which is a 2/2 creature, and you cast M.O.D.O.K., the Simulacrum immediately becomes a 1/1. If you were to play a second effect that reduces toughness or if the opponent had a 1/1 creature, that creature would die immediately upon M.O.D.O.K. entering the battlefield.
During your main phase, you pay 3 life to activate M.O.D.O.K.'s ability. You draw a card and then discard a nonland card like an artifact or creature. M.O.D.O.K. receives a +1/+1 counter, becoming a 4/4. Because it has lifelink, when it deals damage in the combat phase, you will gain 4 life, effectively refunding the cost of the connive activation.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Villain' chosen as the creature type, note that M.O.D.O.K.'s connive ability is an activated ability (indicated by the colon), not a triggered ability. Therefore, Roaming Throne will not cause M.O.D.O.K. to connive twice when you pay the life cost. However, the Roaming Throne itself will benefit from the -1/-1 protection M.O.D.O.K. provides against enemy blockers.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : M.O.D.O.K.
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Maha, Its Feathers Night + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1All creatures your opponents control will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
- 2Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, it will have base toughness 0, and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness unless there is another effect increasing its toughness.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Vilis, Broker of Blood + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying 3 life.
- 2Vilis triggers, causing you to draw three cards.
- 3Sheoldred's first ability triggers three times, causing you to gain 6 life.
- 4Repeat as desired.
- 5Resolve all M.O.D.O.K. abilities.
Repay in Kind + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying 3 life.
- 2Repeat step 1 until you have 0 life.
- 3Resolve all M.O.D.O.K. abilities.
- 4Cast Repay in Kind by paying
, causing each opponent's life total to become 0. - 5Each opponent loses the game as a state-based action due to having 0 life.
Rowan, Scion of War + Exsanguinate + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying life.
- 2Repeat step 1 as desired.
- 3Activate Rowan by tapping it, reducing the cost of all black and/or red spells you cast this turn.
- 4Cast Exsanguinate, choosing for X to equal the amount of life you've lost this turn, but paying a total of due to Rowan.
- 5Resolve Exsanguinate, causing each opponent to lose X life, and you to gain life equal to the life lost this way.
Mister Negative + Phyrexian Unlife + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying life.
- 2Repeat step 1 until you have 0 life.
- 3Cast Mister Negative by paying
plus commander tax if applicable. - 4When Mister Negative enters, it triggers, swapping your life total with an opponent's.
- 5The opponent loses the game due to having 0 life.
Children of Korlis + Vizkopa Guildmage + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability by paying
, causing each opponent to lose life whenever you gain life this turn. - 2Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying 3 life.
- 3Repeat step 2 until you have 3 or less life.
- 4Activate Children of Korils by sacrificing it, causing you to gain life equal to the amount of life you've lost this turn.
- 5Vizkopa Guildmage triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the amount of life you gained.
Mister Negative + Pact Weapon + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1Activate M.O.D.O.K. by paying life.
- 2Repeat step 1 until you have 0 life.
- 3Cast Mister Negative by paying plus commander tax if applicable.
- 4When Mister Negative enters, it triggers, swapping your life total with an opponent's.
- 5The opponent loses the game due to having 0 life.
Kormus Bell + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + M.O.D.O.K.
- 1When a land enters the battlefield, it becomes a Swamp due to Kormus Bell. This then causes it to become a 0/0 creature due to Urborg and M.O.D.O.K., and die as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness.
Legal formats
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