Morbid Hunger 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
Morbid Hunger deals 3 damage to any target. You gain 3 life. Flashback(You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Complete guide
Morbid Hunger is a versatile black sorcery that provides a reliable swing in life totals while doubling as removal. Thanks to its flashback ability, this card offers late-game value even after it has been used once or discarded to the graveyard.
Draining the Opposition
Morbid Hunger allows you to deal 3 damage to any target—whether that is a player, a planeswalker, or a creature—while simultaneously gaining you 3 life. This six-mana spell serves as both a defensive tool to stabilize your life total and a way to finish off weakened threats or opponents.
Casting from the Grave
The Flashback keyword is a static ability that functions while the card is in your graveyard. By paying nine mana ({7}{B}{B}), you can cast Morbid Hunger a second time. It is important to remember that flashback does not change the card's timing; since Morbid Hunger is a sorcery, you can only cast it from your graveyard during your main phase when the stack is empty. Once the flashback spell resolves, is countered, or otherwise leaves the stack, it is moved to the exile zone instead of returning to the graveyard.
Common Mistakes
A frequent misconception involves the mana value of the spell. Even if you pay the nine-mana flashback cost, the mana value of Morbid Hunger remains 6, derived from its original mana cost. Additionally, if Morbid Hunger is countered while being cast via flashback, it still goes to exile. You cannot 'save' it to cast again later once the flashback process has begun.
When to Play It
Morbid Hunger is best utilized in slower control decks or limited formats where the game is expected to go long. The initial cost is high, so you want to use it to remove a key creature that is pressuring your life total. The flashback cost is even higher, making it a perfect mana sink for the late game when both players are low on resources.
Interaction examples
Blasphemous EdictIf your opponent has a massive board, you can cast Blasphemous Edict for a reduced cost of one black mana to clear the field. Following this, if you have Morbid Hunger in your hand or graveyard, you can cast it to pick off any surviving high-toughness creatures or to start rebuilding your life total while the board is empty.
Living DeathWhen you cast Living Death, Morbid Hunger remains in your graveyard because it is a sorcery, not a creature card. However, this interaction is beneficial; while Living Death swaps the creatures on the battlefield with those in the graveyard, Morbid Hunger stays put, ready to be cast for its flashback cost to deal with whatever threats your opponent just returned to the battlefield.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Morbid Hunger
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
"Flashback [cost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Morbid Hunger
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.