Tendrils of Corruption 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
Tendrils of Corruption deals X damage to target creature and you gain X life, where X is the number of Swamps you control.
Complete guide
Tendrils of Corruption is a classic black removal spell that rewards players for specializing in mana from the dark side. By scaling its effectiveness with your land base, it provides a massive life swing while clearing the board of threats. Understanding how it checks your land count is the key to mastering this swamp-powered instant.
Calculating the Power of Swamps
The variable 'X' in Tendrils of Corruption is determined exactly at the moment the spell resolves. It counts every permanent you control with the 'Swamp' subtype, which includes basic Swamps and non-basic lands that have the Swamp type listed on their type line. If your Swamp count changes while the spell is on the stack, the final damage and life gain will reflect the count as the spell finishes casting.
Resolution Step-by-Step
First, you cast the spell and choose a target creature. Once it begins to resolve, the game checks how many Swamps you currently control. Next, the spell simultaneously deals that much damage to the creature and grants you that much life. If the creature has more toughness than the damage dealt, it remains on the battlefield with marked damage; otherwise, it is destroyed by state-based actions immediately after the spell finishes resolving.
Avoiding the Fizzle
A common mistake is assuming you gain life even if the creature leaves the battlefield before Tendrils of Corruption resolves. Because the spell has a single target, if that target becomes illegal (for example, by being exiled or gaining protection), the entire spell fails to resolve. In this scenario, you will not deal any damage and you will not gain any life, regardless of how many Swamps you control.
Strategic Timing
Since this is an instant, you should look to play Tendrils of Corruption during your opponent's combat phase or at the end of their turn. This allows you to keep your mana open for other threats while maximizing the life gain to offset any damage you might have taken earlier in the game.
Interaction examples
Fell the Profane // Fell MireIf you have four basic Swamps and one Fell the Profane // Fell Mire (on its land side, Fell Mire) on the battlefield, Tendrils of Corruption will count both the basic lands and the non-basic land because Fell Mire has the 'Swamp' subtype. The spell will deal 5 damage and you will gain 5 life.
Deadly RollickSuppose you cast Tendrils of Corruption targeting an opponent's creature. In response, the opponent casts Deadly Rollick to exile their own creature (perhaps to prevent your life gain). When Tendrils of Corruption tries to resolve, its target is gone. The spell is removed from the stack with no effect; you do not gain any life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Tendrils of Corruption
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Tendrils of Corruption tries to resolve, the spell doesn't resolve. You don't gain X life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Tendrils of Corruption
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.