Terror Tide 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
Fathomless descent — All creatures get -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of permanent cards in your graveyard.
Complete guide
Terror Tide is a powerful black sorcery that leverages the depths of your graveyard to clear the battlefield. By utilizing the fathomless descent mechanic, it creates a scaling effect that punishes opponents for letting your resources pile up.
Harnessing Fathomless Descent
Terror Tide applies a global stat reduction to all creatures on the battlefield. The magnitude of this reduction, represented by X, is determined by the total number of permanent cards in your graveyard at the moment the spell resolves. Permanent cards include artifacts, creatures, enchantments, lands, and planeswalkers; instant and sorcery cards do not count toward this total.
The Resolution Process
When you cast Terror Tide, it is placed on the stack, but the value of X is not locked in yet. X is only calculated when the spell successfully resolves. Once the number of permanents is counted, every creature currently on the battlefield receives -X/-X until the end of the turn. This reduction affects all creatures, including your own, and even those with Hexproof or Indestructible, as the spell does not target.
Timing and Strategy
Because X is checked upon resolution, you can respond to your own spell by using cards that put more permanents into your graveyard to increase the penalty. Conversely, if an opponent removes cards from your graveyard in response to Terror Tide, the value of X will be lower when the spell finally resolves. It is most effective in decks that frequently trade creatures or mill cards from their own library.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is forgetting that Terror Tide itself is a sorcery. Since it is not a permanent, it will not count toward its own fathomless descent value while it is resolving on the stack. Additionally, unlike some other board wipes, creatures that enter the battlefield after Terror Tide has resolved will not be affected by the -X/-X penalty.
Interaction examples
Toxic DelugeUnlike Toxic Deluge, where you choose the value of X and pay life as a cost, Terror Tide relies solely on your graveyard. If you have five creature cards and three land cards in your graveyard, Terror Tide will give all creatures -8/-8. While Toxic Deluge is more flexible in early turns, Terror Tide can provide a massive effect for just four mana without costing you any life.
VictimizeIf you need Terror Tide to be more potent, you can use Victimize in a previous turn to swap creatures. If you sacrifice a creature to Victimize, that creature enters the graveyard and stays there, potentially increasing the value of X for your subsequent Terror Tide. Remember that returning permanents from your graveyard to the battlefield will conversely decrease the value of X.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Terror Tide
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The value of X is checked only once, as Terror Tide resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Cards with the ability word "fathomless descent" have abilities that care how many permanent cards are in your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Some descend triggered abilities include intervening "if" clauses (i.e. "if you have [four or eight] permanent cards in your graveyard" in the middle of the ability). Each of these abilities checks your graveyard at the moment it would trigger to see if it does. If you don't have the required number of permanent cards in your graveyard at that time, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If it does trigger, it will check again as it tries to resolve. If you don't have the required number of permanent cards in your graveyard at that time, the ability won't resolve and none of its effects will happen.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Terror Tide
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