Treacherous Greed 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
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature that dealt damage this turn. Draw three cards. Each opponent loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.
Complete guide
Treacherous Greed is a powerful resource-generating instant that rewards aggressive strategies with a massive influx of cards and a life swing. However, its low mana cost comes at a steep price: you must sacrifice a creature that has already drawn blood during the current turn.
Sacrifice for Success
To cast Treacherous Greed, you must pay its mana cost and perform an additional action: sacrifice a creature that dealt damage earlier in the turn. This damage could be combat damage dealt to a player, planeswalker, or creature, or non-combat damage dealt via an ability. The creature must still be on the battlefield for you to sacrifice it as you cast the spell.
Resolving the Greed
Once the spell is cast and the sacrifice cost is paid, Treacherous Greed goes on the stack. Upon resolution, you immediately draw three cards. Then, the life drain effect occurs simultaneously: every opponent loses 3 life, and you gain 3 life. Note that you gain exactly 3 life regardless of how many opponents lost life.
Common Pitfalls
The most common mistake is attempting to sacrifice a creature that attacked but was blocked and dealt 0 damage (due to an effect or having 0 power). If the creature did not successfully deal at least some damage, it is not a valid sacrifice for this spell. Additionally, if an opponent removes your only eligible creature before you move to cast this spell, you cannot cast it at all.
Strategic Timing
Because this is an instant, you can cast it during your post-combat main phase or even during the combat damage step after damage has been dealt but before the combat phase ends. This allows you to convert a creature that is about to die to a blocking trade or a removal spell into fresh cards and life gain.
Interaction examples
Generous GiftSuppose you use Generous Gift to destroy an opponent's land, and they receive a 3/3 Elephant. On your turn, you attack with a creature and deal damage to that Elephant. You can then cast Treacherous Greed by sacrificing your creature. Even if the Elephant dies from the combat damage, your creature still counts as having 'dealt damage this turn' and is a legal sacrifice.
Deadly RollickYou attack your opponent with a creature, and it successfully deals damage. In your second main phase, you attempt to cast Treacherous Greed. If your opponent tries to cast Deadly Rollick to exile your creature in response to you declaring the spell, they are too late. Sacrificing the creature is an additional cost; by the time they can respond, the creature is already in the graveyard and the spell is on the stack.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Treacherous Greed
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You can sacrifice any creature you control that dealt damage this turn to pay Treacherous Greed's additional cost, even if the permanent it dealt damage to is no longer on the battlefield or the player it dealt damage to is no longer in the game.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Treacherous Greed
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.