Vizkopa Confessor 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
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.) When this creature enters, pay any amount of life. Target opponent reveals that many cards from their hand. You choose one of them and exile it.
Complete guide
Vizkopa Confessor is a versatile Human Cleric from the Orzhov Syndicate that combines resource drain with targeted hand disruption. By leveraging the Extort mechanic and a life-for-information trade, it forces opponents to surrender their best tools while bolstering your own life total.
Dual Utilities: Extort and Extraction
This creature features two distinct abilities. First is Extort, a triggered ability that triggers whenever you cast any spell. Second is an Enters-the-Battlefield (ETB) ability that allows you to pay any amount of life to exile a card from an opponent's hand. Unlike many discard effects, this ability exiles the card, preventing graveyard recursion.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When Vizkopa Confessor enters the battlefield, its second ability is put on the stack and you must choose a target opponent. You do not choose how much life to pay yet. As the ability resolves, you choose a number and pay that much life. The targeted opponent then reveals that many cards from their hand. Finally, you choose one of those revealed cards and exile it. If the target opponent becomes illegal before resolution, you cannot pay any life and no cards are revealed.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is assuming you can pay more life to exile more cards. Regardless of how much life you pay to reveal cards, you only ever choose and exile exactly one card. Additionally, keep in mind that Extort is a separate trigger from the ETB ability; Extort triggers when you cast the Confessor, while the hand disruption happens only after it successfully enters the battlefield.
Strategic Timing
Since you choose the amount of life to pay during resolution, you can adapt to the game state. If you suspect your opponent has only one dangerous threat left, you might only pay a small amount of life. However, paying a larger amount allows you to see more of their hand, providing valuable information for future turns even if you only exile one card.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne with 'Human' or 'Cleric' chosen, Vizkopa Confessor's ETB ability triggers twice. For each trigger, you may pay a different amount of life to exile a card. Note that Extort does not trigger an additional time because Roaming Throne only affects triggers of creatures you control on the battlefield, and Extort triggers while the spell is still on the stack.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen you cast Solemn Simulacrum while Vizkopa Confessor is on the battlefield, Extort triggers. You may pay {W/B}. This happens before the Simulacrum enters. If you paid life for the Confessor's own ETB earlier, this gain helps replenish your resources while the Simulacrum ensures you have the mana to keep extorting.
If you cast Vizkopa Confessor and have 5 life remaining, you can choose to pay 0 life when the ETB ability resolves. In this case, the target opponent reveals zero cards, and no card is exiled. This allows you to keep the 1/1 body on the field without risking your survival if your life total is too low to safely pay for information.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Vizkopa Confessor
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You may pay
a maximum of one time for each extort triggered ability. You decide whether to pay when the ability resolves.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The amount of life you gain from extort is based on the total amount of life lost, not necessarily the number of opponents you have. For example, if your opponent's life total can't change (perhaps because that player controls Platinum Emperion), you won't gain any life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The extort ability doesn't target any player.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The extort ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. The ability resolves even if that spell is countered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The amount of life you pay is chosen when Vizkopa Confessor's last ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If the target opponent is an illegal target when Vizkopa Confessor's last ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't pay life and no player will reveal any cards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You may pay 0 life when Vizkopa Confessor's "enters" ability resolves. If you do, no cards are revealed or exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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