Top 10 Curses in MTG

Curses are a somewhat newer Aura subtype that focus on enchanting players rather than permanents. This is an upside in some sense, as it means that they can’t be removed by removing the permanent they’re attached to. However, curses aren’t exactly common, with only 42 curses in the entire game, and most of them don’t have the best effects around. Today, we’re going to go over the best curses in the game and see just how well they’ve done.
Script by Pumkinswift
Editing by Pumkinswift
├ The List
Intro: (0:00)
10: Curse of Opulence: (0:22)
9: Fraying Sanity: (1:50)
8: Curse of Hospitality: (3:30)
7: Curse of the Bloody Tome: (5:02)
6: Curse of Shaken Faith: (6:25)
5: Overwhelming Splendor: (8:05)
4: Trespasser’s Curse: (9:57)
3: Curse of the Pierced Heart: (11:10)
2: Curse of Silence: (12:45)
1: Maddening Hex: (14:22)
#mtg #tcg #magicthegathering
(Just a note, we have people who actually know the game very well making the scripts for this channel. As the owner of the channel (Theduellogs/hirumaredx) is a total newbie to the game.)

[@kyuven]

Maddening Hex should also win the award for most appropriate name in all of Magic too.

[@maxastro]

Imo it's competing with Vexing Devil, but yeah.

[@Lapsus_Cat]

Just in case u didn't know. There's a whole deck in legacy that plays curses, its janky but can still steal some games, and the main curse they use is curse of misfortunes which lets you tutor into play any curse each of your upkreps

[@Necroskull388]

Curse of Misfortunes is probably a design mistake, since it limits how powerful Wizards can reasonably make newly printed curses, but it’s also REALLY funny.

[@antarath517]

One other thing on Fraying Sanity: cloning it acts as a pseudo-doubler, so 2 curses would cause someone to mill 4 times as much and 3 curses would mill 8 times as much. Also, Curse of the Bloody Tome is good to put on yourself if you have graveyard interaction, it's not only good for mill synergy like Fraying Sanity.

[@satansamael666]

Another thing of note, you can technically curse yourself with that. That makes it actually a potential CEDH mill storm card for a very long time.

[@MagicalHackerMTG]

My absolutely favorite Curse of all time is Curse of Exhaustion. We don't realize how important casting 2+ spells per turn is to winning, so this 4 mana enchantment makes it extremely difficult for a deck to win. While this is specifically referring to EDH, I wouldn't be surprised if it was also true for Modern.

[@devilzelink]

Using bitcoin on the video background while talking of curse of opulence put a smile on my face

[@Poillip]

Trespasser's Curse seems like a fun one to cast on myself, then play a bunch of "when you gain/lose life" effects and swarm the board with Zombie tokens.

[@Neo_Way]

A couple additional uses for cards you mentioned that come to my mind: Trespasser's is used in a janky deck called Dagger Burn, which summons tokens for the opponent with Panharmonicon like doublers to maximize damage. Pierced Heart not only serves as a clock, but it also enables things like Needle Drop and Skewer the Critics. And, like other comments mentioned, I think Misfortunes also deserved a spot on the list.

[@remigusker6024]

One of my favorite jank decks I historic rn. Nine lives/solemnity for protection while I use stuff like faithless looting to dump curses into the graveyard, then mass "reanimate" them with triumphant reckoning or eerie ultimatum via mizzix's mastery

[@tvdinner1986]

suggestion for a video: Top 10 Sideboard cards, if that has not been done already.

[@fernandobanda5734]

Surprised Curse of Misfortunes wasn't mentioned anywhere, since it's the easiest way to get Overwhelming Splendor out and one (pretty mad) Legacy decks uses it to do exactly that.

[@AxilonZPZ]

After seeing tasha's laughter mentionned, now i want a top 10 mill card :p(good top as always)

[@grantmurdock7385]

For the commander players: Ghen, Arcanum Weaver loves turning one mana curses into Overwhelming Splendor.

[@7Alberto7]

Amazing!!!!!🎉

[@TheUnspeakeable]

You can put Overwhelming splendor into the battlefield with Show and tell or Eureka, with Eureka you can also lock your opponents out of creatures with Elesh norn, grand cenobite, of curse your opponent may think to put a giant Eldrazi, but because the combination of becoming 1/1 and having -2/-2 makes it a creature with toughness 0 or less it dies

[@RvBnerd618]

Pretty coincidental that you uploaded this days before the Professor released a Commander decklist that revolves around curses

[@renewagain6956]

It appears that you may have misunderstood the intent and use case for "Curse of the Bloody Tome". That card isn't actually a Mill card. It may technically perform that function, but that isn't its intended use case. Instead, that it meant as library distrubtion, or "anti-filtering". It's there specifically to prevent opponents from successfully top-decking their intended cards on their next turn when being filtered by activated abilities the turn prior (such as with Sensei's Divning Top). That's why so many players included it as a sideboard option. It's really useful if you know your opponent is running heavy Blue, but rarely outside of it.

[@jarzz3601]

they can be removed by destroying target player though

[@RaceBandit]

_"🪓 Fight through the pain!"_

[@silverwind0861]

Well that's definitely one way to look at it

[@SomeGuy712x]

Baron Von Count FTW.

[@quint3ssent1a]

One of my favourite curses is Infectious curse, which is on the other side of Accursed witch. The curse itself is not that powerful, but I like the design of a creature that turns into a curse when it dies.

[@OHYisWatching]

Top 10 hard to pronounce magic cards And you make it throu the video without messing a single one

[@The1Drummer101]

Curse of Bloodletting should be on this list. Stellar curse card

[@TheLuckySpades]

Did you just call the Lotus Field Combo deck Hidden Strings Combo? I mean it is an important card, but still odd choice of name

[@TheLuckySpades]

7:05

[@TheThiccestChungus]

I mean there are a lot of names for this type of deck eg. Twiddle storm. Hidden strings combo is by no means the strangest name I've heard for it.

[@DAMitAlI]

With the next pro tour occurring soon I think a primer on what it is would be really timely. If this video has already been made I’m sorry I couldn’t find it.

[@travismurtland3257]

Pierced Heart is pretty solid if you put it with Captive Kingpin. He gets a +1/+1 anytime someone takes exactly 1 damage from any source. I run that, Underworld Dreams, Syr Carah, etc. All the things that ping every turn. If they don't get rid of him quick, he'll get rid of them.

[@fiacramccluskey2569]

There's actually lots and lots of attacking in cedh to pressure the slow decks. In most games that don't end early someone dies to combat

[@kennethacuna9996]

you didnt mention Academy Rector on Legacy which plays overwhelming splendor

[@thegalaxyisinvalid]

While not being top tier decks, mono black curses that uses curse of misfortune to tutor overwhelming splendor, curse of death's hold, cruel reality while being a black stompy prison while also threatening a helm of obedience kill is not unplayable in legacy. Nic fit variants that play academy rector to tutor curses while also not a top tier deck, is still occasionally seen as a pet deck to legacy boomers.

[@quint3ssent1a]

I kinda want top 10 "delver" cards, means cheap creatures that could transform into more efficient and big ones with right conditions. Delver of secrets is the most iconic one, and recently in Innistrad there was another one in red (dragonfire shaman or something, I forgot the name), I wonder if there are more cards with similar design.

[@Ecto_42]

Curse of Shaken Faith seems really useful in a Werewolf deck looking to discourage spell-slinging

[@Taanbart]

I just had an idea for a video: worst/best cards that let your opponent choose something for you.

[@rockturtle99]

Video idea strongest fastest combos

[@michaeltuleev7967]

There’s actually a bury nice may to combo overwhelming splendor with massacre wurm ‘cuz both could be return from graveyard with rise to glory

[@phyrexian_dude4645]

Curse of Echoes its hilarious in any multiplayer game. Sure, there is a chance that someone else than you pops off but anything that makes squeal a heavy sorceries and instants deck its totally worth it.

[@justinherrgott]

Surprised he didn’t mention the aura curse effect after you execute a Faithbound Judge from Crimson Vow

[@tefnutofhoney2832]

Curse of exhaustions my favorite. Im using it with knowledge pool to lock a player out of the game in edh

[@MaxBeaulieu]

I love curses because it encourages people to attack!

[@EntakarA]

what about the flip card Faithbound Judge / Sinners Judgment? It's super slow and probably just a bad card, but it is a win con by itself. That and it's wrecked me on the ladder because I won't tech against it. haha

[@metalhev3989]

That card is sneaky powerful in a control deck. The creature is really strong as a blocker, and a dangerously fast clock too.

[@shootercade1299]

I won a game against someone who casted Breach the Multiverse twice and an Etali, using the curse called Sinner's Judgment.

[@hasechoward2928]

Id say curse of the bloody tome has a niche of preventing top of deck tutoring, so thats something i guess

[@CorvinusRahl]

The black Scarab curse?

[@Sitruso]

I personally like Curse of Leeches, sad to see it not on here.

[@khasmalive1920]

I was like I know this voice!

[@Ragnarok2kx]

Wait, why wou,d Maddening Hex attach itself to the same opponent if it says other?

[@jarzz3601]

As per the rules page for the card: If Maddening Hex is attached to your only opponent, it stays attached to that player as the ability resolves. So in conclusion cause wotc says so

[@LtLukoziuz]

He spoke about 1v1 formats. Point to what other opponent it would attach itself?

[@fernandobanda5734]

​@@jarzz3601It's not because Wizards says so. It's simple logic. It tries to do something, but it's impossible, so it doesn't.

[@Ragnarok2kx]

@@fernandobanda5734 Yeah, I get it now. I was confusing it with auras that attach themselves to another permanent when they "fall off". This one would just stay attached.

[@dirtyfrench2926]

I lnow it's technically not a curse, but I've always read Pain Magnification as a curse all opponents effect since your opponents can trigger it on anyone except you. 1BR Enchantment- Whenever an opponent is dealt 3 or more damage by a single source, that player discards a card.

[@TopPigg]

I was going to ask why "Captive Audience" wasn't on the list, but turns out it's not a curse. It just acts like one lol.

[@ReederMG]

Top 10 Elves

[@Lovuschka]

"So as good as sanity can be, there's just no place for it in the current day!" America explained in one sentence.

[@noneofyourbusiness4133]

I love religious people!!! 🤪🤪

[@ethansmith8813]

No curse of scarabs? Crippling in a discard deck with lots of walls and creature removal lol

[@tcoren1]

Several of these curses make me think of masquerade AKA "tax dragon" in yugioh. Man is that card annoying to face

[@quackcharge]

guys love the videos but the typos are getting out of control. please take the time to proof read and or do some typing exercises

[@fallendeus5641]

Problem with how you judge commander cards is you always judge by cEDH standards which is the tiniest fraction of commander players. There are very few cards that are cEDH viable which is why the format as a whole isn't viewed as competitive in the same way that modern and other 60 card formata are.

[@thefreshproduce]

cruel reality

[@tilnation14]

I do not like the background effect of #5, too much movement :L

[@wurdulac923]

Wait, why does Curse of Hospitality draw you cards from your opponent's deck? "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to enchanted player, that player exiles the top card of *their* library." Isn't the "their" referring to the immediately preceding "that player"? Surely if it meant the Cursed player it would say "...of enchanted player's library", no?

[@LtLukoziuz]

"enchanted player" == "that player". "Their" comes after and refers to "that player". You don't read your sentences backwards.

[@wurdulac923]

@@LtLukoziuz Oh yeah, duh. Don't know how I messed that up, probably reading too fast.

[@christopherb501]

Best Attractions / Contraptions / sticker sheets.

[@mavenofkindred9670]

First

[@Flum666]

there aren't any stong curse cards, all curse cards are shite.

[@satansamael666]

Except Fraying Sanity which isn’t acting like a curse but a self mill spell.