SCD: Mercadia’s Downfall

[Chromaticus]

Mercadia's Downfall — I've never seen this card cast in a game before, but it just seems absolutely wild as a finisher. My opponents are not typically on mono color or budget brews - so I'm thinking an average 8 turn game, it's getting at LEAST +4 power, and often much more. Doesn't take a big board to kill from there.

How about you guys —- have you seen it in the wild? How do you think it compares to other finishers like Hoof, Triumph of the Hordes, or Akroma's Will? I think in red it has to be the most pump you can get.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Downfall is definitely a nice buff, especially in a high powered meta. Personally I'm a Tears of Rage man myself, just because I can control how many creatures I can attack with, but I have no input on opposing land bases. I also love risking it for the biscuit, but that's secondary.

[ISBPathfinder]

Its encouraging you to go wide because its a mass anthem buff but if you are actually going wide then I prefer Tears of Rage or Shared Animosity if you are rocking a single tribe. I guess it might have some world where you use it as a single creature buff but when things like Embercleave exist I would be very hard to be sold on it for single buff either.

In short, I think there are better buffs to be had going single target or going wide. There will be situations where you find that 5c deck with no basics but I would think you find at least a few mono colored decks for every one of those 5c decks you fight. I don't like leaving my buff effect up to my opponent's deck construction as to how it functions.

[Treamayne]

I use it in my Jeskai Monk Prowess deck, but not as a finisher (usually) since that prefers Haze of Rage for multi-prowess with buyback. I find it more useful to swing/trample through early damage to the Simic Ramp deck and enable some combat damage triggers.
It's not uncommon, in my expereince, to get 1-3 creatures with +3/+0 early on, often as an unblocked small attack that becomes not-so-small at instant speed after declare blockers.

[Ruiner]

One fun thing about this is that it doesn't need to be used on your own turn. This can disrupt expectations in combat if you won't take the brunt of the attack.

I only have this in one deck at the moment, but it is a solid card and no one expects it because it is not a commonly used/known card.

[Toshi]

I'm the sole reason my playgroup knows of Mercadia's Downfall's existence at all.

It has been serving me very well over the years. I think mono-decks are not as common as pointed out and even those tend to load quite some nonbasics. I rarely had it buff below +4/+0.

It has been best in Gallia of the Endless Dance where i would be able to draw into it during combat then blast it off for surprising amounts of damage.
That deck is using another old weird card in Rites of Initiation to great effect.

[aliciaofthevast]

Edhrec is constantly talking about this card and I think the juice is totally worth her squeeze! No sacrifice needed.

[3drinks]

I'm playing this in Pirates, actually. It's kinda neat how all the Mercadia stuff ties in nicely with Pirates from a thematical point of view.