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Terminal Agony

Terminal Agony

Sorcery

common

Destroy target creature. Madness (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

$0.15 ✦ $0.17View on Scryfall →

Semantic Tags

Specifically removes creatures — destroy, exile, damage, or -X/-X.

Benefits from discarding cards — madness, Waste Not effects, Oskar strategies.

Removes threats by exiling rather than destroying — bypasses indestructible and death triggers.

Cares about cards in the graveyard, puts cards into the graveyard, or benefits from things dying.

Madnessmechanical

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card they discard. See rule 702.35, “Madness.”

Madnessvector

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card they discard. See rule 702.35, “Madness.”

Removalmechanical

Answers an opponent's threat by destroying, exiling, bouncing, or otherwise removing a permanent or spell.

Removalvector

Answers an opponent's threat by destroying, exiling, bouncing, or otherwise removing a permanent or spell.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneernot legal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
pauperlegal
historiclegal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (4)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Breaking News#55uncommon···
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons#723common···
Modern Horizons 2#215common···
Modern Horizons 2#424common···

Related Concepts

Madness

A keyword ability that lets a player cast a card they discard. See rule 702.35, “Madness.”

Related Rules

400.7k

After resolving a madness triggered ability (see rule 702.35), if the exiled card wasn’t cast and was moved to a public zone, effects referencing the discarded card can find that object.

702.35

Madness

702.35a

Madness is a keyword that represents two abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with madness is in a player’s hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions when the first ability is applied. “Madness [cost]” means “If a player would discard this card, that player discards it, but exiles it instead of putting it into their graveyard” and “When this card is exiled this way, its owner may cast it by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If that player doesn’t, they put this card into their graveyard.”

702.35b

Casting a spell using its madness ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

702.35c

After resolving a madness triggered ability, if the exiled card wasn’t cast and was moved to a public zone, effects referencing the discarded card can find that card. See rule 400.7k.

Rulings

2022-12-08

Madness works independently of why you're discarding the card. You could discard it to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or because you have too many cards in your hand during your cleanup step. You can't discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.

2022-12-08

A spell cast for its madness cost is put onto the stack like any other spell. It can be countered, copied, and so on. As it resolves, it's put onto the battlefield if it's a permanent card or into its owner's graveyard if it's an instant or sorcery card.

2022-12-08

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a madness cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined by only its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast that spell was.

2022-12-08

Cards are discarded in a Magic game only from a player's hand. Effects that put cards into a player's graveyard from anywhere else do not cause those cards to be discarded.

2022-12-08

If you discard a card with madness while a spell or ability is resolving, it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability, noting that the card you discarded is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness triggered ability will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.

2022-12-08

A card with madness that's discarded counts as having been discarded even though it's put into exile rather than a graveyard. If it was discarded to pay a cost, that cost is still paid. Abilities that trigger when a card is discarded will still trigger.

2022-12-08

Casting a spell with madness ignores the timing rules based on the card's card type. For example, you can cast a sorcery with madness if you discard it during an opponent's turn.

2022-12-08

If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability, that card's madness triggered ability (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.

2022-12-08

If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it's put into your graveyard. Madness doesn't give you another chance to cast it later.