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Nocturnal Hunger

Nocturnal Hunger

Instant

common

Gift a Food (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a Food token before its other effects. It's an artifact with ", , Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.") Destroy target creature. If the gift wasn't promised, you lose 2 life.

$0.15 ✦ $0.26View on Scryfall →

Semantic Tags

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

Food Mattersmechanical

Food token synergies — creation, sacrifice, and artifact interactions.

Life Gainmechanical

Gains you life. Relevant for lifegain-matters strategies and general survivability.

Mana Sinkmechanical

A permanent with a repeatable activated ability that converts excess mana into value.

Removalmechanical

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

Creates creature tokens, Treasure tokens, Food tokens, Clue tokens, or other token types.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneerlegal
standardlegal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
pauperlegal
historiclegal
explorernot legal
alchemylegal

Price history

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Printings (1)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Bloomburrow#102common···

Related Concepts

Gift

A keyword ability that allows a spell’s caster to choose an opponent as to receive a benefit as the spell resolves or when the permanent with the ability enters. See rule 702.174, “Gift.”

Related Rules

702.174g

“Gift an extra turn” means the effect is “The chosen player takes an extra turn after this one.”

702.174h

“Gift a Treasure” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a Treasure token.”

702.174b

On a permanent, the second ability represented by gift is “When this permanent enters, if its gift cost was paid, [effect].” On an instant or sorcery spell, the second ability represented by gift is “If this spell’s gift cost was paid, [effect].” The specific effect is defined by the [something] listed.

702.174c

Some effects trigger whenever a player gives a gift. Such an ability triggers whenever an instant or sorcery spell that player controls whose gift cost was paid resolves. It also triggers whenever the gift triggered ability of a permanent that player controls resolves.

702.174e

“Gift a card” means the effect is “The chosen player draws a card.”

702.174f

“Gift a tapped Fish” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token.”

702.174i

“Gift an Octopus” means the effect is “The chosen player creates an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token.”

702.174k

If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay a spell’s gift cost, that spell’s gift was promised.

Rulings

2024-07-26

For instants and sorceries with gift, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent as part of the resolution of the spell. This happens before any of the spell's other effects would take place.

2024-07-26

If a spell for which the gift was promised is countered, doesn't resolve (perhaps because all of its targets are illegal), or is otherwise removed from the stack, the gift won't be given. None of its other effects will happen either.

2024-07-26

As an additional cost to cast a spell with gift, you can promise the listed gift to an opponent. That opponent is chosen as part of that additional cost. The gift isn't given at this time; rather, it's given at a later time based on whether or not the spell is a permanent spell.

2024-07-26

Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if the gift was promised. You ignore these targeting requirements if the gifts aren't promised for those spells. On the other hand, you can promise a gift for a permanent spell even if you won't be able to choose targets for an enters ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.

2024-07-26

For permanent spells with gift, an ability triggers when that permanent enters if the gift was promised. When that ability resolves, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent.

2024-07-26

In the main set, there are four different kinds of gifts. "Gift a Food" causes the chosen opponent to create a Food token, while "Gift a Treasure" causes the chosen opponent to create a Treasure token. "Gift a card" causes them to draw a card, and "Gift a tapped Fish" causes them to create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token. The Commander decks contain two more kinds of gifts: "Gift an Octopus," which causes the chosen opponent to create an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token, and "Gift an extra turn," which causes them to take an extra turn after the current turn ends.

2024-07-26

If you copy a spell for which the gift was promised, the gift was also promised to the same opponent for the copy. If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent that's already on the battlefield, the gift isn't promised for that new permanent, even if it was promised for the original.

2024-07-26

You can't pay a gift cost more than once.

2024-11-08

You can't sacrifice a Food to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate Maraleaf Rider's ability.

2024-11-08

Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures, it's never a creature type.

2024-11-08

Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards.