I don't think some of you guys get how this card works in practice.
First, you play Dystopia. Your opponent has to sacrifice a green or white permanent on their turn. On your turn, you pay 1 life, if you want. Then your opponent sacrifices a second permanent on his turn. Then, if you want to keep it around, you pay 2 life, then your opponent sacrifices a THIRD permanent. For 3 life you've made him sacrifice 3 permanents, and you can stop there if you want or pay 4 life after that to make him sacrifice a fourth.
This is crushing from one card.
Posted By:
EGarrett01
(5/13/2013 3:52:22 PM)
Really powerful card.
@EGarrett01: Actually you just have to pay 3 life for that 4th permanent, not 4.
Posted By:
Thanato5
(6/27/2013 7:38:31 AM)
For 0-3 life you'll hit 1-3 permanents; which is great. This is a beast in legacy; hitting at least half of the big power creatures:
-progenitus (natural order)
-tarmogoyf (almost every deck)
-knight of the reliquary (maverick + other decks)
-qasali pridemage (maverick + others)
-deathrite (almost every deck)
-nimble mongoose (RUG delver, tempo/threshold green)
-mother of runes (death and taxes. It actually hits the entire deck.)
In other words, it hits many many power-creatures in legacy. If you run any kind of black control, this is worth considering as it'll screw entire decks if given a turn or 3.
In W/B legacy this is tutorable with Enlightened Tutor and is recurrable with Sun Titan.
Posted By:
blurrymadness
(8/23/2013 12:31:26 PM)
4.5/5. One of the best hates. Play four of these in your sideboard. First opponent's turn when Dystopia is in play, score: Opponent -1 permanent, me +-0 life. Second turn: opponent -2 permanent, me -1 life (!!). At this point the card is massively effective and yet, in the third and fourth turns it's a great card but usually you should just sacrifice Dystopia after the loss of first life and simply play a new one. *shrug* Craziness. One of the cards that refines suicide black.
Posted By:
Sugga
(7/11/2010 5:00:52 AM)
Only 2.5 ? WHY? For a long time this was one of the best black hate cards, since it could remove enchantments, e.g. Moat, which black can't touch otherwise.
Posted By:
makochman
(3/23/2010 3:01:37 AM)
You. Don't. Have. To. Pay. The. Upkeep. Therefor, absurdly good. This is the -only- black card you will see dealing with your opponent's Moat with Shroud. Enough said? Combine this with Perish. But this can also hit white... so against zoo you can get them to sacrifice 2 or 3 creatures like Knight Of The Reliquary
Posted By:
Hovercraft
(9/4/2010 10:21:57 AM)
Destroying a permanent per turn can be quite tricky, but the cost for it very quickly becomes preposterously high.
If only Wizards had made it something like "at the beginning of your upkeep, you may lose 3 life. If you do, target opponent sacrifices a Green or White permanent he or she controls."
As it is, it's hopeless
Posted By:
grundledib
(11/15/2009 11:20:16 AM)
Seems like a powerful sideboard card to me.
Posted By:
TheWrathofShane
(10/29/2013 3:12:29 PM)