The title is a lie, you don't get to TP other players' houses. You do get to Torment Pox their decks.
What is Torment Pox?
"Torment Pox" is using the pox cards (
Smallpox
,
Pox
, and
Death Cloud
) and three of the four torment cards (
Torment of Hailfire
,
Torment of Scarabs
, and
Torment of Venom
) to try attacking an opponent on all fronts at once. Pox cards deal with life, cards in hand, creatures and land. Torment hits life, cards in hand, and nonland permanents. Since Pox is symmetrical in that it affects both you and the opponent, mana rocks are included to be able to cast spells afterwards, and not wait to topdeck lands. If you're going to
Death Cloud
, bring a gas mask!
Playing Torment Pox
Early Game: Cast mana rocks.
Sol Ring
,
Charcoal Diamond
,
Golgari Signet
, etc. The goal is to build a mana base that won't disappear when pox cards are played, and have mana for the deck's spells later.
Midgame: Cast pox spells. You can cast torment or pox spells first, but pox spells first is better strategy: you hit life, cards in hand, creatures and lands while they still have all of them to lose. A pox spell cast when an opponent has no creatures, cards in hand or lands is wasted opportunity. (A case can be made for poxxing to keep lands off the board, even when there is nothing else to pox.)
Endgame: Torment, all day everyday. Torment when an opponent has room to decide if they want to lose life, sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card is okay. Torment when an opponent can only choose from two or less of the three options is cruel. The artifacts, enchantments and planeswalkers that weren't erased by pox, or sinking to an even lower life total?
Sometimes, it may make sense to reverse the order: Torment first, pox second. Opponents will be more likely to choose life loss early on as they're sitting at a comfortable amount, only to realize their mistake when you pox them.
Pox the table before it poxxes you. - A wise person
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