Why is Blasphemous Act So Popular in EDH?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Nov. 13, 2019, 10:15 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
I have noticed that the majority of EDH deck that contain the color red contain Blasphemous Act , and I am wondering why that is.
Is that card popular because it is so powerful? Is it because that is the closest equivalent that red has to Wrath of God and/or Damnation ? What does everyone else say about this? Why is Blasphemous Act so popular in EDH?
As Gidgetimer mentioned, the fact that 13 damage kills most things and that generally the times wehre it's the most needed, it costs to use makes it pretty good. Especially since prior to this we had stuff like Rolling Earthquake whose damage was proportional to cost (and hit players, which is both good or bad), Comet Storm which was more expensive again and Chain Reaction which was previously the most comparable to Day of Judgment but could struggle against a few bigger creatures.
It's the same for stuff like Toxic Deluge - they're chaep to cast so in the times you need them then the do serious work. And while Act can be quite varied in cost, even 9 mana isn't that bad for a non competitive list.
November 13, 2019 10:57 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #4
Yep, compare it more to a Toxic Deluge than a Wrath of God, because it is very often 3 mana or less!
November 13, 2019 11:08 p.m.
I run it in several decks I can not think of one time where it cost me more than 1 red Mana to cast.
November 14, 2019 12:01 a.m.
xenosapien says... #6
There´s also a sick combo when combining Blasphemous Act with something like Spiteful Sliver or similar effects -> imagine you have 3-4 Slivers out that all 'reflect' 13 damage each (!) to a player of your choice.
If you plan ahead for a little more/get more slivers on the board, this can easily be a one-turn KO for several players in EDH.
Gidgetimer says... #2
There are many reasons why it is popular. The biggest of which is that it is a red sweeper that hits most everything in the format. Combine this with the fact that any time you would want to use it it is closer in mana cost to Pyroclasm than it is to the printed 9 CMC on it and you have a great board wipe. There are also the times when even though 13 damage is a lot, you can have one or more of your creatures survive. I use it in my Xenagos deck because I will routinely have things with toughness greater than 13. The last benefit is that cards like Repercussion exist. It is conceivable to pay to kill a table.
November 13, 2019 10:30 p.m.