Scathing Shadelock // Venomous Words
Creature — Snake Warlock // Sorcery
At the beginning of your first main phase, this creature becomes prepared. (While it's prepared, you may cast a copy of its spell. Doing so unprepares it.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #21417
Scathing Shadelock // Venomous Words gives you a two-mana 2/1 lifelinker that permanently blanks one of your opponents' creatures — no counter, no exile clause, just a static ability that shuts off activated abilities until Shadelock leaves. The back face staples instant-speed damage equal to an opponent's hand size onto a Swamp, making the card pull double duty without ever asking you to choose at deck construction time.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Scathing Shadelock // Venomous Words earns its slot in any black deck that cares about shutting down mana dorks, Equipment activations, or any ability-heavy threat — and the Adventure face scales into late game when hands are full, dealing meaningful damage off a land drop. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, the front face is too fragile at 2/1 and the Adventure too situational to displace dedicated removal, but the card is at least legally available if a niche brew wants it. Standard is where Venomous Words has the most room to breathe as a budget option in hand-size-matters lists. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in either face.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Scathing Shadelock // Venomous Words is deep bulk — the kind of price that makes it a zero-regret four-of pickup. Don't expect that to move; modal double-faced cards at this power level rarely spike unless a specific mechanic gets a competitive spotlight.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.