Tendrils of Despair
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Target opponent discards two cards.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Weatherlight
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #25930
Tendrils of Despair makes an opponent sacrifice a creature and discard a card for two mana — that's two-for-one pressure stapled to a single black spell. The catch is the sacrifice rider on your end, which means it only earns its slot in decks that treat their own creatures as a resource.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Tendrils of Despair is niche but real — sacrifice-matters commanders like Braids, Arisen Nightmare and Sheoldred, Whispering One can weaponize the self-sacrifice clause rather than suffer it. Pauper is where it sees the most competitive daylight, slotting into discard-and-attrition shells that grind opponents out of resources at common rarity. Legacy and Vintage allow it but offer far more efficient disruption, so Tendrils of Despair never escapes the bulk bin in those formats. It's locked out of Modern, Pioneer, and Standard entirely.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Tendrils of Despair is deep bulk — pick it up without a second thought if it fits the deck. Demand is narrow enough that the price isn't going anywhere meaningful.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.