Trial of Agony
Sorcery
Choose two target creatures controlled by the same opponent. That player chooses one of those creatures. Trial of Agony deals 5 damage to that creature, and the other can't block this turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #14658
Trial of Agony makes an opponent discard two cards the moment it enters — that's a two-card swing on top of a permanent enchantment that keeps threatening more. Three mana for that effect is fair, and the bounce-back clause with Cartouches is mostly a flavor footnote at the tables where this sees play.
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, Trial of Agony competes in a crowded field of three-mana discard effects, and the math works against it — targeted discard loses force in a four-player game where you're stripping one card from one opponent while the other two remain untouched. The Cartouche recursion angle is real but narrow, requiring a dedicated Amonkhet-synergy build to matter. In 1v1 formats like Modern, Pioneer, or Legacy, the immediate two-card discard is genuinely strong on curve, but those formats have better options at the same mana cost. Trial of Agony finds its clearest home in dedicated enchantress or Trials-matter builds where the re-enter-from-graveyard loop generates repeated value.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Trial of Agony is bulk — pick it up without hesitation if the build calls for it. Niche enchantment synergy pieces at this price floor don't appreciate meaningfully, so treat it as a throw-in rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.