Befoul

Befoul was released in 1998 as part of the Urza's Saga expansion for Magic: The Gathering. As a set, Urza's Saga was defined by the introduction of the enchantment type and mechanics that pushed the power level of the game into a high-variance, fast-paced era. This card served as a functional utility piece in black, designed to provide players with a versatile answer to both creatures and lands, reflecting the set's thematic emphasis on the destructive power of artifacts and the corruption spreading across the plane of Dominaria.

The card's illustration was created by artist Christopher Rush, one of the most iconic figures in the early history of the game. Rush utilized his signature dramatic style to depict the visceral nature of a curse, grounding the spell's mechanical effect—the destruction of a creature or land—in a dark, necrotic aesthetic. Upon release, the card was received as a solid, if situational, piece of removal, valued primarily by players for its flexibility in limited formats where the ability to destroy a land could act as a crucial disruptor.