Cruel Bargain
Portal 86 • rare
- Set
- Portal
- Collector number
- 86
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- black mana black mana black mana
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colors
- Black
- Artist
- Adrian Smith
- Market price
- $6.06
What it does
Draw four cards. You lose half your life, rounded up.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Cruel Bargain was released in 1997 as part of the Portal set, an introductory Magic: The Gathering product designed to simplify the game's mechanics for new players. The card reflects the set's unique goal of streamlining gameplay by removing complex timing windows and specialized card types, focusing instead on a straightforward, high-impact sorcery that allows players to draw cards at the cost of life.
The artwork was provided by Adrian Smith, a prolific illustrator known for his dark and visceral contributions to the fantasy genre. Smith’s depiction of a desperate, shadowy transaction leans into the grim aesthetic typical of the game's black-aligned cards. Upon its release, the card was received as a potent tool for card advantage, though its simplified mechanics were eventually superseded by the return to standard complexity in later sets.
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Who's collecting this
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About Cruel Bargain
Cruel Bargain is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Portal 86 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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Where does the Cruel Bargain catalog entry come from?
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