Cruel Ultimatum
Breaking News 40 • rare
- Set
- Breaking News
- Collector number
- 40
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- blue mana blue mana black mana black mana black mana red mana red mana
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colors
- Black · Red · Blue
- Artist
- Michal Ivan
- Market price
- $0.31
What it does
Target opponent sacrifices a creature of their choice, discards three cards, then loses 5 life. You return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, draw three cards, then gain 5 life.
Rage on the Omenport Express! Cramped Dragon Takes Matter into Own Claws
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlLegal
- HistoricLegal
- TimelessLegal
- 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.
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Where it came from
Cruel Ultimatum was originally printed in the 2008 Magic: The Gathering set Shards of Alara, designed by the game's development team to represent the apex of the Grixis shard's philosophy of selfishness and decay. The card quickly became a defining staple of control archetypes due to its powerful ability to swing the momentum of a game by simultaneously damaging an opponent and replenishing the caster's own resources.
The version from the Breaking News bonus sheet, released in 2024 with the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, features new artwork by Michal Ivan. Known for his atmospheric and gritty fantasy illustrations, Ivan reimagined the iconic spell with the thematic flair of a pulpy, noir-inspired tabloid headline. This stylistic departure from the original ethereal art was received well by players who appreciated the infusion of thematic variety into the reprint.
Generated by Pi, the collecto.rs collecting companion
Who's collecting this
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About Cruel Ultimatum
Cruel Ultimatum is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Breaking News 40 • 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 Ultimatum catalog entry come from?
The catalog entry for Cruel Ultimatum is sourced from Scryfall. Catalog-level facts stay consistent across every collector; your own data (condition, edition, acquisition notes) is yours.
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