Dismal Failure

Dismal Failure was released in 2007 as part of the Planar Chaos set for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. The set explored an alternate reality where the game's mechanics were inverted or shifted from their traditional color associations, which is why this card—a blue instant that counters a spell—also requires a sacrifice of a permanent, a cost typically associated with black. It serves as a narrative and mechanical experiment within the game's long-running lore regarding the destabilization of the multiverse.

The card was illustrated by Dan Murayama Scott, whose aesthetic for the piece captures the grim, volatile atmosphere of the Planar Chaos timeline. Scott focused on conveying the sense of inevitable collapse and the frustration of a countered action, utilizing the set's distinct visual language to emphasize the instability of magic. Upon its release, the card was noted by players for its unconventional cost-to-benefit ratio, becoming a representative example of the experimental design philosophy prevalent during that era of the game.