Dismal Failure
Planar Chaos 39 • uncommon
- Set
- Planar Chaos
- Collector number
- 39
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- 2 generic mana blue mana blue mana
- Type
- Instant
- Colors
- Blue
- Artist
- Dan Murayama Scott
- Market price
- $0.14
What it does
Counter target spell. Its controller discards a card.
"Two magi could trade spells all day and never crown a victor. The real battle is not one of power but of will. If your confidence breaks, so too shall you."— Venser
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- 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
Dismal Failure was released in 2007 as part of the Planar Chaos expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. The set was designed to explore an alternate reality where the color pie—the philosophical and mechanical foundations of the game—had shifted, resulting in unusual color identities for familiar effects. This card functions as a counterspell with a secondary discard penalty, a mechanic traditionally associated with blue but presented here through the lens of a set experimenting with temporal displacement.
The card’s illustration was created by artist Christopher Rush, a legendary figure in the early development of Magic: The Gathering. Rush’s design for the piece emphasizes the chaotic and taxing nature of the spell, utilizing a stark aesthetic that aligns with the grim tone of the Planar Chaos set. Upon release, the card was received as a niche utility option, valued by players for its ability to provide card advantage while managing an opponent's threats in limited formats.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Dismal Failure
Dismal Failure is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Planar Chaos 39 • uncommon. 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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