Force of Despair

Force of Despair was released in 2019 as part of the Modern Horizons set, a unique expansion designed specifically for the Modern format of Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast developed the set to introduce new, high-power cards directly into the format without requiring them to pass through a Standard-legal release, allowing for more complex mechanics and nostalgic callbacks. The card was conceptualized as a cycle of 'pitch spells' that could be cast for free by exiling a card of the same color, drawing direct design inspiration from the iconic Force of Will from the Alliances expansion.

The card's artwork was illustrated by Magali Villeneuve, a prolific and highly regarded artist in the Magic: The Gathering community. Villeneuve focused on capturing a sense of sudden, overwhelming entropy, depicting a spectral force consuming a battlefield. Upon its release, the card was well-received by competitive players for its utility as a powerful sideboard answer against decks that rely on flooding the board with multiple creatures or tokens, cementing its role as a strategic staple in black-based control and midrange decks.