Archfiend of Spite
Creature — DemonPower and toughness6/6
Card text
Flying
Whenever a source an opponent controls deals damage to this creature, that source's controller loses that much life unless they sacrifice that many permanents of their choice.
Madness (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
Showing Commander 2019#14
Price
0.90 $
8 printings
Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.
Archfiend of Spite rulings
If you discard a card with madness while a spell or ability is resolving, it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability, noting that the card you discarded is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness triggered ability will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.
A spell cast for its madness cost is put onto the stack like any other spell. It can be countered, copied, and so on. As it resolves, it's put onto the battlefield if it's a permanent card or into its owner's graveyard if it's an instant or sorcery card.
Casting a spell with madness ignores the timing rules based on the card's card type. For example, you can cast a sorcery with madness if you discard it during an opponent's turn.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a madness cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined by only its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast that spell was.
If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it's put into your graveyard. Madness doesn't give you another chance to cast it later.
If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability, that card's madness triggered ability (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.
Cards are discarded in a Magic game only from a player's hand. Effects that put cards into a player's graveyard from anywhere else do not cause those cards to be discarded.
Madness works independently of why you're discarding the card. You could discard it to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or because you have too many cards in your hand during your cleanup step. You can't discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.
A card with madness that's discarded counts as having been discarded even though it's put into exile rather than a graveyard. If it was discarded to pay a cost, that cost is still paid. Abilities that trigger when a card is discarded will still trigger.
The source's controller must either sacrifice permanents or lose life. They can't choose to sacrifice some permanents and lose some life.
If the player doesn't control enough permanents that they can sacrifice, they must lose life.
The player may always choose not to sacrifice permanents, even if they will end up losing more life than they have or if an effect (such as that of Platinum Emperion) says that they can't lose life.
The player who loses life or permanents is the player who controls the source as Archfiend of Spite's triggered ability resolves. In some rare cases, this may not be the same player who controlled the source as it dealt damage. If the source is no longer in the zone it was in as it dealt damage, the source's last known information is used to determine who controlled it.
Archfiend of Spite's triggered ability will trigger even if it is dealt lethal damage. For example, if Archfiend of Spite blocks a 7/7 creature, its ability will trigger when combat damage is dealt and the attacking player will sacrifice seven permanents or lose 7 life.
Archfiend of Spite keyword rules
Flying Rule 702.9
Flying is an evasion ability.
A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule , “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule , “Reach.”)
Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.
Madness Rule 702.35
Madness is a keyword that represents two abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with madness is in a player’s hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions when the first ability is applied. “Madness [cost]” means “If a player would discard this card, that player discards it, but exiles it instead of putting it into their graveyard” and “When this card is exiled this way, its owner may cast it by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If that player doesn’t, they put this card into their graveyard.”
Casting a spell using its madness ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules and –h.
After resolving a madness triggered ability, if the exiled card wasn’t cast and was moved to a public zone, effects referencing the discarded card can find that card. See rule .
Archfiend of Spite format legality
Constructed
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- Future StandardNot legal
Eternal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- PauperNot legal
- PremodernNot legal
- Old SchoolNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
Commander
- CommanderLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- Pauper CommanderNot legal
- Duel CommanderLegal
- PreDHNot legal
Arena & online
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- AlchemyNot legal
- GladiatorNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- Standard BrawlNot legal
- Competitive BrawlNot legal
Other
- TLRNot legal
All printings of Archfiend of Spite 8
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