Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Devourer of Destiny in Multiplayer: A Bold EDH Piano Player
When you drop a colorless Eldrazi brute with a 7-mana billowing presence into a Commander table, you’re inviting drama, politics, and a few whispered threats about next turns. Devourer of Destiny is not just a big creature with a 6/6 body for a hefty price tag; it’s a strategic lever you can pull in a crowded game of EDH. In multiplayer formats, where boards swing between subtle control wars and all-out creature battles, this rare from Modern Horizons 3 brings two distinct angles to the table: top-deck manipulation and targeted exile. 🧙♂️🔥💎
Let’s start with the numbers that matter at the table: {5}{C}{C} for a 6/6 Eldrazi is a tall ask, even in multiplayer where ramp and board presence can stretch to the moon. The reveal-or-not opening hand option is a classic “rock, paper, scissors” moment in EDH. If you reveal, at the first upkeep you look at the top four cards of your library and may put one back on top, while exiling the other three. In practice, that means you’re choosing your destiny for the next few draws and clearing a chunk of your top-deck luck from the game. It’s a commitment: you’re signaling a plan, and that plan can tilt the political balance around the table. The payoff is subtle but powerful—you shape turn one through four with surgical precision. And in a four-, five-, or six-player match, that foreknowledge can be worth a few extra turns of incremental advantage. 🎲🎨
Two core multiplayer angles you’ll feel with this card
- Top-of-library control: By selectively exposing and ordering your top cards, you set up a future draw that can align with your deck’s engine. If your build plays nicely with draw steps or proactive tutoring, Devourer of Destiny becomes a quiet engine driver rather than a one-and-done haymaker. In large tables, where everyone is chasing different threats, that kind of deck-shaping is often more valuable than a surprise slam on turn seven. This is especially true in group games where the pace shifts from “maximal tempo” to “slow-burn disruption.” 🧙♂️
- Exiling a colored threat on cast: The card’s etching effect—“When you cast this spell, exile target permanent that’s one or more colors”—gives you a direct tool against the most dangerous multis colored permanents your opponents have assembled. In EDH, colored permanents often span commander threats, mana dorks, or critical combo pieces. Removing one of those from the battlefield can reset a table’s tempo and force responses, especially when you’re playing a longer game with a stable mana base. In multiplayer, that targeted exile becomes both a shield and a political lever: you’re helping the table prevent a single player from running away with the game while you still respect the other players’ agency. ⚔️
In a typical EDH match, the decision to reveal or not is a microcosm of multiplayer diplomacy. If you’re in a table that values transparency or you’re trying to “set up” a long-term strategy, revealing can be a reputational move—your peers might align with you for a few turns as you navigate the early game. If you prefer the stealth approach, you can keep this big reveal tucked away and let your board states do the talking—Devourer of Destiny still hits like a polite freight train when it finally lands. The choice shapes not just your draws but how others perceive your plan, which is a big part of multiplayer magic. 🧙♂️🔮
“In multiplayer, the art of restraint is the real power move. Devourer of Destiny makes a statement, then lets the table decide who’s steering the ship next.” — a veteran EDH strategist
Deckbuilding notes for EDH multiplayer
When you’re building around this card in EDH, consider these practical touches to maximize its multiplayer impact:
- Mana base and ramp: With a high CMC, you’ll want reliable ramp so you can deploy Devourer of Destiny in reasonable time. Think rock-solid acceleration that doesn’t overcommit to a single color—think sol ring variants, mana rocks, and stable colorless options that fit your table’s mana ecosystem.
- Top-deck synergy: Include cards that reward top-deck manipulation or that benefit from a predictable top card. Think library manipulation staples or effects that reward you for seeing the top card or for setting up your draws in advance. This synergizes with the opening-hand reveal mechanic and the upkeep look at four cards, making the early turns smoother even before the big body hits the battlefield. 🧩
- Removal and protection: Since your exile ability targets a colored permanent, you’re often wrestling with the brightest threats around the table. Balance your own protection with answers to other players’ heavy plays, so you don’t become the primary target the moment you top-deck your way into play. A healthy suite of spot removal, enchantment/artifact answers, and graveyard hate can shore up the deck’s resilience. ⚔️
- Political posture: In multiplayer, who you exile can shape alliances as much as the act itself. If you’re positioned as a moderator of sorts, your exile move can calm a frenzy or redirect a game’s momentum. Communicate clearly what you’re aiming to remove, and be prepared for the social fallout—this is the multiplayer arena after all. 🧙♂️
- Colorless identity strength: The card’s colorless identity is a flexible draw for many EDH shells. It slots into nearly any commander strategy that can support a late-game standoff where a 6/6 figure can still swing through a crowded board. That versatility makes it a compelling addition to a wide range of color identities. 💎
Flavor, art, and market vibes
The art by Raph Lomotan leans into the iconic Eldrazi menace—an imposing entity from the Blind Eternities, rendered with the bold contrast and luminance Modern Horizons 3 is known for. The full-art presentation adds a tactile sense of scale that translates well to tabletop storytelling, a reminder that you’re not just playing a card; you’re narrating a moment in the Multiverse. For collectors and players alike, a rare that regularly appears in EDH discussions carries a bit of extra weight at the table and on the value charts. The online price tag—hovering around the single-digit-dollar mark in most markets—doesn’t quite capture the floor it builds for multiplayer playability, especially if you’re chasing a few memorable political moments at the table. 💎🧙♂️
And if you’re balancing one eye on play and one eye on the shelf, Modern Horizons 3’s slot is a nice reminder that Wizards of the Coast continues to weave powerful, scalable designs into the EDH ecosystem. The card’s rare rarity signals a bite-size but meaningful impact, one that can influence tempo across turns in the most social of formats. The ongoing conversation about EDH staples often circles back to how a single card can alter the social contract around a table—and this one certainly has a voice worth listening to. 🎲
In the wild: formats beyond EDH
While Commander is the star here, Devourer of Destiny also plays nicely in other multiplayer formats where you can reliably cast big spells and influence the board state. In formats like Brawl or casual multi-player games, its ability to exile a colored permanent can act as a reset button against multi-colored strategies, and its top-deck manipulation shines in any environment that rewards foresight. In short: this is a card that doesn’t just crash the party; it rearranges the seating chart. 🔥
If you’re toying with deck ideas for your next big multiplayer session, consider pairing Devourer of Destiny with a few top-deck conditioners and a suite of removal that keeps the game honest. The result can be a memorable, dynamic game that showcases both the strategic depth and the playful chaos that make EDH such a beloved cornerstone of MTG’s multiplayer playground. 🧙♂️🎨
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