Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Lore hints for future MTG sets
There’s something deliciously ominous about a black spell that turns the table on the battlefield’s usual tempo. Taste of Death, a rare sorcery from Commander 2021, costs 4 generic and 2 black mana and explodes onto the scene with a double-edged payoff: a brutal deck-wide sacrifice and a sweet reward in the form of three Food tokens. It’s not just a removal spell in disguise; it’s a glimpse into a darker side of the multiverse where feasting and fate intersect. The flavor of the card—the Barrow witch incantation and the merciless line about trimming the feast to suit the knife—suggests that future sets may lean into necromantic feasts, barrow-witch lore, and long shadows that stretch across blocks. 🧙♂️🔥
What the card asks of us: sacrifice, sustenance, and story threads
The immediate gameplay motif—each player sacrifices three creatures of their choice—drives a moment of equalizing menace. In multiplayer formats, that tends to reset board states and push players into a position of cautious collaboration and opportunistic strikes. The payoff, three Food tokens, is a clever nod to a recurring artifact token type that feeds lifegain strategies and late-game resilience. It’s a design pattern that invites future sets to weave black’s mortality into a broader economy: sacrifice for sustenance, risk for reward, and the quiet calculus of “who can sustain the feast?” ⚔️
The Food tokens themselves are not mere flavor. They’re artifacts with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life." That means every Taste of Death resolves into a two-step dance: pressure the board, then lean on the token economy for survivability. The presence of such tokens in Commander 2021’s lineup signals that future card design could foreground theme-keeping artifacts that interact with sacrifice dynamics—perhaps expanding Food into a broader subtheme with nested synergies and new ways to cash out life as both shield and resource. 💎
Flavor, art, and the Barrow witch incantation
The flavor text—“Hone the knife and mourn the least. Three chimes to sound the sweet, grim feast.”—is a compact piece of world-building. It references ritual preparation, measured ritual timings, and a culture where death is not the end but a form of ceremony. Chris Rallis’ artwork —a bleak, atmospheric tableau — reinforces the sense that we’re peering into a world where feasting and fear walk hand in hand. The Barrow witches emerge as a recurring motif worth tracking; they’re not merely antagonists of the moment but potential seed-beings for future storytelling. Expect future sets to explore their rites, their taboos, and perhaps a larger necromantic guild that operates across regions in the Multiverse. 🎨🧙♂️
In the broader arc of MTG lore, such Barrow-centric imagery often foreshadows the return of旧-appointed necromancers, crypts, and councils that barter life for power. If future sets lean into this lore, we might see new legends and planeswalkers who have apprenticed under the same coven, or a council that believes in “feeding” the living with danger to ensure the dead’s safety—or vice versa. The line between menace and mercy is a compelling storytelling tool, and Taste of Death hands us a sliver of that line to watch as new chapters unfold. 🔮
From lore hints to gameplay implications: building around the motif
Strategically, Taste of Death nudges players toward a black-centric sacrifice corridor, but it also invites clever interplays with other colors. The three-sacrifice clause might prompt inclusion of sacrifice outlets, blink effects, and mass-removal frameworks that can tilt a table’s balance while opening doors for Food token synergies. In commander circles, you’ll see this card slotting well into decks that leverage graveyard interactions, artifact synergies, and lifegain engines. You can pair it with cards that tax opponents’ resources, while your own life total remains protected through the sustenance provided by Food tokens. It’s a delicate dance, and that’s where the thrill lies. ⚔️
- Sac outlets such as Viscera Seer, Ashnod’s Altar, or token-specific producers emphasize the deck’s tempo and resilience.
- Food token support cards—anything that benefits from life gain or token generation—enhance value beyond the initial spell.
- Protection and disruption around opponents’ boards help you weather the three-creature sacrifice clause.
- Flavor-driven side themes—necromancy, barrow-lore, and ritual cycles—provide rich storytelling hooks for your table and for future set discussions.
As we watch new sets unfold, Taste of Death serves as a compact blueprint for how a single card can seed both gameplay and lore threads that escalate over time. The rarity is rare enough to spark curiosity, yet budget-friendly enough to see casual play and experimental builds flourish (Scryfall lists it around a modest USD price). It’s the kind of card that invites players to imagine: what if the Barrow witches are building toward a grand, world-spanning rite that requires feasts, sacrifices, and a chorus of Life, the next time shadows gather? 🧙♂️💎
Cross-promotional spark: connecting the set, the fandom, and a practical gear upgrade
This card’s design and flavor naturally bridge MTG’s lore with the real-world hobby of collecting and playing. The “Food” mechanic echoes the idea of sustenance—an edible metaphor for the life force that fuels a deck’s engine. For fans who want to celebrate their love of the game off-table, a stylish card holder and MagSafe accessory can be a perfect companion. The product link below isn’t just a promo—it’s a nod to the way we carry our love for the game from table to everyday life, making it easier to transport precious cards and stories wherever we roam. 🧙♂️🔥
“Three chimes to sound the sweet, grim feast.” A reminder that in MTG, ritual and strategy rhyme—and the next set may echo that rhyme even louder.
If you’re curious to explore more about how these lore threads might bloom in future releases, keep an eye on the evolving storylines around necromantic traditions, ritual cycles, and the enigmatic Barrow-witch archetypes. The art, the flavor, and the mechanical curiosity all point toward a future where sacral feasting and strategic sacrifice continue to shape our favorite corner of the Multiverse. 🎲