Biting Aftermath

Grievous Wound is a compact black rare that punishes overcommitment and preserves tempo. At {1}{B} you get a removal edge that scales with combat damage; target creature gets minus one minus one until end of turn and if it would die this turn exile it instead and its controller loses two life. This pairing of shrink and sting is useful in midrange lists that want a cheap interaction which also pressure opponent life totals for incremental advantage.

In the Duskmourn House of Horror frame the card reads like a small ritual from a gutter cult that lingers after the blade is sheathed. Use it in decks that trade early creatures and then convert those trades into reach for the late game. Players familiar with trading efficiently will find the card slots smoothly into black aggro and control shells where a one mana answer that also chips away life can decide close matches.

Card Details:

• Mana Cost – {1}{B}
• Card Type – Instant
• Subtypes – —
• Card Text / Rules Text (Printed) – Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead. Its controller loses 2 life.
• Power / Toughness – N A