Consumed by Greed

Strategy & Gameplay

Consumed by Greed is a versatile black instant from the BLB set that offers skilled players meaningful decision-making with its innovative gift mechanic. This removal spell targets an opponent's largest creature for sacrifice while providing potential card advantage through its conditional recursion clause. The core effect makes it an excellent utility piece in any black deck looking for creature removal that can answer threats regardless of toughness, since it specifically targets the creature with the greatest power rather than selecting by other criteria. Where this card truly shines is in its gift option, which allows you to promise an opponent a card draw in exchange for returning a creature from your graveyard to your hand. This creates a fascinating strategic layer where you're essentially trading your opponent's card draw for your own creature recursion, making it particularly effective in creature-heavy strategies and graveyard-focused archetypes like Golgari midrange, mono-black control, and Rakdos sacrifice decks. In Standard, this card finds homes in black-based control and midrange shells where the flexibility matters greatly. For Commander and Pioneer formats, it's a solid value piece that generates tempo while removing threats. The gift mechanic rewards intelligent play since you can evaluate whether your opponent benefits more from the card draw or you benefit more from the creature return. Legacy and Vintage players appreciate efficient black removal with upside, making this a consideration in various black control and combo shells. Whether you're building a competitive deck or casual strategy, Consumed by Greed offers the flexibility and card advantage potential that makes it worth including in your collection.