Mortal Combat

Mortal Combat (Torment)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, if twenty or more creature cards are in your graveyard, you win the game.

The crowd roared, the fighters bled, and the dead piled high in the pits. Only the Cabal could win.

Flowstone Strike (Nemesis)
Mike Ploog

Target creature gets +1/-1 and gains haste until end of turn.

Aggression exacts its toll.

Barbarian Bully (Judgment)
Mike Ploog

Discard a card at random: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn unless a player has this creature deal 4 damage to them. Activate only once each turn.

"Out of my way!"

Territorial Dispute (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this enchantment unless you sacrifice a land. Players can't play lands.

Bit by bit, Mercadia City had forced the Cho-Arrim from their ancestral lands. They would be pushed no further.

Enslaved Horror (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

When this creature enters, each other player may return a creature card from their graveyard to the battlefield.

Blood Oath (World Championship Decks 2001)
Mike Ploog

Choose a card type. Target opponent reveals their hand. Blood Oath deals 3 damage to that player for each card of the chosen type revealed this way. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.)

Thrive (Prophecy)
Mike Ploog

Put a +1/+1 counter on each of X target creatures.

"We wait and watch, and as we prepare for war, we grow strong."

Honorable Scout (Planeshift)
Mike Ploog

When this creature enters, you gain 2 life for each black and/or red creature target opponent controls.

"I've faced your kind before. This time I'm ready for you."

Thunderscape Battlemage (Planeshift)
Mike Ploog

Kicker {1}{B} and/or {G} (You may pay an additional {1}{B} and/or {G} as you cast this spell.) When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {1}{B} kicker, target player discards two cards. When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {G} kicker, destroy target enchantment.

Dematerialize (Odyssey)
Mike Ploog

Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Flashback {5}{U}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Dwarven Grunt (The List)
Mike Ploog

Mountainwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Mountain.)

Hard as stone and twice as stubborn. —Dwarven compliment

Snuff Out (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

If you control a Swamp, you may pay 4 life rather than pay this spell's mana cost. Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.

Squee watched his Kyren cousins fall with a mixture of sympathy and relief.

Mogg Toady (Nemesis)
Mike Ploog

This creature can't attack unless you control more creatures than defending player. This creature can't block unless you control more creatures than attacking player.

Dwarven Strike Force (Odyssey)
Mike Ploog

Discard a card at random: This creature gains first strike and haste until end of turn.

Any given foothill may hide dozens of dwarves waiting to spill from their tunnels like fire ants.

Swamp (European Land Program)
Mike Ploog

({T}: Add {B}.)

Blood Oath (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

Choose a card type. Target opponent reveals their hand. Blood Oath deals 3 damage to that player for each card of the chosen type revealed this way. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.)

Stun (Invasion)
Mike Ploog

Target creature can't block this turn. Draw a card.

"They certainly are well protected. Too bad for them they're not well balanced." —Sisay

Forest (Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons)
Mike Ploog

({T}: Add {G}.)

Mortal Combat (Torment)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, if twenty or more creature cards are in your graveyard, you win the game.

The crowd roared, the fighters bled, and the dead piled high in the pits. Only the Cabal could win.

Bog Smugglers (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

Swampwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.)

They slide over the bog like oil across glass.

Intrepid Hero (Seventh Edition)
Mike Ploog

{T}: Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.

A fool knows no fear. A hero shows no fear.

Acceptable Losses (Odyssey)
Mike Ploog

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card at random. Acceptable Losses deals 5 damage to target creature.

Panic Attack (Ninth Edition)
Mike Ploog

Up to three target creatures can't block this turn.

Sometimes everyone decides to go for help at the same time.

Panic Attack (Prophecy)
Mike Ploog

Up to three target creatures can't block this turn.

Sometimes everyone decides to go for help at the same time.

Thunderscape Battlemage (World Championship Decks 2002)
Mike Ploog

Kicker {1}{B} and/or {G} (You may pay an additional {1}{B} and/or {G} as you cast this spell.) When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {1}{B} kicker, target player discards two cards. When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {G} kicker, destroy target enchantment.

Crackling Club (Torment)
Mike Ploog

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +1/+0. Sacrifice this Aura: It deals 1 damage to target creature.

It adds injury to injury.

Panic Attack (Eighth Edition)
Mike Ploog

Up to three target creatures can't block this turn.

Sometimes everyone decides to go for help at the same time.

Wallop (Invasion)
Mike Ploog

Destroy target blue or black creature with flying.

In Yavimaya, flying low to join a battle can be a costly mistake.

Intrepid Hero (World Championship Decks 2002)
Mike Ploog

{T}: Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.

A fool knows no fear. A hero shows no fear.

Cateran Enforcer (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.) {4}, {T}: Search your library for a Mercenary permanent card with mana value 4 or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Hell-Bent Raider (Torment)
Mike Ploog

First strike, haste Discard a card at random: This creature gains protection from white until end of turn.

He doesn't slow until his spear is weighted with corpses.

Lithophage (Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this creature unless you sacrifice a Mountain.

It's viciously territorial, destroying every creature on the mountain it has chosen to consume.

Statecraft (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by creatures you control.

"Inside these walls, peace; outside, sharks. You choose." —Saprazzan vizier

Plains (European Land Program)
Mike Ploog

({T}: Add {W}.)

Test of Endurance (Judgment)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 50 or more life, you win the game.

"If we have learned nothing else, we have learned to survive." —Mystic elder

Thunderscape Battlemage (Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition)
Mike Ploog

Kicker {1}{B} and/or {G} (You may pay an additional {1}{B} and/or {G} as you cast this spell.) When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {1}{B} kicker, target player discards two cards. When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {G} kicker, destroy target enchantment.

Rathi Intimidator (Nemesis)
Mike Ploog

Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.) {2}, {T}: Search your library for a Mercenary permanent card with mana value 2 or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Mist of Stagnation (Judgment)
Mike Ploog

Permanents don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player chooses a permanent for each card in their graveyard, then untaps those permanents.

Thunderscape Battlemage (World Championship Decks 2001)
Mike Ploog

Kicker {1}{B} and/or {G} (You may pay an additional {1}{B} and/or {G} as you cast this spell.) When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {1}{B} kicker, target player discards two cards. When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {G} kicker, destroy target enchantment.

Forest (European Land Program)
Mike Ploog

({T}: Add {G}.)

Lithophage (Mercadian Masques)
Mike Ploog

At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this creature unless you sacrifice a Mountain.

It's viciously territorial, destroying every creature on the mountain it has chosen to consume.

Dwarven Grunt (Odyssey)
Mike Ploog

Mountainwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Mountain.)

Hard as stone and twice as stubborn. —Dwarven compliment

Shield Dancer (Prophecy)
Mike Ploog

{2}{W}: The next time target attacking creature would deal combat damage to this creature this turn, that creature deals that damage to itself instead.

The harder your strike, the stronger her defense.

Flowstone Thopter (Nemesis)
Mike Ploog

{1}: This creature gets +1/-1 and gains flying until end of turn.

Airborne flowstone isn't less dangerous, only less common.