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Gnashing of Teeth

uncommon Sorcery

Choose one —

• Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn. If that creature would die this turn, it instead.

• Creatures target player controls get -1/-1 until end of turn.

C+ Grade from the win rate

Win rate when drawn 56.3% +0.1 vs average 19,973 games

Win rates and picks

56.4% 46,634 games
Average pick ()
3.2

By deck

  • Goblin Army 57.3% 9,860 games
  • Ferocious Wolves 54.7% 7,028 games
  • Removal Control 56.7% 1,521 games

Win rates from , 323,114 games. This card is compared with the set average (56.2%).

Reviews

Three mana to give -5/-5 is a very good rate for a spell. Tack on the ability to clean up a bunch of small creatures and Gnashing of Teeth looks very solid overall.

Gnashing of Teeth

Gnashing of Teeth is exceptionally flexible for three mana . It kills most Creatures if you choose the first mode. During combat, you can extend that from "most" to "almost all." The second mode isn't likely to be great in Limited, but when it does come up it will be back-breaking. This loses the "kill anything" of Bilbo's Deadly Slices and trades it for more flexibility.

How to draft it

Roles in each deck

  • Goblin Army Removal

    Both modes of the 3-mana are . The first gives one creature -5/-5 until end of turn and exiles it if it would die. The second gives every creature one player controls -1/-1 until end of turn, which wipes out 1/1 and other 1-toughness creatures without touching your side.

    How to play it

    Aim the -5/-5 at their best creature, and keep the -1/-1 for a board of 1/1s such as 's Soldier . It needs , like Bilbo's Deadly Slice.

    Learn the Goblin Army deck

  • Ferocious Wolves Removal

    Drafters take it around pick 3, yet no deck that plays it wins less with it than this one, and we don't know why. Play it as , but don't spend an early pick on it for this deck.

    How to play it

    Spend the -5/-5 mode on something big or on a creature that would come back from the , because it exiles. The -1/-1 mode clears out and 1-toughness creatures.

    Learn the Ferocious Wolves deck

  • Removal Control Removal

    Its two modes cover different boards. The -5/-5 mode kills almost any single creature, and the -1/-1 mode aimed at the opponent wipes out every X/1 they control, such as Soldiers, a 1/1 and Long Lake Nuisance. By the time a slow deck reaches turn 6, most opponents have spread out small , so the second mode gets used a lot.

    How to play it

    As a it waits for your main phase, so cast it before combat to clear the blockers. With two or more X/1s across from you, the -1/-1 mode beats spending it on one creature. Keep the -5/-5 mode for a creature that would come back, such as Gollum the Abandoned, or one with a trigger, such as Rhovanion Rampager.

    Learn the Removal Control deck