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Storm, and the end of Premodern
What this set is
Scourge closes the Onslaught block with a set of dragons and big creatures. It is also the last set before Eighth Edition, which makes it the last set in Premodern and the last set released before Modern's starting point.
Its lasting contribution is storm: when you cast a storm spell, copy it for each spell cast before it that turn. Twelve cards have it, including Mind's Desire, Tendrils of Agony and Brain Freeze, which went on to anchor combo decks in older formats. Landcycling and typecycling, which find a land or a creature type rather than drawing, also start here.
Commander players use Temple of the False God, Forgotten Ancient and Dragonspeaker Shaman, and two of its three legends are five-color: Sliver Overlord and Karona, False God.
Themes
Every mechanic in Scourge
Storm
When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn, by any player. The copies aren't cast, so they don't add to the count.
Landcycling and typecycling
Variants of cycling: pay the cost and discard the card to search your library for a land of a given type, or a card of a given creature type, instead of drawing.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Scourge is a single code, released two months before Modern's first set.
Not Standard-legal, and not Modern-legal as a set: Modern starts at Eighth Edition (July 2003). A card from here that was reprinted in a later Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in this printing too, because legality follows the card, not the printing. Vintage restricts Mind's Desire; nothing else is banned or restricted in Legacy, Vintage or Commander. Scourge is the last set in Premodern, which bans Mind's Desire and Tendrils of Agony. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Commanders
The most played commanders from Scourge
The legends this set is best known for. Tap one for its printings and what it costs.
Boosters, precons and singles from Scourge are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play Scourge cards?
In Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. Scourge is too old for Standard, Pioneer or Modern as a set, though any card that was later reprinted in a Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in every printing.
Did storm start in Scourge?
Yes. Scourge introduced storm on 12 cards, including Mind's Desire, Tendrils of Agony and Brain Freeze.
Is Scourge in Premodern?
Yes, it is the last set in Premodern, which covers Fourth Edition through Scourge.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Scourge released on May 26, 2003; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Scourge in Commander?
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