Wheel of Torture MTG Card


Wheel of Torture provides card advantage by forcing opponents to manage hand sizes carefully. It disrupts opponents’ strategic planning, enhancing your path to victory through reduced enemy options. The card’s continuous effect can amplify your instant-speed plays, pressuring opponents each upkeep.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Text of card

During each of your opponents' upkeeps, Wheel of Torture deals 1 damage to that player for each card fewer than three in his or her hand.

"I'd like to buy a bowel."


Cards like Wheel of Torture

Wheel of Torture stands out in the realm of punishing artifacts within Magic: The Gathering. It presents a relentless pressure on players who prefer larger hands, gradually whittling away at their life total as their hand size increases. A card with similarities is The Rack, which applies a more traditional forced discard aspect, but it also chips away at an opponent’s life, albeit under a condition of them having fewer cards in hand rather than more.

Another analogous card is Black Vise, which presents the reversed scenario of The Rack, putting a toll on opponents during their upkeep for having an excessive number of cards in hand. While both The Rack and Black Vise have seen play in various MTG formats, Wheel of Torture’s cost is slightly higher, yet it also can inflict consistent damage regardless of the opponent’s hand size if it is not managed properly.

In essence, Wheel of Torture provides a unique balance between proactive and passive strategies, rewarding players for maintaining pressure on opponents’ resources. Despite its higher casting cost, its ability to disrupt gameplay and impact the board makes it a noteworthy card in MTG’s extensive library of punishing effects.

The Rack - MTG Card versions
Black Vise - MTG Card versions
The Rack - MTG Card versions
Black Vise - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Wheel of Torture by color, type and mana cost

Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
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The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Sword of Vengeance - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Jalum Tome - MTG Card versions
Patchwork Gnomes - MTG Card versions
The Stasis Coffin - MTG Card versions
Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
Lightning Coils - MTG Card versions
Loxodon Warhammer - MTG Card versions
Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions
Training Drone - MTG Card versions
Pristine Talisman - MTG Card versions
Alloy Myr - MTG Card versions
Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Shackles - MTG Card versions
Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Sword of Vengeance - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wheel of Torture enhances your card advantage by potentially dealing damage to opponents based on the number of cards in their hand. This can force opponents to either play or discard cards, thus indirectly benefiting your strategic positioning.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly affecting resources, Wheel of Torture can disrupt your opponent’s resource planning. By pressuring them to keep their hand size small, you can accelerate toward your win conditions as they deal with reduced options.

Instant Speed: While this card itself does not operate at instant speed, its continuous effect can complement your instant-speed reactions. As opponents contemplate the risk of holding cards versus the threat of instant-speed interaction, Wheel of Torture applies continuous pressure, benefiting your board state during each upkeep.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Wheel of Torture demands a continuous discard from players, which might prove unfavorable for someone holding essential cards they aim to use in the strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates a very particular mana setup to be used effectively. Its black mana requirement restricts it from being easily incorporated into decks that don’t run on black mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card comes with a relatively steep mana investment upfront. For decks focusing on efficiency and speed, there are alternatives that may offer more immediate or versatile effects for a similar or lower mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Wheel of Torture offers strategic flexibility to decks that thrive on consistent pressure and attrition tactics. Able to fit snugly into a variety of builds, it serves as a reliable source of incremental damage over time, whittling down opponents’ life totals while disrupting their hand.

Combo Potential: This artifact harmonizes with strategies that capitalize on an opponent’s shrinking hand size. Pairing it with cards that force discards or punish depleted hands can escalate the threat it poses, turning it into a linchpin of potent control or discard-centric combos.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where slower, control-based decks predominate, Wheel of Torture gains value as a methodical damage dealer. It’s particularly effective against decks that aim for a longer game plan, ensuring a steady clock and keeping their hand sizes within the bounds where every point of damage counts.


How to beat

The Wheel of Torture presents a unique challenge on the battlefield within the world of Magic: The Gathering. This artifact creates pressure on opponents by inflicting damage during their upkeep if their hand size is small. To navigate around this persistent threat, players should aim to maintain a healthy hand size. Cards such as Brainstorm, which allow players to draw three cards, can be invaluable in this situation. Additionally, utilizing instant-speed card draw at the end of an opponent’s turn, such as with Opt or Think Twice, can ensure a full grip of cards, mitigating the damage from Wheel of Torture.

Strategically, it’s also beneficial to incorporate cards that can remove artifacts directly from the game, like Disenchant or Naturalize. These spell cards can dismantle Wheel of Torture without expending too much mana, allowing players to continue developing their board without the looming threat of incremental damage. In games where the meta is heavy with artifacts, employing a sideboard with artifact hate such as Stony Silence can prove to be a game-changer. When faced with this menacing artifact, keeping up card advantage and having the right removal spells are key factors in turning the tide of battle in your favor.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wheel of Torture MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Legacy and The List, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Wheel of Torture and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wheel of Torture Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-02-15 and 1999-02-15. Illustrated by Henry Van Der Linde.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-02-15Urza's LegacyULG 1381997NormalBlackHenry Van Der Linde
22020-09-26The ListPLST ULG-1381997NormalBlackHenry Van Der Linde

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wheel of Torture has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wheel of Torture card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2004-10-04 The number of cards is counted during resolution.