Torment (a.k.a. the black set) is the second set, and first small expansion, in the Odyssey block. It is the 25th Magic expansion and was released on February 8, 2002.
Set details
Torment featured 143 black-bordered cards (55 commons, 44 uncommons and 44 rares). Its expansion symbol represents a nightmare, to evoke the set's dark themes and 'dementia summoning'. Torment was notable for its shift from the conventional distribution, and equal focus, on all the five colors of Magic to a particular thematic and mechanical emphasis on black. Consequently, from the set's development on, it was referred to as the "black set". To account for the over-representation of black, the total number of green and white cards was accordingly reduced; there are 40 black cards, 28 blue and red, 21 green and white, and there are 5 nonbasic lands. The following expansion, Judgment, would later correct the inequality of black, green, and white cards. In addition to there being more black cards, the general level of power of black cards was comparably more powerful than those of other-colored cards.
In addition to a higher-than-usual number of black cards, there are numerous cards in other colors that specifically refer to black or Swamps (e.g., Major Teroh, Stern Judge, Cephalid Snitch, Barbarian Outcast, Enslaved Dwarf, Krosan Constrictor, Nantuko Blightcutter, Cabal Coffers), are thematically related to black (e.g., Possessed Nomad, Possessed Aven, Possessed Barbarian, Possessed Centaur), or use black mana (e.g., Balshan Collaborator, Pardic Collaborator).
Torment was noted for featuring a four-card cycle of tainted lands, which could add black mana or mana of another color if their controllers controlled a Swamp and were the only lands in the expansion. The original basic land artists of Odyssey were commissioned to do darker versions of their original basic lands.
Marketing
The cards were sold in 15-card boosters which featured the new artwork from Sengir Vampire, in four preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. The Torment prerelease was held on January 25–25, 2002. At this event, a foil Воин Лакватуса (Laquatus's Champion printed in Cyrillic text) was handed out. The set was accompanied by the novel Chainer's Torment. For the first time, the name of the novel partly deviated from the name of the set. The set itself had the same name as an older card, but that card didn't appear in it.
Flavor and storyline
Chainer's Torment presents the tale of Chainer, a Cabal dementia summoner, discovering the Mirari and rising through the ranks of the Cabal, rivaling the Cabal Patriarch himself, and his subsequential fall. Meanwhile Kamahl befriends Chainer, with whom he trains as a pit fighter and fights as an ally within the pits, and Laquatus plots to gain control of the Mer Empire for himself.
Storyline sources
Critical reception and tournament impact
Torment's release marked a tremendous power boost to the color black. The "Swamp Rewards" cards along with Chainer's Edict and Nantuko Shade were incredibly potent in tournament play, spawning the Mono-Black Control archetype that could destroy its opponent's creatures, hand, and life total with large Cabal Coffers-fueled spells. Previously, control decks were almost synonymous with blue counter-based control decks.
Relative to other mechanics at the time, Torment's Madness mechanic proved to be overpowered, most notably on Circular Logic, Basking Rootwalla and Arrogant Wurm.
Misprints
- All non-premium English-language white cards in Torment have a reduced image resolution, making them look grainy and pixelated.
Themes and mechanics
Torment continued the keywords introduced in Odyssey, Flashback and Threshold, and also introduced Madness, which allowed players to play cards as they were being discarded, at a reduced cost.
Non-keyworded themes and mechanics included Nightmare Horrors (or, simply, Nightmares), each of which had a comes-into-play and leaves-play ability. These creatures could exile a permanent of a specific type from play until they left play. The abilities of most of these Nightmares (exceptions being Soul Scourge and Laquatus's Champion) could be manipulated in a way that the exiling of permanents was essentially until the end of the game, by triggering the leaves-play ability as the Nightmare entered play and manipulating the order of abilities on the stack.
Creature types
No novel creature types were introduced in this expansion.
The following creature types that are not new to Magic are used in this expansion:
The creature type Guardian was used in this expansion at the time of printing but was later changed to Elemental.
Cycles
Torment features eight five- or four-card cycles and three vertical cycles.
Vertical cycles
Mega cycles
Pairs
Torment has four Mirrored pairs.
Reprinted cards
There was one reprinted card in the set:
- Sengir Vampire, first printed in Alpha was last seen in 4th Edition.
Strictly better
- Krosan Restorer is strictly better than Ley Druid (Alpha) and Juniper Order Druid (Ice Age).
Preconstructed decks
Torment has four bicolored theme decks. As the set is black-heavy, fittingly, one of the colors of each of the four theme decks is black. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that two copies of each of the "tainted lands" cycle is included in each of the theme decks.