Featured in the "Devotion to Darkness" intro pack, Sip of Hemlock is a new black sorcery spell from Wizards of the Coast's expert expansion set "Theros." Sip of Hemlock may be slow, however this common "Magic: The Gathering" card's power in limited simply cannot be completely ignored.
Sip of Hemlock - 4BB
Sorcery (Common)
Destroy target creature. Its controller loses 2 life.
Conspirators poisoned the oracle not because her visions were wrong, but because they were right.
Sip of Hemlock is one of only two unconditional targeted removal spells in the set. Hero's Downfall is the other, and at rare isn't very likely to appear often in your limited pools. There's other answers in the format like Divine Verdict and Vanquish the Foul, however they're restrictive. It's important to note that Sip of Hemlock also deals two damage. While that may not be much, it could be just enough to win your game.
One of the most frustrating aspects about Sip of Hemlock is its high casting cost of six, especially when it's answered by a rival's God's Willing or Boon of Erebos. You'll want to watch your opponent's open mana in case they're playing either of these two sneaky spells. Still, it's one of the formats few answers to large monstrous threats your opponent may have opened like Arbor Colossus or Polis Crusher. There's only a few threats in limited Sip of Hemlock can't deal with: The five indestructible gods (Erebos, Thassa, Nylea, Purphoros, and Heliod), Prognostic Sphinx, and Reaper of the Wilds.
There's a plethora of better options to choose from in Standard constructed. Although it can't target black creatures, Doom Blade costs only two mana and is an instant. The aforementioned Hero's Downfall is black's MVP removal spell, however there's some multicolored cards such as Dreadbore, Abrupt Decay, Putrefy, and Far and Away that can make a fantastic addition to your deck if you're running the appropriate colors.
How will you use Sip of Hemlock?
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