Torment

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., <c>Major Teroh</c>, <c>Stern Judge</c>, <c>Cephalid Snitch</c>, <c>Barbarian Outcast</c>, <c>Enslaved Dwarf</c>, <c>Krosan Constrictor</c>, <c>Nantuko Blightcutter</c>, <c>Cabal Coffers</c>), are thematically related to black (e.g., <c>Possessed Nomad</c>, <c>Possessed Aven</c>, <c>Possessed Barbarian</c>, <c>Possessed Centaur</c>), or use black mana (e.g., <c>Balshan Collaborator</c>, <c>Pardic Collaborator</c>).
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 <c>Sengir Vampire</c>, in four preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. The Torment prerelease was held on January 25–25, 2002. At this event, a foil <c title="Воин Лакватуса">Laquatus's Champion</c> (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 <c title="older card">Torment</c>, 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.Scott McGough. (2002.) Odyssey Cycle, Book II: Chainer's Torment, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0786926961. 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====
Title 	Author 	Publishing date	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Chainer's Torment	Scott McGough	January 2002 	Dominaria 	Chainer, Virot Maglan, Laquatus, Kirtar, Kamahl, Seton, Skellum, Fulla, Aboshan, Llawan, Burke
==Critical reception and tournament impact==
Torment's release marked a tremendous power boost to the color black. The "Swamp Rewards" cards along with <c>Chainer's Edict</c> and <c>Nantuko Shade</c> 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 <c>Cabal Coffers</c>-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 <c>Circular Logic</c>, <c>Basking Rootwalla</c> and <c>Arrogant Wurm</c>.
===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 <c>Soul Scourge</c> and <c>Laquatus's Champion</c>) 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.
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
"Possessed" creatures 	 	 	 	 	
"Possessed" creatures 	Four creatures, each costing M, an in-color ability, and threshold. When their controllers have threshold, the creatures become black, get +1/+1, and gain the ability to destroy creatures of their former color. The "possessed" creatures are tenuously linked with, or similar to, Odyssey <c>Repentant Vampire</c>, which, when its controller has threshold, becomes white and destroy creatures of its former color, black.	Four creatures, each costing M, an in-color ability, and threshold. When their controllers have threshold, the creatures become black, get +1/+1, and gain the ability to destroy creatures of their former color. The "possessed" creatures are tenuously linked with, or similar to, Odyssey <c>Repentant Vampire</c>, which, when its controller has threshold, becomes white and destroy creatures of its former color, black.	Four creatures, each costing M, an in-color ability, and threshold. When their controllers have threshold, the creatures become black, get +1/+1, and gain the ability to destroy creatures of their former color. The "possessed" creatures are tenuously linked with, or similar to, Odyssey <c>Repentant Vampire</c>, which, when its controller has threshold, becomes white and destroy creatures of its former color, black.	Four creatures, each costing M, an in-color ability, and threshold. When their controllers have threshold, the creatures become black, get +1/+1, and gain the ability to destroy creatures of their former color. The "possessed" creatures are tenuously linked with, or similar to, Odyssey <c>Repentant Vampire</c>, which, when its controller has threshold, becomes white and destroy creatures of its former color, black.	Four creatures, each costing M, an in-color ability, and threshold. When their controllers have threshold, the creatures become black, get +1/+1, and gain the ability to destroy creatures of their former color. The "possessed" creatures are tenuously linked with, or similar to, Odyssey <c>Repentant Vampire</c>, which, when its controller has threshold, becomes white and destroy creatures of its former color, black.
Tainted lands 	 	 	 	 	
Tainted lands 	Four uncommon nonbasic lands that may tap for or, if their controllers controls a Swamp, for or one mana of another color. 	Four uncommon nonbasic lands that may tap for or, if their controllers controls a Swamp, for or one mana of another color. 	Four uncommon nonbasic lands that may tap for or, if their controllers controls a Swamp, for or one mana of another color. 	Four uncommon nonbasic lands that may tap for or, if their controllers controls a Swamp, for or one mana of another color. 	Four uncommon nonbasic lands that may tap for or, if their controllers controls a Swamp, for or one mana of another color.
Dreams 	 	 	 	 	
Dreams 	Five rare instant or sorcery cards, requiring the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect. Four of the five have cost two mana of the same color to cast, but due to the power of it had its cost increased in development. 	Five rare instant or sorcery cards, requiring the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect. Four of the five have cost two mana of the same color to cast, but due to the power of it had its cost increased in development. 	Five rare instant or sorcery cards, requiring the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect. Four of the five have cost two mana of the same color to cast, but due to the power of it had its cost increased in development. 	Five rare instant or sorcery cards, requiring the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect. Four of the five have cost two mana of the same color to cast, but due to the power of it had its cost increased in development. 	Five rare instant or sorcery cards, requiring the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect. Four of the five have cost two mana of the same color to cast, but due to the power of it had its cost increased in development.
Creatures with threshold-active CIP abilities	 	 	 	 	
Creatures with threshold-active CIP abilities	Five uncommon creatures with comes-into-play abilities if and when their controllers have threshold. 	Five uncommon creatures with comes-into-play abilities if and when their controllers have threshold. 	Five uncommon creatures with comes-into-play abilities if and when their controllers have threshold. 	Five uncommon creatures with comes-into-play abilities if and when their controllers have threshold. 	Five uncommon creatures with comes-into-play abilities if and when their controllers have threshold.
"Disorder" enchantments 	 	 	 	 	
"Disorder" enchantments 	Five uncommon enchantments with activated abilities requiring either the discard of a card or the sacrifice of the enchantment for an effect. Each "disorder" enchantment is named after a mental disorder or condition. The red "disorder" enchantment, <c>Pyromania</c>, involves random discard. 	Five uncommon enchantments with activated abilities requiring either the discard of a card or the sacrifice of the enchantment for an effect. Each "disorder" enchantment is named after a mental disorder or condition. The red "disorder" enchantment, <c>Pyromania</c>, involves random discard. 	Five uncommon enchantments with activated abilities requiring either the discard of a card or the sacrifice of the enchantment for an effect. Each "disorder" enchantment is named after a mental disorder or condition. The red "disorder" enchantment, <c>Pyromania</c>, involves random discard. 	Five uncommon enchantments with activated abilities requiring either the discard of a card or the sacrifice of the enchantment for an effect. Each "disorder" enchantment is named after a mental disorder or condition. The red "disorder" enchantment, <c>Pyromania</c>, involves random discard. 	Five uncommon enchantments with activated abilities requiring either the discard of a card or the sacrifice of the enchantment for an effect. Each "disorder" enchantment is named after a mental disorder or condition. The red "disorder" enchantment, <c>Pyromania</c>, involves random discard.
Common Flashback cards 	 	 	 	 	
Common Flashback cards 	Five common instant or sorcery spells with a Flashback cost of 1C and 3 life. 	Five common instant or sorcery spells with a Flashback cost of 1C and 3 life. 	Five common instant or sorcery spells with a Flashback cost of 1C and 3 life. 	Five common instant or sorcery spells with a Flashback cost of 1C and 3 life. 	Five common instant or sorcery spells with a Flashback cost of 1C and 3 life.
Uncommon Madness cards 	 	 	 	 	
Uncommon Madness cards 	Five uncommon cards with Madness. 	Five uncommon cards with Madness. 	Five uncommon cards with Madness. 	Five uncommon cards with Madness. 	Five uncommon cards with Madness.
Common Madness cards 	 	 	 	 	
Common Madness cards 	Five common cards with Madness. 	Five common cards with Madness. 	Five common cards with Madness. 	Five common cards with Madness. 	Five common cards with Madness.
===Vertical cycles===
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Black Dreams 	 	 	 	 	
Black Dreams 	While white, blue, red, and green each received one (rare) Dreams spell, black received three, one per rarity (to date). Each black Dreams spell has a different cost from other black Dreams and non-black Dreams spells; but, common to Dreams spells, they require the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect.	While white, blue, red, and green each received one (rare) Dreams spell, black received three, one per rarity (to date). Each black Dreams spell has a different cost from other black Dreams and non-black Dreams spells; but, common to Dreams spells, they require the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect.	While white, blue, red, and green each received one (rare) Dreams spell, black received three, one per rarity (to date). Each black Dreams spell has a different cost from other black Dreams and non-black Dreams spells; but, common to Dreams spells, they require the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect.	While white, blue, red, and green each received one (rare) Dreams spell, black received three, one per rarity (to date). Each black Dreams spell has a different cost from other black Dreams and non-black Dreams spells; but, common to Dreams spells, they require the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect.	While white, blue, red, and green each received one (rare) Dreams spell, black received three, one per rarity (to date). Each black Dreams spell has a different cost from other black Dreams and non-black Dreams spells; but, common to Dreams spells, they require the discard of any number of cards for a scalable effect.
Punisher spells	 	 	 	 	
Punisher spells	Each of these red spell provide the targeted opponent with a choice of two unfavorable effects, one of which is direct damage. 	Each of these red spell provide the targeted opponent with a choice of two unfavorable effects, one of which is direct damage. 	Each of these red spell provide the targeted opponent with a choice of two unfavorable effects, one of which is direct damage. 	Each of these red spell provide the targeted opponent with a choice of two unfavorable effects, one of which is direct damage. 	Each of these red spell provide the targeted opponent with a choice of two unfavorable effects, one of which is direct damage.
===Mega cycles===
===Pairs===
Torment has four Mirrored pairs.
Mirrored Pairs	Mirrored Pairs	Description
 	 	Auras that confer a strength/toughness boon (respectively, +1/+2 and +2/+1) and protection from the opposite color.In addition to this, both of these auras have a Madness cost of C.
 	 	1M creatures with a keyword ability and a +1/+1 activated pump ability that costs .
 	 	Spells that hate on white and green creatures.
 	 	Sorceries that have a converted mana cost of one that make it so the next spell they cast of a certain type can't be countered this turn by spells or abilities (respectively, instants and sorceries and creatures). The person who casts these spells also draws a card.
==Reprinted cards==
There was one reprinted card in the set:
*<c>Sengir Vampire</c>, first printed in Alpha was last seen in 4th Edition.
===Strictly better===
*<c>Krosan Restorer</c> is strictly better than and .
== 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.
==References==
==External links==
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