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The Wretched

{3}{B}{B}

Creature — Demon

5EDFifth Edition#197rare

Once I had the strength but no wisdom; now I have the wisdom but no strength. —Persian proverb

Finishes
Nonfoil
Border
white
Frame
1997
Pull rate
~1 in 44–132
Illustrator
Christopher Rush
Found in
Fifth Edition Starter Deck · Fifth Edition Booster Pack
Printings5EDHREC rank#27,781
CommanderLegalModernNot legalStandardNot legal
Format legality

Constructed

StandardNot legal
PioneerNot legal
ModernNot legal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
PauperNot legal

Commander

CommanderLegal
Pauper CommanderNot legal
Duel CommanderLegal
PreDHLegal
OathbreakerLegal
Tiny LeadersNot legal

Arena

AlchemyNot legal
HistoricNot legal
TimelessNot legal
BrawlNot legal
Standard BrawlNot legal
Competitive BrawlNot legal
GladiatorNot legal

Other

PremodernLegal
Old SchoolNot legal
Penny DreadfulNot legal
Future StandardNot legal
At end of combat, gain control of all creatures blocking this creature for as long as you control this creature.
2/5
Market · per finishspark updated 6h ago · prices as of 2026-08-30
Nonfoil0.0%
$0.75
$0.34 low$0.10 gapTCGplayer
Cheapest playable copy$0.49· across 5 printings· view the cheapest printing ›

Rulings

7 · latest Oct 1, 2009
  • WotCOct 1, 2009

    If The Wretched leaves the battlefield, you no longer control it, so the duration of its control-change effect ends.

  • WotCOct 1, 2009

    If you lose control of The Wretched before its ability resolves, you won’t gain control of the creatures blocking it at all.

  • WotCOct 1, 2009

    Once the ability resolves, it doesn’t care whether the permanents you gained control of remain creatures, only that they remain on the battlefield.

  • WotCOct 1, 2009

    The Wretched’s ability triggers only if it’s still on the battlefield when the end of combat step begins (after the combat damage step). For example, if it’s blocked by a 7/7 creature and is destroyed, its ability won’t trigger at all.

  • WotCMay 1, 2009

    Any blocking creatures that regenerated during combat will have been removed from combat. Since such creatures are no longer in combat, they cannot be blocking The Wretched, which means you won’t be able to gain control of them.

  • WotCMay 1, 2009

    If The Wretched itself regenerated during combat, then it will have been removed from combat. Since it is no longer in combat, there cannot be any creatures blocking it, which means you won’t be able to gain control of any creatures.

  • WotCMay 1, 2009

    The ability grants you control of all creatures that are blocking it as the ability resolves. This will include any creatures that were put onto the battlefield blocking it.