Duress
Mana cost {B}.
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
Duress is a black card, legal in Premodern, shown in its old-frame Seventh Edition printing.
Price and printings: Cardmarket (€1) · TCGplayer ($0.64) · Scryfall
Tracked daily since 28 July 2026: on Cardmarket between €0.42 and €1.12 in that time.
How often Duress is played
Duress is maindecked in 49 of 131 tournament decks in this archive (37%), averaging 3.6 copies; kept in 9 sideboards (7%); used by 13 of 33 tracked archetypes.
Counting only the 75 decks that can cast black cards, 54 of them play it (72%).
See how it compares on the Premodern staples list.
Premodern archetypes that play Duress
- Mono Black: Takes a noncreature card such as a removal spell, sweeper or combo piece before it matters, and shows you their hand, so the Cabal Therapy after it names the right card.
- Psychatog: Turn-one disruption against Enchantress, Replenish, Oath, Stiflenought and the mirror: it takes a noncreature, nonland card, so it finds enchantments, combo pieces and counterspells, but not Argothian Enchantress or Phyrexian Dreadnought. Three or four copies in every blue-black list since September.
- The Rock (4x)
- Deadguy Ale: In every list, almost always four copies. It takes a noncreature, nonland card, so creatures and lands stay in their hand, and it shows you whether Specter, Arena or Angel is safe to cast. After Duress you also know which cards they can keep against Gerrard's Verdict, since they choose its two discards.
- Clerics (4x)
- Dromar Control: In most lists, four copies: it takes a noncreature, nonland card such as a counterspell or Wrath of God before you commit, and shows you their hand so your next Meddling Mage names the right card. Against creature decks it often finds nothing to take.
- Zombies (3x)
- BW Control: One mana: take a counterspell, a combo piece or a removal spell, and see their plan. Against Goblins, Sligh and Elves it has few targets and is the first card to come out after boarding.
- Pit Rack: One mana: their best noncreature, nonland card leaves before the lock starts, and you see their plan. Four copies in almost every list.
- Contamination (4x)
Sideboard plans with Duress
- Full English Breakfast vs. Stiflenought, Landstill, Psychatog, Tron, The Solution and Dromar Control. Two Xantid Swarm and two Duress protect the combo turn: once Swarm attacks, the opponent can't cast spells that turn.
- Full English Breakfast vs. Enchantress, Replenish, Deadguy Ale and Aluren. Enchantment removal, Duress and Monk Realist against the combo and prison enchantments, Uktabi Orangutan against Enchantress and Deadguy Ale for Tormod's Crypt, Swords against Replenish, and Auramancer against Deadguy Ale to return a Survival that Vindicate or Disenchant destroyed.
- Full English Breakfast vs. Reanimator and the mirror. Two Duress and Swords against Reanimator, Duress, Ghitu Slinger and Swords in the mirror, for two Wall of Roots and Palinchron.
- Reanimator vs. Combo and control.
- Gro-a-Tog vs. Landstill, Psychatog, BW Control and The Rock. Duress, in a third of the sideboards, takes Standstill, Counterspell, Wrath of God or Pernicious Deed before your threats land.
Tournament decks with Duress
- Zombies: 2nd Place at Premodern Fight Club (4× mainboard)
- Survival Recurring: 1st Place at Monster Mash 2026 (4× mainboard)
- P-Deadguy Ale: 2nd Place at Online Monthly (4× mainboard)
- Moneyball: 4th Place at 4Seasons Summer Edition (4× mainboard)
- Pox Aggro: 1st Place at Magic Beijing #59 (4× mainboard)
- Deadguy Ale: 2nd Place at Sword Luderia (4× mainboard)
- Zombie Tribal: 1st Place at Cloudpost PM 7/26 (4× mainboard)
- Darigaaz Midrange: 12th Place at 2026 Nantuko League (3× mainboard)
- Angry Ghoul: 6th Place at Viudas Fest II (4× mainboard)
- Mono Black Aggro: 1st Place at Premodern Xpress #1 (3× sideboard)
- Nantuko Cultivator: 6th Place at Finland Nationals 2026 (2× mainboard)
- Contamination: 1st Place at UC Late Night (4× mainboard)
- Great Combo: 1st Place at Beijing Holiday #4 (3× mainboard)
- Contamination: 6th Place at Premodern & Hooters 9 (3× mainboard)
- Mono Black: 10th Place at Bogardan War II (4× mainboard)
- Reanimator: 5th Place at Technoliga Valenciana (5× main + sideboard)
- Clerics: 7th Place at Czech Premodern Nationals 2026 (2× mainboard)
- Mono Black: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (4× mainboard)
- Rogue: 2nd Place at 2026 Peach Ball (3× sideboard)
- Reanimator: 1st Place at 2026 Nantuko League (4× mainboard)
- Broccoli Soup: 4th Place at Premodern Beijing (4× mainboard)
- Mono Black Clerics: 3rd Place at IX Torneo Mensual (4× mainboard)
- Survival Infestation: 5th Place at Liga Paulista de Premodern 2026 (3× mainboard)
- Moneyball Red: 2nd Place at 2026 Nantuko League (4× mainboard)
- The Rock: 3rd Place at Premodern MTGO Challenge (4× mainboard)
- UBG Madness: 1st Place at Lega Roma - IV Tappa (3× mainboard)
- UWB Control: 5th Place at Premodern MTGO Challenge (4× mainboard)
- Basic Mono Black: 4th Place at Andre's League 10 Tappa (4× mainboard)
- Angry Hermit: 5th Place at $1K @ SCG CON Dallas (4× mainboard)
- Horror Stompy: 3rd Place at MTGO Premodern Challenge (4× mainboard)
- UBG Control Sideboard: 1st Place at Mercadian Frogs @ Troll2jeux (Paris, France) (4× main + sideboard)
- Mono Black Aggro: 4th Place at Lega Milano 3/12 (4× mainboard)
- 5C Solution: 2nd Place at Peach Ball @ Giga-Bites (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black Reanimator: 3rd Place at Open Coquimbo Agosto 2026 (4× main + sideboard)
- Moneyball: 1st Place at LPP x Trial Épico (4× mainboard)
- Junk Nightmare: 1st Place at Premodern Monthly (1× mainboard)
- BRG Midrange: 7th Place at PM Burro Singles @SPMCR (4× mainboard)
- BR Carnophage Ponza: 3rd Place at Torneo @ Comix Café (4× mainboard)
- The Solution: 1st Place at Polish Premodern Nationals (4× mainboard)
- Deadguy Angels: 1st Place at Lega Premodern La Contea (4× mainboard)
- Mono Black Aggro: 1st Place at Mogg Monthly: Sligh July (4× mainboard)
- Mono B Control: 7th Place at Premodern & Hooters 8th Edition (4× mainboard)
- Machine Head: 4th Place at Premodern Mainz Monthly (4× mainboard)
- zombies: 4th Place at La Parroquia Friday Night (3× sideboard)
- Black Contamination: 3rd Place at PREM Brescia (4× mainboard)
- Reanimator: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (4× sideboard)
- Mono Black: 6th Place at PMPMPMPM XXXVIII (3× main + sideboard)
- Clerics: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (4× mainboard)
- Pox: 3rd Place at Liga Premodern Alicante 2026 9ª Jornada (4× mainboard)
- BG Rack: 3rd Place at Lega Milano 3/12 (4× mainboard)
- Dromar Control: 1st Place at Monthly Premodern Beagá (4× mainboard)
- Moneyball Black: 2nd Place at Liga Paulista de Premodern 2026 (4× mainboard)
- Black Clerics: 2nd Place at Lega Milano 3/9 (4× mainboard)
- BW Control: 5th Place at LWPP Maio/2026 Top8 (4× mainboard)
Spicy brews with Duress
- Great Combo (4×)
- Deadapult (4×)
- Hypnotic Wurm (4×)
- Battle of Wits (4×)
- Painters (4×)
- Coffers Control (4×)
- Darwin's Dead (4×)
- Draco Blast (4×)
- Bloody Clerics (4×)
