Dystopia
Mana cost {1}{B}{B}.
Cumulative upkeep—Pay 1 life. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.)
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player sacrifices a green or white permanent of their choice.
Dystopia is a black card, legal in Premodern, shown in its old-frame Alliances printing.
Price and printings: Cardmarket (€62.59) · TCGplayer ($45.08) · Scryfall
Tracked daily since 28 July 2026: on Cardmarket between €56.00 and €74.78 in that time.
Also printed with a gold border in World Championship Decks 1997, for less. Gold-bordered copies aren't tournament legal, but some Premodern events allow them: where, and what they save.
How often Dystopia is played
Dystopia is kept in 24 sideboards (18%); used by 6 of 33 tracked archetypes.
Counting only the 75 decks that can cast black cards, 24 of them play it (32%).
See how it compares on the Premodern staples list.
Sideboard plans with Dystopia
- Mono Black vs. White Weenie, The Solution, BW Control, Deadguy Ale and Dromar Control. Gloom makes every white spell cost three more, Vindicate, Gerrard's Verdict, Dromar's Charm, Meddling Mage and Lightning Angel included, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green or white permanent of their choice in each of their upkeeps, without targeting. A face-down Exalted Angel is colorless: Gloom doesn't tax it and Dystopia can't take it. Against White Weenie, in: three Engineered Plague, all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: all four Duress, all three Ravenous Rats and a Cabal Therapy. Against The Solution, in: all three Gloom, two Dystopia and an Engineered Plague; out: both Cursed Scroll, both Diabolic Edict and two Ravenous Rats. Against BW Control, in: all three Gloom, two Dystopia and Phyrexian Arena; out: both Cursed Scroll, all three Ravenous Rats and a Smother. Plaguebearer stays: for X=0 it destroys a face-down Exalted Angel or a Soldier token for {B}, though a white Soldier token from a cycled Decree of Justice can also be the permanent Dystopia takes. Against Dromar Control, in: all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: both Diabolic Edict, both Cursed Scroll and a Ravenous Rats.
- Mono Black vs. Enchantress, Replenish, Terrageddon, Oath of Druids and Turbo Lands. Dystopia does not target, so shroud and protection don't help against it. Against Enchantress, in: all three Dystopia, two Gloom and two Engineered Plague; out: all three Smother, both Cursed Scroll, Plaguebearer and a Diabolic Edict. Against Replenish, in: all three Gloom and two Dystopia; out: both Cursed Scroll, two Smother and Plaguebearer. Gloom makes Replenish, Opalescence and every Parallax Wave and Seal of Cleansing activation cost three more, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice Opalescence or Parallax Wave. Against Terrageddon and Oath of Druids, in: all three Dystopia; out: both Cursed Scroll and Plaguebearer. Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Terravore, Oath of Druids, Sylvan Library, Nimble Mongoose or an Elephant token. Against Turbo Lands, in: all three Dystopia; out: two Smother and a Diabolic Edict. They play few creatures, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Exploration, Sylvan Library or Solitary Confinement; Plaguebearer stays for an animated Treetop Village, mana value 0.
- Mono Black vs. Reanimator, Full English Breakfast, Aluren and The Rock. Against Reanimator, in: all three Dystopia; out: all three Ravenous Rats. Dystopia does not target, so Akroma's protection from black doesn't help: Akroma, Phantom Nishoba and Verdant Force are white or green and go if they are the only such permanent. Against Full English Breakfast, in: all three Dystopia and two Engineered Plague; out: all three Ravenous Rats and both Cursed Scroll. Plague naming Druid kills Hermit Druid, a 1/1 Human Druid, without targeting, and Dystopia makes them sacrifice one of Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, Survival of the Fittest or Hermit Druid; they bring Naturalize and Ray of Revelation for both. Against The Rock, in: all three Dystopia; out: both Knight of Stromgald and a Smother. Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green permanent, Pernicious Deed included, and Plaguebearer stays: for X=0 it destroys an animated Treetop Village or a Squirrel token for {B}.
- Deadguy Ale vs. Enchantress, The Solution, Oath of Druids, Elves and other white or green decks.
- Clerics vs. Green and white decks: Enchantress, The Rock, Oath of Druids, Elves, Terrageddon, UG Madness, RG Zoo, Full English Breakfast, Replenish, Reanimator and White Weenie. Dystopia makes each player sacrifice a green or white permanent in their own upkeep; you have none, so only they lose permanents, while its cumulative upkeep costs you one more life each turn.
- Zombies vs. Enchantress, Replenish and white control. In: four Gloom and three Dystopia. Gloom taxes Replenish, Parallax Wave, Swords to Plowshares and Wrath of God alike; Dystopia makes them sacrifice a green or white permanent in each of their upkeeps and cannot be stopped by protection.
- Pit Rack vs. Enchantress, Terrageddon, Oath of Druids, Elves and White Weenie. Dystopia, in almost every sideboard, makes each player sacrifice a green or white permanent in their upkeep, and a mono-black deck has none.
- Contamination vs. Enchantress, Terrageddon, Oath of Druids, Elves and White Weenie. Dystopia, in most sideboards, makes each player sacrifice a green or white permanent in their upkeep, and a mono-black deck has none.
Tournament decks with Dystopia
- Zombies: 2nd Place at Premodern Fight Club (2× sideboard)
- Hatred Zombies: Top 8 at Comix Café (3× sideboard)
- Moneyball: 4th Place at 4Seasons Summer Edition (3× sideboard)
- Pox Aggro: 1st Place at Magic Beijing #59 (3× sideboard)
- Zombie Tribal: 1st Place at Cloudpost PM 7/26 (1× sideboard)
- Contamination: 1st Place at UC Late Night (4× sideboard)
- Contamination: 6th Place at Premodern & Hooters 9 (1× sideboard)
- Mono Black: 10th Place at Bogardan War II (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black Clerics: 3rd Place at IX Torneo Mensual (2× sideboard)
- Moneyball Red: 2nd Place at 2026 Nantuko League (3× sideboard)
- UBG Madness: 1st Place at Lega Roma - IV Tappa (2× sideboard)
- Basic Mono Black: 4th Place at Andre's League 10 Tappa (2× sideboard)
- Horror Stompy: 3rd Place at MTGO Premodern Challenge (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black Aggro: 4th Place at Lega Milano 3/12 (3× sideboard)
- Moneyball: 1st Place at LPP x Trial Épico (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black Aggro: 1st Place at Mogg Monthly: Sligh July (3× sideboard)
- Mono B Control: 7th Place at Premodern & Hooters 8th Edition (2× sideboard)
- Machine Head: 4th Place at Premodern Mainz Monthly (3× sideboard)
- Black Contamination: 3rd Place at PREM Brescia (3× sideboard)
- Mono Black: 6th Place at PMPMPMPM XXXVIII (2× sideboard)
- Clerics: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (2× sideboard)
- Pox: 3rd Place at Liga Premodern Alicante 2026 9ª Jornada (4× sideboard)
- Moneyball Black: 2nd Place at Liga Paulista de Premodern 2026 (3× sideboard)
Spicy brews with Dystopia
- Deadapult (3×)
- Painters (4×)
- Coffers Control (2×)
