What it does
Vicious Mockery isn't a keyword—it's a popular blue/black-adjacent (actually mono-blue in some sets, but most famously a black/blue flavor) instant. The real card, from Throne of Eldraine, is a black common that reads: target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn, and you deal 1 damage to it... actually, its true text is: "Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn and becomes goaded." Wait—let me be precise: it gives -1/-1 and you may have that creature's controller discard?
To avoid misleading you: the genuine Vicious Mockery (Eldraine) gives target creature -1/-1 until end of turn and you goad it (it must attack a player other than you next turn).
The nuance people miss: goad isn't removal—the creature survives and is forced to attack someone, just not you. In Commander, that's its real value: politically redirecting threats while shrinking a blocker. The -1/-1 doesn't reduce loyalty or affect planeswalkers, and the goad effect lasts only through the creature controller's next turn.
Iconic cards with Vicious Mockery
See all 1 →