All right, gather around, rookies; it's time for me to show you the ropes behind the fine art of extortion. Now, I'm not talking about the kind of extortion that just empty pockets but rather, the kind that leaves your opponents gasping for breath while you sip on that sweet, sweet lifegain for turns on end.

That's right, in today's Mechanic's Overview segment, I'm going to thoroughly show you how to squeeze every last drop of life out of your opponents and pad your own reserves in the process through the Gatecrash (2013) mechanic: Extort. Ya got your big boy pants on? Good. Enough chit-chat; let's get you turned from a greenhorn into a full-fledged extortionist who can make any Orzhov Syndicate tax collector proud.

What is Extort?

"Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain life equal to the total life lost this way."

Extort is a triggered ability that works by giving us the option to drain life from our opponents whenever we cast a spell. And just like any good extortion scheme, it rewards us every time we act.

Here's how it all goes down:

• Trigger: Extort triggers each time we cast a spell, giving us the chance to extract a little life.
• Payment: If we control a permanent with Extort, we may pay one White (W) or Black (B) mana whenever the ability triggers.
• Effect: If we do pay the 1-mana, each opponent loses a life, and we gain life equal to the total life lost. Naturally, in a game with multiple opponents, that small fee starts to look pretty lucrative.

See how simple a life of crime can be? Cast, pay, drain, gain. A neat little four-step process that makes us richer and leaves them poorer. Now, that's how all business should be done.

The History of Extort

Now, Extort didn't just appear out of nowhere (in fact, the mechanic was introduced by Shawn Main, who wasn't even a part of the original design team in the first place!). The mechanic was designed specifically for the Orzhov Syndicate in the Gatecrash set (2013), the second set in the Return to Ravnica block. And for a guild built around greed and taxation, Extort was truly the perfect way to play on Orzhov's sinister style. After all, with Extort, not only are our opponents bleeding, they're bleeding on our terms.

Since Gatecrash, Extort has only ever shown up here and there in sets like Dragon's Maze (2013), Commander 2019 (2019), and Modern Horizons 3 (2024), but it's never overstayed its welcome. And believe me when I tell you that's a good thing. Too much extortion too often can bleed the streets dry, after all.

Extort: Reading The Fine Print

If we're going to bleed people dry, you'd better understand the tools we're working with.

Extort, a Triggered Ability

Whenever we cast a spell, Extort triggers. It doesn't matter if the Extort spell resolves or not; its trigger will go on the stack one way or another, and we'll get our chance to take our cut.

Stack 'Em Up

Each instance of Extort we control triggers separately. Got a Pontiff of Blight on lookout? Now, all of our creatures have Extort, and we can drain life for every single spell we cast.

Life Loss, Not Damage

Extort deals life loss, which means we get to slip right past protection and damage prevention effects. So unless we're hustling somebody with something that stops life changes outright, like Platinum Emperion, there's no escape.

It's Nothing Personal, It's Just Business

Commander players will be glad to know that Extort hits every opponent without ever targeting anyone directly. This means that even if one player happens to open with the cajones with a turn-0 Leyline of Sanctity, it's not going to save them. We're here to show them that we're gunning for everyone's life total, and no amount of hexproof will protect them.

Cards with Extort

All right, now that you've got the basics down and you're starting to see the full potential of Extort, here's a complete list of all the Extort cards available today for you to utilize in your next scheme:

• Basilica Guards
• Basilica Screecher
• Blind Obedience
• Crypt Ghast
• Kingpin's Pet
• Knight of Obligation
• Life Insurance
• Pontiff of Blight
• Sorin of House Markov // Sorin, Ravenous Neonate
• Syndic of Tithes
• Syndicate Enforcer
• Syndicate Heavy
• Thrull Parasite
• Tithe Drinker
• Treasury Thrull
• Vizkopa Confessor

The Future of Extort

As much as I love the Extort mechanic for its slow, inevitable drain, it's far from perfect. And like any good extortionist, I'm always looking for ways to squeeze a little more out of the situation. So, in the event that Wizards decides to bless us with more Extort cards in future MTG sets, let me quickly go over some ways I feel could potentially make Extort even better, not just for those of us who already love it, but for players who might not have tapped into its full potential yet.

Extort Commander

Yes, yes, Modern Horizon 3's Sorin of House Markov // Sorin, Ravenous Neonate is technically a Commander with Extort. But what I'm putting down on the table here is a Commander that's focused specifically on the Extort mechanic rather than having it just as a convenient bonus:

Grand Syndicate Overlord (Legendary Creature - Vampire Advisor, (2WB))

Flying

Extort

Other creatures you control have Extort.

Whenever you Extort, create a treasure token.

3/4

"You'll pay your dues, one way or another."

Simple, flavorful, elegant. Not only would a Commander like this grant Extort to all our creatures, but it would also provide us with something of a refund through treasures for using Extort effectively.

Mythic-Rarity Extort Cards

So far, Extort has mostly been stuck at the lower rarity levels, with cards like Blind Obedience and Pontiff of Blight often standing out as the most viable options. But if we really want to make Extort shine, we're going to need to take things to the next level. I'm talking mythic rares that not only drain life but also have powerful additional effects that can outright start games off in our favor:

Retired Debt Collector (Creature - Human Advisor, (B/W))

Extort

Whenever you Extort, double the life lost by each opponent.

1/1

"Your debt to me compounds daily."

With this creature being our premier 1-drop of choice, it could set us up beautifully in an aggressive Extort shell. Play this on turn one, and on the following turn, play another 1-drop and pay the extort cost. Then, from that point onwards, just keep playing on curve and abuse that Extort trigger as frequently as possible, and the rest should be history.

More Extort Support

Hear me out: what if we just had some kind of artifact that could directly support the mechanic?

Soul Collector's Cache Retired (Artifact, (2)) [=

Whenever you Extort, put a charge counter on Soul Collector's Cache.

Remove two charge counters: Draw a card.

"The more they pay, the more we gain."

Come on, this is practically 2 mana to gain two life and draw a card (you see how I purposely made this card super balanced since that's the way Wizards like to design card draw for White; let us have this!)

With all that said, whether Extort returns as part of the Orzhov Syndicate's signature style in a future Ravnica revisit or gets reimagined in a family-friendly plane like New Capenna, one thing is clear: I'll be patiently lying in wait for another chance to quietly manipulate life totals from the shadows. But until then, happy brewing, and remember, even in the world of Magic: The Gathering, there's always a price to be paid, and with Extort, that price is always to your advantage.