Illuminor Szeras wants a deck that makes huge amounts of mana for giant spells. It also suits a deck that sacrifices its own creatures to drain opponents' life.
Mana cost
Black ()
Power / toughness3 / 3
RarityRare
Secrets of the Soul — , Sacrifice another creature: Add an amount of equal to the sacrificed creature's mana value.
Picked for what they do in Illuminor Szeras's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Illuminor Szeras's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Illuminor Szeras works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast7 Oct 2022
Use the mana value of the sacrificed creature as it last existed on the battlefield to determine the amount of {B} to add.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryBPlayers write colors as letters: B for black.Big ManaBig Mana decks build up far more mana than usual, then spend it on huge spells. Some are X spells, which have X in their cost and get stronger the more mana you put in.Open the Big Mana pageBurst ManaOne-shot acceleration: a burst of mana you get once and then it is gone, whether the card is a spell or sacrifices itself. Dark Ritual Lotus Petal Jeska's WillOpen the Burst Mana pageBig ManaProduces several mana at once from a single source, rather than the one extra mana most acceleration gives you. That surplus is what lets a deck cast something enormous far ahead of schedule. Compare Ramp, which is a reusable source you build up over time, and Burst Mana, which pays out once and is then gone. Cabal Coffers, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Savage VentmawOpen the Big Mana pageGame ChangerCards that warp the game disproportionately around themselves, requiring immediate answers.What the brackets meanAristocratsAristocrats decks sacrifice their own creatures on purpose and profit every time one dies, often by draining life from each opponent. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you like, decides when that happens.Open the Aristocrats pageSacrifice OutletA permanent that lets you sacrifice your own creatures or artifacts whenever you want, usually for free. Every Aristocrats deck needs one, because cards that reward a creature dying only help if you choose when it dies. Ashnod's Altar, Viscera SeerOpen the Sacrifice Outlet pageSacrificeSacrifice decks give up their own creatures, Treasures and other cards on purpose and get something back each time. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you want, is the heart of the deck.Open the Sacrifice page
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, Sacrifice another creature: Add an amount of 
Open the full glossary
