Cyclone (Original Art)

Cyclone is a four-mana green enchantment from Arabian Nights (1993), that deals damage equal to the number of wind counters on it to each creature and each player. At the beginning of your upkeep, you put a wind counter on Cyclone, then sacrifice it unless you pay (G) for each wind counter on it. Cyclone predates “cumulative upkeep” and is effectively one of the earliest prototypes of that mechanic. It is a foundational design experiment that shows early Magic’s love of symmetry, encouraging long-term planning over tempo. Cyclone is a repeatable board control card, that keeps escalating if left unchecked. It’s notable because green has very few cards that damages players directly or deals mass damage to creatures. While it has never been a competitive card, Cyclone still sees occasional play in Old School 93/94 and Arabian Nights or early-Magic themed decks. It also has some niche play in Commander (EDH), where it can be found in green control or attrition decks, enchantress builds, or certain life-gain strategies – mostly played with commanders like Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Strong, the Brutish Thespian and Bello, Bard of the Brambles. It functions as a symmetrical threat that pressures the entire table, and creates inevitability if unanswered. Cyclone is not on the Reserved List.