Bite of the Black Rose MTG Card


Bite of the Black Rose offers control and card draw, enhancing resource advantage in your deck. Its specific mana cost and potential discard drawback can influence deck building decisions. Versatility and meta-relevance make it a compelling inclusion for those exploiting discards.
Bite of the Black Rose - Conspiracy
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Will of the council
Released2014-06-06
Set symbol
Set nameConspiracy
Set codeCNS
Number26
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byFranz Vohwinkel

Text of card

Will of the council — Starting with you, each player votes for sickness or psychosis. If sickness gets more votes, creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn. If psychosis gets more votes or the vote is tied, each opponent discards two cards.


Cards like Bite of the Black Rose

Bite of the Black Rose is a strategic card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, especially when considering its role in the collective disruption of each player’s hand. Its closest relative in the conspiracy-laden field is Whispering Madness, another card that levels the playing field by making players discard and draw new hands. While Whispering Madness has the potential for repeated use with its cipher ability, Bite of the Black Rose offers the monarchy mechanic, potentially granting its caster extra draw power.

Delve further into the domain of hand disruption and you’ll find Syphon Mind. This sorcery allows for a singular, yet powerful effect, making each opponent discard a card while you draw a card for each card discarded this way—tailor-made for multiplayer mayhem. However, it lacks the nuance of Bite of the Black Rose, which affects all players equally and can shift the balance of power with its monarchy intrigue.

Ultimately, Bite of the Black Rose holds its own in MTG as a tool for shaking up the game’s momentum and offering a unique advantage through political maneuvering and the artful timing of becoming the monarch.

Whispering Madness - MTG Card versions
Syphon Mind - MTG Card versions
Whispering Madness - MTG Card versions
Syphon Mind - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Bite of the Black Rose by color, type and mana cost

Stench of Evil - MTG Card versions
Mind Warp - MTG Card versions
Fatal Lore - MTG Card versions
Final Strike - MTG Card versions
Persecute - MTG Card versions
Ancient Craving - MTG Card versions
Stream of Acid - MTG Card versions
Unmask - MTG Card versions
Reprocess - MTG Card versions
Befoul - MTG Card versions
Agonizing Memories - MTG Card versions
Mutilate - MTG Card versions
Extinction Event - MTG Card versions
Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions
Damnation - MTG Card versions
Profane Prayers - MTG Card versions
Endemic Plague - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Devouring Greed - MTG Card versions
Stench of Evil - MTG Card versions
Mind Warp - MTG Card versions
Fatal Lore - MTG Card versions
Final Strike - MTG Card versions
Persecute - MTG Card versions
Ancient Craving - MTG Card versions
Stream of Acid - MTG Card versions
Unmask - MTG Card versions
Reprocess - MTG Card versions
Befoul - MTG Card versions
Agonizing Memories - MTG Card versions
Mutilate - MTG Card versions
Extinction Event - MTG Card versions
Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions
Damnation - MTG Card versions
Profane Prayers - MTG Card versions
Endemic Plague - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Devouring Greed - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When playing Bite of the Black Rose, you orchestrate a scenario where you can potentially benefit from a board where each player sacrifices creature cards. This often leads to a card advantage, as you can strategically set up your plays to minimize your losses while maximizing opponents’ sacrifices.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly offering resource acceleration, the aftermath of Bite of the Black Rose can indirectly accelerate your resources by clearing the board of potential threats. This allows you a clean slate to deploy your resources more effectively, without the worry of opposing creatures.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Bite of the Black Rose at instant speed is a tactical boon. You can spring it on unsuspecting opponents during their turn, ideally after they’ve committed to casting their own creature spells, thereby catching them off-guard and potentially undercutting their planned strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Bite of the Black Rose mandates each player to discard a card, which could backfire if you’re pressed for resources or holding onto key cards for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost requires both black and blue mana, making it less flexible and potentially difficult to cast in a timely manner outside of dedicated two-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of four, including two specific colors, there are alternative cards that might achieve similar effects or disruption at a lower cost, allowing for a more efficient use of your mana throughout the game.


Reasons to Include Bite of the Black Rose in Your Collection

Versatility: Bite of the Black Rose offers a powerful mix of card draw and control mechanics. Its ability to potentially disrupt opponents’ hands while refilling your own makes it a valuable asset in decks aiming for resource advantage.

Combo Potential: This card excels in pairing with strategies focused on discard or leveraging the number of cards in all players’ hands. It can be a key component in decks that benefit from opponents having fewer options or in synergy with cards that punish players for discarding.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players are building significant card advantage, Bite of the Black Rose can level the playing field. Its relevance increases in metas where ensuring each player’s hand is managed becomes critical to disrupting their planned combos and strategies.


How to beat

Bite of the Black Rose is a unique card within Magic: The Gathering, with its ability to influence the game by setting up scenarios of cunning political play and strategic discards. To best this card, it’s essential to focus on deck resilience. Having a setup that can bounce back after a significant discard process or that benefits from having cards in the graveyard can turn the tides in your favor. Strategies that utilize effects like Flashback or mechanics like Undergrowth can recover more effectively from the disruption caused by Bite of the Black Rose.

Additionally, crafting your gameplay to keep a lean hand by playing out your spells efficiently can diminish the impact of Bite of the Black Rose. This way, when the card is played, you’re less impacted by the discard element. Implementing graveyard-to-hand retrieval can also counteract the loss, ensuring your key pieces are returnable and that whatever you discard may ultimately serve a larger game plan. Adaptability and strategic preemption are crucial when navigating against such control tactics.

In the realm of MTG, each card tells a story, and Bite of the Black Rose is no exception. Adapting your deck and playstyle to anticipate and counter its effects is the hallmark of a savvy player ready to play the long game and emerge victorious.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic dimensions of MTG are vast, and smart deck building is tantamount to achieving victory. Bite of the Black Rose exemplifies this, offering both challenge and opportunity. Through analyzing both its advantages and limitations, you can craft a deck that not only mitigates its cons but also capitalizes on its disruptive nature. Whether enhancing its strengths in a focused discard strategy or developing a resilient deck that thrives in adversity, mastering cards like Bite of the Black Rose can significantly enhance your gameplay. Elevate your MTG skills and collection with us, and reveal the full potential of your deck. Let’s turn your matches into a testament of strategic acumen.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bite of the Black Rose MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Bite of the Black Rose and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Bite of the Black Rose has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Bite of the Black Rose card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2014-05-29 Because the votes are cast in turn order, each player will know the votes of players who voted beforehand.
2014-05-29 No player votes until the spell or ability resolves. Any responses to that spell or ability must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote.
2014-05-29 Players can’t do anything after they finishing voting but before the spell or ability that included the vote finishes resolving.
2014-05-29 The effect will be the same for all your opponents, no matter how they voted.
2014-05-29 The phrase “the vote is tied” refers only to when there is more than one choice that received the most votes. For example, if a 5-player vote from among three different choices ends 3 votes to 1 vote to 1 vote, the vote isn’t tied.
2014-05-29 You must vote for one of the available options. You can’t abstain.