Blightbeetle MTG Card


Blightbeetle’s ability can lead to card advantage by disrupting opponent’s counter-based strategies. Affected by specific mana requirements, its use may be limited to decks with sufficient black mana. An essential tool for metagames dominated by +1/+1 counter strategies, ensuring deck adaptability.
Blightbeetle - Core Set 2020
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Insect
Abilities Protection
Released2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set nameCore Set 2020
Set codeM20
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number87
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJason Kang

Text of card

Protection from green (This creature can't be blocked, targeted, dealt damage, enchanted, or equipped by anything green.) Creatures your opponents control can't have +1/+1 counters put on them.

Leaf and soul alike wither at its touch.


Cards like Blightbeetle

Blightbeetle stands out in MTG as a specialized creature with a unique ability to counter strategies based on counters. Its closest relatives in the game’s vast repertoire of cards are creatures such as Melira, Sylvok Outcast, who also prevents players from putting counters on creatures they control. However, Blightbeetle offers its own twist by completely blocking the enemy from placing any type of counters on creatures, offering a powerful preventive tactic. On the flip side, Melira allows -1/-1 counters which Blightbeetle does not, showing a narrower but absolute restriction.

Another card that enters the conversation is Solemnity. This enchantment shares the preventive nature against counters but applies it board-wide, affecting more than just creatures. While Solemnity is more encompassing, it does not provide a body to impact the board directly like Blightbeetle. This makes the beetle a tactical choice in creature-based strategies where board presence is vital.

Weighing the options, Blightbeetle carves a niche for itself amongst MTG creatures with its unique protective stance against +1/+1 counters, proving to be a specialized tool in a player’s arsenal for combating specific strategies.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast - MTG Card versions
Solemnity - MTG Card versions
Melira, Sylvok Outcast - MTG Card versions
Solemnity - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Blightbeetle itself doesn’t draw cards, its unique ability to prevent opponents from putting counters on their creatures can indirectly lead to card advantage by negating the effects of your opponent’s proliferate mechanics and -1/-1 counter synergies, making their cards less effective.

Resource Acceleration: Blightbeetle doesn’t directly contribute to resource acceleration. However, by shutting down strategies reliant on +1/+1 counters, it can keep the board state in your favor, thereby allowing you to advance your game plan using your resources more efficiently while your opponent struggles to keep up without their counter-based benefits.

Instant Speed: Blightbeetle is a creature and thus not played at instant speed, but its static ability continuously affects the game from the moment it enters the battlefield, akin to having a persistent “at instant speed” deterrent against counter strategies.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Blightbeetle requires a specific color of mana to cast – one black and one of any color. This might not integrate well with multi-colored decks that have a mana base not heavily skewed towards black, potentially limiting its versatility across different deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature with merely a 1/1 stat line, a two-mana cost might seem on the higher side, especially when compared to other two-mana creatures that might offer greater power, toughness, or additional abilities. This could make Blightbeetle less attractive for players looking to maximize value per mana spent.

Discard Requirement: Although Blightbeetle does not have a discard requirement itself, if a strategy around Blightbeetle involves setting up the board or your hand to benefit from its abilities, this setup might come at the expense of discarding other potentially valuable cards. Thus, in some scenarios, it may indirectly lead to a disadvantageous trade-off.


Reasons to Include Blightbeetle in Your Collection

Versatility: Blightbeetle offers a unique defensive utility in any green deck with its ability to stop opponents from amassing +1/+1 counters on their creatures. This ability makes it an excellent sideboard choice or even a main deck card in specific metas.

Combo Potential: Though not directly a combo enabler, Blightbeetle disrupts opponents’ strategies that rely on counters. This can indirectly enhance the effectiveness of your removal or control strategies by neutralizing key elements of opposing decks.

Meta-Relevance: As long as +1/+1 counter strategies remain prevalent in the metagame, Blightbeetle serves as a pertinent countermeasure. In matchups where counters are crucial for the opponent’s victory conditions, such as hardened scales or simic ascendancy, Blightbeetle can significantly shift the odds in your favor.


How to beat

Blightbeetle is a unique creature card in MTG that excels at stalling strategies involving +1/+1 counters. Its ability to prevent opponents from placing counters on creatures they control can be quite the roadblock. When facing Blightbeetle, it’s critical to employ creatures and spells that don’t rely on these counters as a strategy. Direct removal spells are highly effective, as they can bypass the beetle’s passive ability, leading to a swift clear of the threat.

Alternatively, using board wipes can reset the playing field, as Blightbeetle offers no protection against such effects. When building your deck, include a variety of answers that allow you to adapt to different threats, including those like Blightbeetle that might otherwise disrupt your tempo. In short, the strategy to overcome Blightbeetle lies in versatility and preparedness, ensuring that your deck can handle threats even without relying on +1/+1 counters.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG players know, every card like Blightbeetle can be the keystone of a victory or a valuable lesson in deck construction. Understanding the synergies and counters that Blightbeetle brings to the table can turn the tides of any match, particularly against opponents heavily invested in +1/+1 counter strategies. It’s essential to consider the meta and how a card such as Blightbeetle enhances your game plan. Dive deeper into the impact of strategic card selection and how to effectively counter popular tactics. Elevate your MTG experience with us as we dissect the nuances that make each card play an integral role in your deck’s success.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blightbeetle MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Blightbeetle and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blightbeetle has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-07-12 Blightbeetle doesn’t remove any +1/+1 counters already on creatures your opponents control.
2019-07-12 Creatures your opponents control won’t receive +1/+1 counters as they enter the battlefield.
2019-07-12 If a replacement effect allows a player to modify or replace an event by putting +1/+1 counters on a creature affected by Blightbeetle, that player may apply that replacement effect, but they won’t get counters. If the original event is entirely replaced (such as by applying Vigor’s replacement effect), the entire original event simply doesn’t happen.
2019-07-12 If the cost of an ability or an additional cost of a spell requires putting +1/+1 counters on a creature affected by Blightbeetle, that cost can’t be paid. If a resolving spell or ability says that a player may put +1/+1 counters on that creature, that player can’t choose to do so.