Hunter's Mark MTG Card

Hunter's Mark - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2021-07-23
Set symbol
Set name	Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Set code	AFR
Number	188
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Izzy

Key Takeaways

Hunter’s Mark’s card draw ability maintains hand advantage and enables strategic depth in play.
Its mana cost reduction under specific conditions provides you with significant resource acceleration.
Instant speed offers flexibility and control, allowing for disruptive, reactive plays.

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast if it targets a blue permanent you don't control. This spell can't be countered. Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Then it deals damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker you don't control.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you play Hunter’s Mark, the ability to replace itself in your hand with another card ensures you don’t lose out on card quantity. This facet of the card can tip the scales, enabling a constant flow of options and strategic depth during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Hunter’s Mark costs significantly less under specific conditions, such as if a creature is your target. This reduction in cost can accelerate your plays, allowing you to deploy more threats or answers while saving precious mana resources for critical turns.

Instant Speed: The nature of Hunter’s Mark as an instant offers tremendous flexibility, allowing you to adapt to the board state fluidly. It enables reactive plays during your opponent’s turn, which can disrupt their strategy and provide a surprise advantage, ultimately enhancing your control over the course of the match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hunter’s Mark requires discarding a card as part of its additional cost. This can be detrimental during gameplay, as it can deplete your hand, leaving you short of options later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates a specific green mana cost that limits its playability to decks that can produce green mana. It doesn’t easily fit into multicolored decks that are not green-centric.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher side for its effect, Hunter’s Mark can be less appealing compared to other removal options. More efficient alternatives may be available that provide similar effects for less mana, enabling quicker plays and better resource management.

Reasons to Include Hunter’s Mark in Your Collection

Versatility: Hunter’s Mark is a flexible card that can be slotted into a variety of green decks. It allows for the removal of key threats on the board at instant speed, which in the game of MTG can often be the difference between victory and defeat. Its ability to prevent the targeted creature from regenerating is particularly useful against strategies relying on creatures with indestructible abilities or other toughness-increasing effects.

Combo Potential: In decks focused on creature strategies, Hunter’s Mark has the potential to not only remove an opponent’s threat but also to create a significant swing in board presence. By reducing another creature’s power, it can enable advantageous trades or push through additional damage, synergizing well with decks that have a focus on combat tricks or power/toughness modifiers.

Meta-Relevance: As the game’s meta shifts, flexibility in removal spells becomes crucial. Hunter’s Mark’s low casting cost and capability to interact at instant speed make it a strong consideration in meta-games that are creature-centric or those that use key creatures to initiate combos. Its utility in disrupting opponent’s plans and preserving your own creatures ensures its relevance in dynamic play environments.

How to Beat

Hunter’s Mark is a unique green instant that allows players to excel at creature removal, a particularly vital aspect in Magic: The Gathering gameplay. Similar to the famed Path to Exile, it can neutralize an opponent’s key creature, but Hunter’s Mark boasts additional utility by preventing that creature from regenerating and dealing damage that equates to that creature’s power to another target.

To effectively counter Hunter’s Mark, one should consider spells or abilities that grant hexproof or protection from green. Cards like Blossoming Defense not only protect your creature from being targeted but also confer a handy strength boost. Additionally, employing counterspells like Negate can intercept Hunter’s Mark before it ever takes effect. One should also be wary of the timing of this card, as its reduced casting cost during your turn makes it an extremely mana-efficient removal tool.

Tactically, the best defense against Hunter’s Mark is to maintain a diversified creature base or use instant-speed spells that can fizzle its effect, limiting the opportunity for your opponent to reap maximum value from this powerful card.

Cards like Hunter's Mark

Hunter’s Mark is a versatile removal spell in Magic: The Gathering, drawing comparisons to cards with similar creature targeting effects. One notable peer is Rabid Bite, which shares the ability to deal damage to creatures without those creatures dealing damage back. Hunter’s Mark however, adds more strategic depth with the ability to negate hexproof for a turn and grants a power increase to your creature.

Likewise, Clear Shot presents a similar framework, offering both damage dealing and a power boost. However, Hunter’s Mark’s potential to be cast for a single green mana when targeting a blue permanent puts it ahead in terms of situational flexibility and mana efficiency. Then we have Prey Upon, another option that facilitates a fight between two creatures. Hunter’s Mark outshines it with the added advantage of not subjecting your creature to reciprocal damage and the hexproof override.

Comparing these cards highlights the choice available to players when building their decks. Hunter’s Mark stands out with its adaptability in combat and its potential utility against blue-centric strategies, solidifying its place among effective creature removal spells in the game.

Cards similar to Hunter's Mark by color, type and mana cost

Stonewood Invocation - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hunter's Mark MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, 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 Hunter's Mark and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hunter's Mark has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal