Aggravate MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	125
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Matt Stewart

Key Takeaways

Aggravate manipulates combat, offering card advantage and potentially favorable trades on the battlefield.
Instant speed casting of Aggravate adds surprise and flexibility to your game plan.
Create powerful combos with cards that benefit from forced combat or opponent’s creatures dying.

Text of card

Aggravate deals 1 damage to each creature target player controls. Each creature dealt damage this way attacks this turn if able.

"Barbarians! They burned my favorite chair! We'll kill them all!" —Anje Falkenrath

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aggravate is a strategic card that enables the player to force action on an otherwise stagnant battlefield. By compelling an opponent’s creatures to block when they may not be advantageous, the card can shift the game’s momentum in your favor, often leading to beneficial trades and potential card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Aggravate alone does not produce additional resources, it can accelerate your game plan by clearing the path for your creatures to deal damage. This can help trigger abilities or synergies that lead to increased board presence or additional resource benefits indirectly.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Aggravate at instant speed provides flexibility and surprise. By waiting until just the right moment, such as during the declare blockers step, you can disrupt your opponent’s strategies and create opportunities for advantageous attacks or to maneuver around potential obstacles in combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aggravate demands a discard from your hand to unlock its potential. This can deplete your options and leave you at risk, especially if you’re already struggling to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Locked into a rigid red mana requirement, Aggravate may not be the best fit in multicolored decks that can struggle to find the necessary red sources at the crucial moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sitting at five mana, it competes with powerful game-changing cards. Many players find that for this cost, there are alternatives that might provide more impact without the downside of additional costs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Aggravate card offers strategic flexibility in gameplay, allowing you to catch opponents off guard by forcing them to engage in unfavorable combat situations, making it a useful addition to decks that capitalize on combat tricks and opponent interactions.

Combo Potential: This card pairs exceptionally well with cards that have abilities triggering upon dealing combat damage or cards that benefit from creatures dying. These synergies can form powerful combinations that dismantle your opponent’s board state while advancing your own.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta that’s heavy on creature-based strategies, Aggravate shines by disrupting opponent’s plans and turning the tide of creature stalemates. Its ability to break through the lines can give you the edge you need in a creature-dominated battlefield.

How to beat

Aggravate is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that creates a challenging scenario by forcing an opponent’s creatures to attack. To effectively neutralize this aggressive strategy, a solid defense is paramount. Tactics such as incorporating creatures with high toughness or those with the ability to block multiple attackers can dampen the impact of Aggravate and help maintain your defense.

Strategically, it’s also wise to have instant-speed removal spells at the ready, allowing you to respond to an Aggravate play by eliminating key threats before they can declare an attack. Alternatively, counterspells can be a preemptive measure, stopping the card from disrupting your game plan if you have the resources to play them.

Understanding the nuances of creature combat can turn an Aggravate casting into an opportunity. With clever blocking or spells that deter attacking, like Ghostly Prison, you can minimize damage and possibly capitalize on your opponent’s forced aggression. Keeping a level head and a managed board state can ensure that Aggravate becomes less of a setback and more of a manageable hurdle within the game.

Cards like Aggravate

Aggravate presents an intriguing dynamic to creature-focused interactions in Magic the Gathering. This card bears similarities to cards like Master Warcraft, which grants you control over how creatures attack this turn. Aggravate, however, not only forces all creatures to attack, but it also targets a specific player, a shift that can dictate the tempo of combat and potentially the game’s outcome.

Much like Incite, Aggravate provokes creatures, ensuring they can’t remain on the defensive. Incite offers this with an added advantage of instant speed, though it does not influence the target of the attack. This can be seen as a lesser impingement on the battlefield compared to the more comprehensive effect of Aggravate that sweeps every creature into the fray, regardless of a player’s strategic positioning.

Therefore, while exploring the realm of combat manipulation in Magic the Gathering, Aggravate shines through with its particular ability to escalate tensions and force an all-out battle. It pushes strategies and can turn the tide of a game, marking its place as a notable card in the sphere of red’s combat control spells.

Cards similar to Aggravate by color, type and mana cost

Beacon of Destruction - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aggravate MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Aggravate and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aggravate has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2012-05-01	Aggravate targets only the player. Creatures with hexproof that player controls will be dealt damage by Aggravate if it resolves.
2012-05-01	If, during a player’s declare attackers step, a creature is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, or hasn’t been under that player’s control continuously since the turn began (and doesn’t have haste), then it doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn’t forced to pay that cost, so it doesn’t have to attack in that case either.
2012-05-01	The controller of a creature dealt damage by Aggravate still decides which player or planeswalker the creature attacks.