Vile Manifestation MTG Card
2017-07-14 - Number 80
2020-08-13 - Number 132
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Horror |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Thrives in cycling-centric decks, turning the graveyard into a powerful asset for its growth.
- Makes for a budget-friendly, escalating threat with each graveyard card with cycling abilities.
- Requires strategic graveyard management to unlock its full potential on the battlefield.
Text of card
Vile Manifestation gets +1/+0 for each card with cycling in your graveyard. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
The glyphs writhed and twisted, spewing out dark, vengeful magic.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Vile Manifestation shines in decks with a high focus on cycling or discarding. It turns your graveyard into an extension of your hand by growing stronger for each card with cycling you have there. This synergizes well with strategies looking to churn through their deck for specific answers or threats, giving you a dual benefit from each cycled card.
Resource Acceleration: Although Vile Manifestation itself isn’t a direct source of resource acceleration, it indirectly supports this strategy. By having a body that gets stronger as you cycle or discard cards, it becomes a more potent threat that requires less mana investment over time. This card allows you to dedicate resources elsewhere while still developing a formidable presence on the board.
Instant Speed: While Vile Manifestation is not an instant, it benefits from instant-speed cycling cards. This means you can fortify its power during the opponent’s turn just before combat resolves or at end of turn, which can catch opponents off-guard and force them to reevaluate their attacks and blocks. It integrates well with decks that operate on instant speed, making it a versatile piece in dynamic gameplay.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Vile Manifestation relies on having a substantial amount of cards in your graveyard to harness its full potential, which can be limiting. Triggering its power boost means continuously fueling the graveyard, running the risk of depleting essential resources in your hand and potentially discarding key cards that might be crucial later on in the game.
Specific Mana Cost: It calls for black mana in the building of your deck, making it less flexible for deck construction. This requirement may restrict it to a narrower range of strategies, typically focusing on graveyard-centric themes rather than allowing for a diverse range of deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its strength being dependent on the number of cycling cards stowed in your graveyard, its initial casting cost might appear costly compared to other creatures. For two mana, other options could provide immediate impact or come with built-in abilities that offer more utility and tactical advantages right off the bat.
Reasons to Include Vile Manifestation in Your Collection
Versatility: Vile Manifestation offers flexible gameplay for players who enjoy graveyard mechanics. Its ability to grow in power with each cycling or card with cycling in your graveyard means it can be a significant threat in decks designed around discard and draw strategies.
Combo Potential: This card’s synergy with cycling cards means it can become an unexpectedly powerful creature on the battlefield. Enhanced when paired with effects that retrieve cards from the graveyard, Vile Manifestation can become the lynchpin of a devastating combo.
Meta-Relevance: With cycling cards seeing consistent play, Vile Manifestation has a place in the current meta, particularly in graveyard-based strategies or decks that capitalize on high card turnover. Its utility and power scaling with graveyard resources make it a card to watch and include in collections for its potential impact during gameplay.
How to beat
Vile Manifestation is a unique creature card that can be a formidable force on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s power scales with the number of cycling cards and cards with cycling abilities that you have in your graveyard, making it potentially very challenging to deal with, especially in a dedicated cycling deck. Its base stats are unassuming, but Vile Manifestation has the potential to become a massive threat that can end games swiftly if left unchecked.
To successfully strategize against Vile Manifestation, it’s essential to focus on graveyard disruption. By utilizing cards that can exile cards from the graveyard, you can effectively neutralize the power of Vile Manifestation. Cards like Scavenging Ooze, for example, can target and exile cycling cards that would swell Vile Manifestation’s power, turning it into a non-threatening entity. Moreover, since Vile Manifestation lacks any form of keyword protection, it can be readily targeted and removed with common removal spells. Ensuring that you keep removal spells in hand when playing against a deck that may feature Vile Manifestation is a smart move to curb its growth before it becomes a serious threat.
In essence, while Vile Manifestation can quickly grow out of control, a careful plan to manage graveyard resources and a well-timed removal can neutralize this threat and keep the game in your favor.
Cards like Vile Manifestation
Vile Manifestation is a unique creature card in MTG that harnesses the power of cycling and discard mechanisms in decks. It bears a resemblance to Tithe Drinker, which also gets stronger with each card type among cards in your graveyard. However, while Tithe Drinker gains lifelink, Vile Manifestation’s strength lies in its potential for rapid power growth as you cycle or discard cards, particularly appealing for decks that aim to empty their hands quickly.
Another card to consider in parallel is Nyx Weaver, which offers a consistent way to fill the graveyard, thereby potentially increasing Vile Manifestation’s power indirectly. Unlike Nyx Weaver, which has a set strength and toughness, Vile Manifestation’s power scales dynamically with graveyard contents, representing significant threat versatility.
To encapsulate, Vile Manifestation stands out in decks that revolve around cycling and discarding. Its growing power provides a formidable offense that scales with the deck’s strategy, setting it apart from other graveyard-dependent creatures in MTG. A fine-tuned strategy involving this card can result in a rapidly escalating threat that other similar cards may not match in terms of sheer power potential.
Cards similar to Vile Manifestation by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Vile Manifestation MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Amonkhet Remastered, 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 Vile Manifestation and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Vile Manifestation Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Jason Felix.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-07-14 | Hour of Devastation | HOU | 80 | 2015 | normal | black | Jason Felix | |
| 2 | 2020-08-13 | Amonkhet Remastered | AKR | 132 | 2015 | normal | black | Jason Felix |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Vile Manifestation has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Vile Manifestation card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-07-14 | Certain older cards have variants of cycling, such as basic landcycling or Wizardcycling. Vile Manifestation’s effect counts these cards. |
| 2017-07-14 | Vile Manifestation’s first ability applies only while it’s on the battlefield. In all other zones, its power is 0. |
| 2017-07-14 | Vile Manifestation’s first ability counts only the cards with cycling abilities in your graveyard. It doesn’t care whether or not they were cycled to get there. |
