Army of the Damned MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Army of the Damned excels in delivering overwhelming card advantage by creating a vast horde of thirteen 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens. This capacity for generating multiple bodies with one card can easily shift the tide of a game and outpace your opponent’s resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Army of the Damned doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, the sheer number of creatures it puts onto the battlefield can serve as a form of acceleration for strategies focused on sacrificing creatures or powering up through sheer numbers. In addition, the card offers a flashback ability, essentially doubling its utility and maximizing the return on your mana investment over the course of a game.

Instant Speed: This card doesn’t operate at instant speed, but its potential impact on the board state is constructed to be so decisive that planning its casting around your opponent’s turns can give you unparalleled strategic depth. Don’t underestimate the value of well-timed sorcery-speed plays that set up victory conditions, especially with a powerhouse like Army of the Damned.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In decks where card advantage is crucial, the discard requirement of Army of the Damned can significantly hinder your hand, especially if you’re already under pressure and need all the resources you can get.

Specific Mana Cost: Army of the Damned demands a heavy black mana commitment with its three black mana symbols in its total cost. This makes it challenging to include in multicolored decks without a dedicated mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an eight mana value, Army of the Damned is often considered a late-game card. This can be disadvantageous in faster-paced games or against decks that aim to win before you can amass the necessary mana to cast it.

Reasons to Include Army of the Damned in Your Collection

Versatility: Army of the Damned is not just a late-game powerhouse but a flexible addition to any deck focusing on creature strategies or spells that scale with the game’s progress. Its ability to create a sizeable token army can swing the board state in your favor, regardless of the opponent’s defenses.

Combo Potential: This card is a combo enabler in decks that harness the power of undead hordes or benefit from numerous creatures entering the battlefield. Synergies with cards that capitalize on creature deaths or sacrifice can turn a single cast of Army of the Damned into a game-ending move.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of the game, Army of the Damned holds a place in metas where reanimator or swarm strategies are predominant. It has the ability to break stalemates and demand an answer from your opponent, often leading to a match-deciding moment.

How to Beat

Army of the Damned is a formidable spell in Magic: The Gathering, flooding the battlefield with an onslaught of 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens. This card can drastically turn the tide of a game if it resolves, but like all powerful forces in MTG, there are strategies to counter it effectively.

One effective approach is disruption. Counterspells like Counterspell or Negate can prevent Army of the Damned from ever hitting the field. Should the army of zombies be summoned, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board cleanly. In addition, targeted removal spells like Path to Exile or Terminate, although less efficient, can help manage the zombie horde one by one, keeping their numbers at bay.

Graveyard hate is also a viable strategy. Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace can neutralize the recursion threat that Army of the Damned carries in its flashback potential, thus protecting you from facing a second wave. Artifact-based disruption, like Tormod’s Crypt, offers a quick fix to flush the opponent’s graveyard in a pinch.

By employing these tactics, players can mitigate the devastating impact that Army of the Damned could have on a game and maintain control over the battlefield. Each tool in your MTG deck can be a potential answer to the challenge posed by this powerful card.

BurnMana Recommendations

Army of the Damned stands as a spectacle of strategic depth in MTG, promising to change the course of a match with its legion of Zombie tokens. Its potential to magnify graveyard-based plays or synergize with sacrifice strategies can propel your game to daunting levels. But its high mana cost and mono-black requirement mean it fits best in dedicated decks. To master the ebb and flow of this commanding spell, further your understanding of Army of the Damned and integrate it into your deck where it can reveal its full potential. Ready for a deep dive into tactics and deckbuilding? Join us and carry your play to new heights.