Artificer's Hex MTG Card

Artificer’s Hex can indirectly provide card advantage by negating opponents’ equipment investments. Playing at instant speed, it disrupts opponents’ plans, offering strategic flexibility during games. Demands discard and has specific mana cost, which may limit some deck strategies.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2013-07-19
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2014
Set code	M14
Number	85
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Franz Vohwinkel

Text of card

Enchant Equipment At the beginning of your upkeep, if enchanted Equipment is attached to a creature, destroy that creature.

"Some treasures aren't worth finding, let alone stealing." —Dack Fayden

Cards like Artificer's Hex

Artificer’s Hex is a unique enchantment that targets a magic-infused object, a staple of any MTG player seeking to neutralize threatening equipment. Its nearest kin, perhaps, is Phyrexian Revoker. While Phyrexian Revoker preemptively shuts down activated abilities of any nonland card, Artificer’s Hex is more specialized, crippling only equipment to which it is attached by dealing damage to the equipment’s controller for each activation cost.

Analogous to Artificer’s Hex, there’s Trusty Machete. Both enchantments focus on manipulating the power of equipment. However, Trusty Machete lacks the direct punitive aspect, favoring instead a bolstering approach. Artificer’s Hex excels by turning an opponent’s advantage into a potential obstacle. Revoke Existence could also be mentioned in this context; it’s more definitive, completely exiling a troublesome artifact or enchantment, but doesn’t offer the ongoing deterrent provided by Artificer’s Hex.

What sets Artificer’s Hex apart from this band of enchantments and removal spells is its ability to transform an opponent’s key equipment into a liability, potentially affecting their strategy during the entire game. This versatility makes Artificer’s Hex a tactical choice for disrupting enemy lines and for players, an intriguing tool for control decks.

Cards similar to Artificer's Hex by color, type and mana cost

Volrath's Motion Sensor - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Artificer’s Hex offers a strategic edge by potentially rendering an opponent’s equipped creature less effective, indirectly contributing to card advantage by negating the value of the equipment card.

Resource Acceleration: While Artificer’s Hex itself does not directly provide resource acceleration, it can slow down an opponent’s advancement by handicapping their equipment-based strategies, thereby allowing you to maintain or escalate your presence on the board.

Instant Speed: The capacity to play Artificer’s Hex at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to threats immediately, disrupting an opponent’s planned interactions or combat strategies at a moment’s notice.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Artificer’s Hex demands that you discard another nonland card from your hand, which might put you at a card disadvantage, especially when you’re trying to maintain hand presence against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Artificer’s Hex includes both black and generic mana, requiring a commitment to black mana sources, which can be restrictive for some strategies not centered around black mana or multicolor friendly bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the necessity to pay three mana for its activation, Artificer’s Hex has a comparatively steep cost in relation to other enchantments or removal spells that could potentially offer a more immediate or impactful effect on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Artificer’s Hex provides a unique angle in deck building, offering enchantment-based artifact disruption. This can be a tactical addition to sideboards or main decks that aim to counter prevalent artifact strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with strategies that target your opponent’s key artifacts. With Artificer’s Hex, you not only neutralize a threat but potentially turn it into a ticking time bomb against your adversary.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the constant presence of artifact-based decks in various formats, Artificer’s Hex can be a cost-effective way to gain an upper hand. It molds to the shifting landscape of competitive play, often giving you a strategic edge when artifacts become too dominant.

How to Beat

Artificer’s Hex is a unique enchantment that targets equipment cards in Magic: The Gathering, and facing it can seem daunting at first. This black enchantment can shut down some of the most powerful artifacts in your opponent’s arsenal, essentially rendering them a liability. To combat this, prioritize running versatile disenchant or artifact removal spells to eliminate both the hex and other threats. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant are staples that can seamlessly answer this type of disruption.

Moreover, consider adjusting your strategy to rely less on equipment-heavy synergies when Artificer’s Hex is prevalent in your meta. Emphasizing alternative win conditions can reduce the impact of this pesky enchantment. Deck resilience can also come from diversifying your threats, so that neutralizing your equipment does not halt your game plan. Utilize instant-speed interactions to dismantle your opponent’s attempts to set Artificer’s Hex on your valuable artifacts, keeping your key pieces safe and maintaining the upper hand.

Ultimately, while Artificer’s Hex can be a thorn in the side of those unprepared, adapting your deck to handle such specific counters can ensure you stay ahead of the game, no matter the threat that comes your way.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Artificer's Hex MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2014, 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 Artificer's Hex and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Artificer's Hex has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-07-01	In some rare cases, the creature the enchanted Equipment is attached to as the ability resolves isn’t the same one as the one it was attached to when it triggered. In such a case, the creature the Equipment is attached to when the ability resolves is destroyed.
2013-07-01	Players can’t pay an Equipment’s equip cost to unattach that Equipment to stop Artificer’s Hex from destroying a creature.
2013-07-01	The ability checks to see if the enchanted Equipment is attached to a creature as your upkeep begins. If it’s not, the ability won’t trigger at all. If it is, the ability will check again as it tries to resolve. If the enchanted Equipment isn’t attached to a creature at that time, the ability won’t do anything.
2013-07-01	This ability triggers at the beginning of the upkeep of the controller of Artificer’s Hex, not the upkeep of the controller of the enchanted Equipment or the creature that Equipment is attached to.