Defang MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	15
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steven Belledin

Key Takeaways

Defang ensures control over opponents’ creatures while maintaining card advantage, pivotal in MTG strategy.
This card fits various archetypes, offering enchantment synergies and strategic flexibility in gameplay.
While similar to Pacifism, Defang stands out with its additional clue token benefit upon the creature’s demise.

Text of card

Enchant creature Prevent all damage that would be dealt by enchanted creature.

Once vampires are disarmed, they're given wooden swords and forced to assist in the training of Midnight Duelists.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Defang shines in its ability to neutralize the threat of an opposing creature while maintaining your card advantage. Unlike removal spells that cost you a card, Defang effectively mitigates a threat and stays on the battlefield, ensuring that your resources aren’t depleted in the exchange.

Resource Acceleration: While Defang itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, by neutralizing a powerful creature, it allows you to stretch your mana further into the game. This can free up your resources to address other areas of the game or develop your board without the pressure of dealing with a high-threat target.

Instant Speed: The true power of Defang comes in its flexibility. Being at instant speed, it allows you to respond on the fly to an opponent’s threats. You can surprise an attacker by stripping it of its abilities mid-combat, thus preserving your own life total or disrupting an opponent’s combo during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Defang demands a particular creature target, which can be restrictive if the board state doesn’t provide optimal choices or if creatures with hexproof or shroud are in play.

Specific Mana Cost: Tapping two specific mana (one white, one of any color) can be tricky in multicolored decks, particularly if mana fixing hasn’t been established early on.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its lower cost of only two mana, when considering the evolving pace of gameplay, there are alternative enchantments or spells that can neutralize threats more effectively or come with added benefits.

Reasons to Include Defang in Your Collection

Versatility: Defang is a flexible card that can be seamlessly slotted into various deck archetypes. It serves as an efficient tool for neutralizing threatening creatures without having to remove them from the board, preserving card equity.

Combo Potential: Its enchantment-based control element has synergy with decks that capitalize on enchantment triggers and benefits, enhancing overall strategy with minimal cost.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where large, powerful creatures dominate, Defang can be a critical inclusion, mitigating potential threats and shifting the momentum of the game in your favor.

How to beat

Defang is an intriguing option in Magic: The Gathering for those looking to neutralize threatening creatures. Similar to other control spells like Pacifism, Defang has the power to effectively remove a creature’s ability to deal damage by preventing it from attacking or blocking. However, while simple removal cards completely eliminate the creature, Defang allows the creature to remain on the battlefield, albeit in a diminished capacity.

This subtle difference provides a strategic advantage as it leaves the enchanted creature available for other uses, such as being sacrificed for greater effects or abilities. It’s akin to Arrest, which also renders a creature powerless but goes a step further by preventing the use of abilities. The adaptiveness of Defang extends to its ability to not only defuse combat prowess but to also cling onto creatures that may provide benefits to the opponent when they leave the battlefield. This makes Defang a versatile option when facing creatures with lethal leave-the-battlefield effects.

Hence, when pondering control options within the realm of enchanting spells, Defang presents a unique middle ground. It strips away offensive power without fully disposing of the creature, paving the way for advanced tactical maneuvers in your gameplay.

Cards like Defang

Defang is a unique control spell in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to neutralize the threat posed by an opponent’s creature. It shares similarities with Pacifism, as both enchantments render the targeted creature unable to deal damage. However, Defang stands out through its secondary effect, providing a clue token when the enchanted creature dies.

Lignify is another card that comes to mind; it transforms the target creature into a harmless 0/4 Treefolk with no abilities. While Lignify offers a more lasting answer to problematic creatures by removing abilities, Defang’s clue token can serve as a future resource. Comparatively, Oblivion Ring also offers removal utility but can handle any nonland permanent and exiles it until Oblivion Ring leaves the battlefield.

Looking at these options, we can see that although Defang may not provide the most permanent solution or cover the broadest range of targets, its dual utility of taming a creature and potentially furnishing card advantage through a clue token presents a strategic choice for players considering control spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Defang by color, type and mana cost

Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions

I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Defang 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 Defang and other MTG cards: