Hero's Demise MTG Card


Hero's Demise - Betrayers of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Released2005-02-04
Set symbol
Set nameBetrayers of Kamigawa
Set codeBOK
Number68
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJim Nelson

Key Takeaways

  1. Strategically disadvantages opponents by eliminating crucial legendary creatures from their strategy efficiently.
  2. Instant speed provides flexibility, allowing timely disruption of opposing plays with minimal mana investment.
  3. The card’s specificity can hinder its versatility, but shines in metas with prevalent legendary threats.

Text of card

Destroy target legendary creature.

"What will it say on our graves, Lord Konda? Will it say we led our world to conquer immortal forces or that we were crushed by our own arrogance? At each defeat, I wonder." —Sensei Hisoka, letter to Lord Konda


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Hero’s Demise doesn’t let you draw cards directly, it effectively dismantles an opponent’s strategy if their deck heavily relies on a legendary creature or planeswalker. Removing a key piece can set them back significantly, which translates to a sort of card advantage in this context.

Resource Acceleration: While Hero’s Demise doesn’t provide resource acceleration like Treasure tokens, it’s highly cost-effective. At only two mana – one black and one generic – it allows for a streamlined use of mana resources, enabling you to efficiently deal with legendary threats and still have mana available for other plays in your turn.

Instant Speed: The strength of Hero’s Demise is vastly augmented by its instant speed. This quality provides flexibility as it can be used in response to an opponent’s actions, such as the summoning of a powerful legendary creature, or in reaction to the activation of a fearsome planeswalker’s ability, keeping you one step ahead during the heat of battle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Some may find that Hero’s Demise demands precise timing due to its requirement to target only legendary creatures. The need to wait for such a creature to be in play can be an impediment in fast-paced games or metas with fewer legendary creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: Being bound to a single black mana cost, Hero’s Demise can be a tricky fit in multi-colored decks that aren’t heavy on black mana sources. This limitation potentially restricts its utility across diverse deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana might not seem steep, in a game where speed can be critical, dedicating two mana to remove only a legendary creature can be cost-inefficient compared to other removal options that offer more flexibility or additional benefits.


Reasons to Include Hero’s Demise in Your Collection

Versatility: Hero’s Demise is valuable as it efficiently answers legendary creatures, a common thread in many decks across formats. This ability to snipe high-profile targets makes it a strategic sideboard or even main-deck inclusion.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece itself, Hero’s Demise disrupts opponents’ combos centered around key legendary creatures. Knocking out an essential part of an opponent’s engine stifles their game plan and provides you with a significant tempo advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Legendary creatures are ubiquitous in MTG, often forming the linchpin of many deck archetypes. Hero’s Demise remains relevant, especially in metas dominated by commanders or high-impact legendary creatures that demand immediate removal.


How to beat Hero’s Demise

Hero’s Demise stands out in MTG as an efficient removal option for legendary creatures. To effectively counter this card, it’s important to employ strategies that diminish its impact. First and foremost, diversifying your threats can mitigate the consequence of a single creature being targeted. Instead of relying on one legendary creature, spreading your power across multiple, non-legendary creatures can reduce the usefulness of Hero’s Demise in your opponent’s arsenal.

Additionally, using cards with hexproof or shroud to protect your creatures can leave your opponent’s Hero’s Demise stranded in hand, unable to be cast. Cards with instant speed regeneration abilities or indestructible granting effects can also serve as a safeguard, ensuring your key creatures survive. Lastly, you can use counterspells or discard effects to either prevent Hero’s Demise from resolving or remove it from play before it can be used. By adapting your strategy to anticipate removal spells like Hero’s Demise, you can maintain a strong board presence and carry your game to victory.


Cards like Hero's Demise

Hero’s Demise holds a niche role in the constellation of removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the assassin’s precision, targeting legendary creatures exclusively. This attribute aligns it closely with cards like Dark Betrayal, which also boasts a specialized removal, but instead focuses on monoblack creatures. Dark Betrayal offers the benefit of a lower casting cost, yet it doesn’t provide the same breadth of potential targets as Hero’s Demise does within its domain.

The comparison extends to niche answers such as Gild. This card, like Hero’s Demise, eliminates a creature but has the added value of creating Gold tokens. While it’s not limited to legendary creatures, Gild carries a higher mana cost, making Hero’s Demise a more efficient option for dealing with notable threats on the board. Then we confront the utility of Reaper from the Abyss with its morbid trigger capability, which could theoretically remove multiple creatures. However, this is contingent on other creatures dying in the same turn, whereas Hero’s Demise offers a targeted, immediate solution.

Assessing Hero’s Demise among its peers showcases its worth in decks ready to tackle legendary creatures with swift and unerring removal. While its application is situational, its efficiency in eliminating high-value targets makes it a powerful tool in the right context.

Dark Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Gild - MTG Card versions
Reaper from the Abyss - MTG Card versions
Dark Betrayal - Theros (THS)
Gild - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Reaper from the Abyss - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Hero's Demise by color, type and mana cost

Word of Command - MTG Card versions
Terror - MTG Card versions
Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Transmutation - MTG Card versions
Headstone - MTG Card versions
Soul Rend - MTG Card versions
Wicked Reward - MTG Card versions
Urborg Justice - MTG Card versions
Imps' Taunt - MTG Card versions
Rapid Decay - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Edict - MTG Card versions
Tainted Pact - MTG Card versions
Toxic Stench - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Cast Down - MTG Card versions
Smother - MTG Card versions
Sickening Shoal - MTG Card versions
Chill Haunting - MTG Card versions
Grim Harvest - MTG Card versions
Word of Command - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Terror - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Simulacrum - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Transmutation - Legends (LEG)
Headstone - Homelands (HML)
Soul Rend - Mirage (MIR)
Wicked Reward - Visions (VIS)
Urborg Justice - Weatherlight (WTH)
Imps' Taunt - Tempest (TMP)
Rapid Decay - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Diabolic Edict - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Tainted Pact - Odyssey (ODY)
Toxic Stench - Judgment (JUD)
Doom Blade - Magic 2012 (M12)
Go for the Throat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cast Down - Commander Legends (CMR)
Smother - Worldwake (WWK)
Sickening Shoal - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Chill Haunting - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Grim Harvest - Coldsnap (CSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hero's Demise MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Hero's Demise and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hero's Demise has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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