Black Cat MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Black Cat hits the graveyard from the battlefield, it forces an opponent to discard a card at random, potentially disrupting their strategy and giving you an edge in resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Black Cat itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, its discard effect can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by potentially removing key pieces from your opponent’s hand, allowing you to advance your board state with less interference.

Instant Speed: The ability to block and sacrifice Black Cat at instant speed means you can choose the most opportune moment to trigger its discard effect, potentially catching an opponent off-guard and gaining a psychological advantage in the match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing the Black Cat card necessitates a situation where an opponent discards a card. This effect is triggered upon the death of the Black Cat, meaning you need the cat to be destroyed to capitalize on its ability. However, relying on your opponent to kill the cat, or having to sacrifice it yourself, may not always align with your strategy, particularly if you’re aiming to maintain a strong board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires one black mana to cast. While this is not particularly restrictive, it does require a deck with black mana sources. Players not running black or playing a deck with minimal black mana may find it challenging to seamlessly incorporate the Black Cat into their game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana for a creature that only has one power and one toughness, the Black Cat might occupy a slot where players could opt for more impactful cards. In environments where mana efficiency is key, using two mana for a relatively low impact on the board state could be seen as a detriment compared to other cards with similar costs that offer greater immediate value or power.

Reasons to Include Black Cat in Your Collection

Versatility: Black Cat is a multifaceted card perfect for any discard strategy due to its ability to force an opponent to discard when it dies, providing value in both offensive and defensive situations.

Combo Potential: Pairing Black Cat with cards that capitalize on death triggers or reanimation can lead to powerful combo plays, exploiting this seemingly innocuous creature for significant strategic advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where hand disruption is key to destabilizing an opponent’s game plan, Black Cat serves as an accessible and repeatable source of discard, disrupting tightly orchestrated strategies and giving you the upper hand.

How to beat

The Black Cat card in Magic: The Gathering serves as a subtle yet strategic piece in any deck, especially fitting within a discarding-oriented setup. Its deceivingly simple effect of forcing an opponent to discard a card when Black Cat dies can disrupt opponents’ plans and provide you with an advantage. To effectively counter this feline threat, consider options that eliminate creatures without triggering death-related abilities. Spells that exile creatures, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, render Black Cat’s ability null, as the creature doesn’t hit the graveyard to initiate its effect.

Additionally, utilizing cards that can grant you hexproof status like Leyline of Sanctity can prevent targeted discard effects from reaching you directly, further neutralizing the advantage Black Cat might grant an adversary. Another strategy is incorporating cards that benefit from discarding, thus turning the tables on your opponent’s tactics. Madness cards or those with abilities triggering from the graveyard, known as graveyard synergy, could leverage the discard to your favor. Devising a plan to either sidestep or subvert the Black Cat’s ability is key to ensure that this seemingly innocuous creature doesn’t erode your hand and strategy over the course of a game.