Culling Mark MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 2014-02-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Born of the Gods |
| Set code | BNG |
| Number | 120 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Tomasz Jedruszek |
Key Takeaways
- Provides tactical edge by casting at instant speed, enhancing your ability to react and maintain board control.
- Demands precise mana and a discarded card, posing a challenge for deck diversity and hand size management.
- Despite its drawbacks, Culling Mark’s targeted removal is invaluable in creature-heavy metas, justifying its use.
Text of card
Target creature blocks this turn if able.
Hunt without Nylea's leave and you may find yourself the next quarry.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Culling Mark can potentially remove a creature from the game, providing a clear path to gaining an advantage on the board. This shift in power can lead to significant strategic benefits as you press the upper hand.
Resource Acceleration: By removing key threats efficiently, Culling Mark helps conserve your resources for other plays, allowing for a better allocation of mana and spells throughout the match.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Culling Mark at instant speed is a tactical asset, offering flexibility to respond to threats or actions from your opponent during their turn, which can disrupt their strategy and preserve your momentum.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Culling Mark demands that you discard a card in order to play it. This downside can deplete your hand, leaving fewer options for subsequent turns and reducing your overall strategic flexibility.
Specific Mana Cost: Culling Mark necessitates a precise blend of mana to cast, making it a card that is less compatible with multi-color decks that may not always have the green mana readily accessible.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost set at three, including two green, Culling Mark’s effectiveness is somewhat diminished when you consider the array of alternative removal spells available at a lower cost, granting you more efficient board control in a tight match.
Reasons to Include Culling Mark in Your Collection
Versatility: Culling Mark offers a straightforward solution to deal with problematic creatures without the need for specific colors, making it a flexible pick for various decks that require creature control.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies that capitalize on fighting mechanics or creature targeting, potentially clearing the board for pivotal game swings.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creatures with formidable abilities dominate, Culling Mark becomes a strategic asset, efficiently removing those threats at a low mana cost.
How to beat
Culling Mark is a Magic: The Gathering card that prompts a formidable challenge on the battlefield. Compelling a creature to block if able, this card can disrupt your opponent’s strategy and force unfavorable combat decisions. To gain the upper hand against Culling Mark, efficient removal spells are your best friends. Instant-speed spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can neutralize the threat by removing your own creature before the block, saving it from an adverse exchange, and dismantling your opponent’s plan.
Another effective strategy is to play cards that can give your creature indestructible for a turn, such as Blossoming Defense or Heroic Intervention. This way, even if forced to block, your creature can survive the encounter. Additionally, having creatures with death triggers or enter the battlefield effects can render Culling Mark less impactful. A creature like Reclamation Sage, which can destroy an artifact or enchantment on entry, can ensure you still derive value from it, while Culling Mark’s effect becomes a strategic misfire for your opponent.
The key to overcoming Culling Mark lies in anticipating its play and holding responses that either neutralize your creature or benefit you even in the forced block scenario. Knowing when to play these response cards will turn the tables and maintain your position in the game.
Cards like Culling Mark
Culling Mark is another interesting piece in the arsenal of removal cards within Magic: The Gathering. When we look at cards like Prey Upon, we see a clear resemblance in the fight mechanic where two creatures battle each other. Culling Mark forces a fight without the luxury of choice often given by Prey Upon, adding a layer of imposed strategy to the game. In contrast, Prey Upon allows for more control over the situation but lacks the direct nature of Culling Mark.
Differences come to light when comparing Culling Mark to Rabid Bite, a card that also simulates a creature fight, yet does so in a one-sided fashion with no damage returned to the aggressor. While Culling Mark instigates a mutual exchange of blows, Rabid Bite ensures the initiating creature stays unharmed. This makes Rabid Bite a safer play but does not pressure the opponent in the same way as Culling Mark might.
In essence, Culling Mark might not offer the safety net of Rabid Bite or the flexibility of Prey Upon, but it provides an option for MTG players seeking to force opponents into unfavorable trades or to remove key threats with the certainty that the fight will happen.
Cards similar to Culling Mark by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Culling Mark MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Culling Mark and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Culling Mark has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Culling Mark card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-02-01 | The controller of the creature chooses which attacking creature that creature blocks. |
| 2014-02-01 | The creature blocks only if it’s able to do so as the declare blockers step begins. If, at that time, the creature is tapped, it’s affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t block, or no creatures are attacking its controller or a planeswalker controlled by that player, then it doesn’t block. If there’s a cost associated with having the creature block, the player isn’t forced to pay that cost. If that cost isn’t paid, the creature won’t block. |
