Kabuto Moth MTG Card


Kabuto Moth - Champions of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Abilities Flying
Released2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameChampions of Kamigawa
Set codeCHK
Power 1
Toughness 2
Number20
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byTomas Giorello

Key Takeaways

  1. Kabuto Moth excels in enhancing creature survival, turning the tides in combat scenarios.
  2. Its instant-speed ability allows for unpredictability and protection of key resources.
  3. Despite mana cost and color specificity, its versatility makes it a deck consideration.

Text of card

Flying : Target creature gets +1/+2 until end of turn.

"Many great warriors died in the first days of the war, as the spirits of their weaponry turned against them with terrifying rage." —*Observations of the Kami War*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kabuto Moth provides tactical versatility on the battlefield, letting you bolster your creatures’ defenses, potentially deterring opponents from attacking or ensuring your creature’s survival during combat, thereby maintaining your presence on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While Kabuto Moth itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its ability to tap and give a creature +1/+2 until end of turn can turn any creature into a more formidable blocker. This indirectly protects your resources by keeping more of your creatures alive and your life total secure.

Instant Speed: The Moth’s ability functions at instant speed, offering the element of surprise against an opponent. By leaving mana open, you can effectively bluff having other responses in hand, which can lead to advantageous misplays from the opposing side.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Venturing into the cons of Kabuto Moth, players should be aware that it doesn’t exactly come with a downside of discarding. However, its role in your deck might force you to opt for other cards, indirectly causing you to discard this moth if your hand is cluttered with other high priority creatures or spells.

Specific Mana Cost: Kabuto Moth requires a white mana to cast. This specific mana requirement means that it will primarily fit into white or two-color decks that can readily provide white mana, potentially reducing its versatility in a multicolored or colorless deck that might benefit from its tapping ability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not exceedingly expensive, the moth’s casting cost is set at three mana—two colorless and one white. For a creature that offers a defensive boost, there are other options within magic that could compete for a deck slot with lower mana costs or offering additional benefits beyond the +1/+2 toughness increase to a single creature.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kabuto Moth brings a unique level of adaptability to your deck, offering defensive capabilities that can be pivotal in protecting valuable creatures during combat.

Combo Potential: By tapping to give a creature +1/+2 until end of turn, this card seamlessly slots into strategies that capitalize on creature abilities, toughness alterations for damage prevention, and synergy with cards that have tap abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Kabuto Moth can serve as an effective countermeasure, enhancing your board’s resilience and potentially disrupting your opponent’s combat calculations.


How to beat

Kabuto Moth is a utility creature card that has been fluttering around in MTG decks with its unique ability to boost defense. Its capacity to grant +1/+2 to a target creature until end of turn makes it an asset in combat situations, particularly when fending off aggressive strategies. This card’s defensive capabilities shine even brighter when used in conjunction with creatures that have high toughness, turning them into formidable blockers that can outlive and outlast opponents’ threats.

To successfully tackle the challenge posed by Kabuto Moth, consider using removal spells that can bypass its ability, directly targeting and eliminating it before it can influence combat outcomes. Board wipes or removals that don’t rely on damage, such as ‘Path to Exile’ or ‘Swords to Plowshares’, can negate the Moth’s defensive buff completely. Additionally, employing instant-speed interactions will allow you to adapt to your opponent’s moves and disrupt their strategy during their turn, maintaining the upper hand. In essence, focusing on preemptive or reactive control elements will significantly diminish the Kabuto Moth’s impact on the game.

As a creature that enhances its fellow creatures’ survival chances, Kabuto Moth deserves attention during deck construction. Be equipped with strategies to neutralize it or risk letting your opponent’s defensive fortifications become an insurmountable obstacle.


Cards like Kabuto Moth

Kabuto Moth stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a creature that offers tactical flexibility in combat. Much like its kin Lantern Kami, which can change the outcome of battles by giving a creature flying, Kabuto Moth can similarly shift the scales with its ability to boost a creature’s toughness. Yet, where Lantern Kami leans towards improving evasion, Kabuto Moth excels at bolstering defense through its +1/+2 ability.

Contrasting closer entities, Veteran Armorer enhances the battlefield presence by passively increasing the toughness of other creatures, applying constant pressure on the opponent. Whereas Kabuto Moth requires a more strategic usage, calling for untapped mana and being on the battlefield ready for activation. Then there’s Topan Freeblade, which shares the vigilance trait and offers a more aggressive approach with its renown ability, providing a permanent power/toughness boost after dealing combat damage to a player.

In the realm of creature augmentation, Kabuto Moth offers a unique blend of defensive maneuvering, allowing players to react and adapt during the combat phase, giving it a distinctive place among its counterparts within Magic: The Gathering’s vast array of creature cards.

Lantern Kami - MTG Card versions
Veteran Armorer - MTG Card versions
Topan Freeblade - MTG Card versions
Lantern Kami - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Veteran Armorer - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Topan Freeblade - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Kabuto Moth by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Guardian - MTG Card versions
Field Marshal - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Hookmaster - MTG Card versions
Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Elvish Healer - Ice Age (ICE)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kabuto Moth MTG card by a specific set like Champions 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 Kabuto Moth and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kabuto Moth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks