Soul Spike MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant
Released	2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set name	Coldsnap
Set code	CSP
Number	70
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne England

Key Takeaways

Soul Spike’s alternative cost and instant speed allow for flexible, surprising plays in tight situations.
The card provides significant swing potential, affecting both life totals and board state to your advantage.
Its requirements and cost need consideration in deck building but offer high reward scenarios.

Text of card

You may remove two black cards in your hand from the game rather than pay Soul Spike's mana cost. Soul Spike deals 4 damage to target creature or player and you gain 4 life.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soul Spike delivers the dual benefit of damaging the opponent while gaining you life, a trade-off that can create a swing in board state without losing card economy. Additionally, its ability to be played from your hand or exiled with its alternative cost contributes to card advantage by providing flexibility in how and when you use your resources.

Resource Acceleration: Providing a strategic maneuver by allowing you to use the card without the commitment of mana cost, Soul Spike can be a form of resource acceleration. The card’s alternate payment option of exiling two black cards from your hand can be leveraged to circumvent conventional mana payment, thereby keeping mana available for other plays or unexpected interactions.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Soul Spike at instant speed grants you the element of surprise, enabling reaction to an opponent’s threats in real-time or at the end of their turn. Its instant nature also allows for strategic life-point management, potentially disrupting an adversary’s calculations for lethal damage or swinging the race in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soul Spike necessitates discarding another black card from your hand if you choose to cast it without paying its mana cost. This self-imposed card disadvantage can be particularly detrimental in situations where maintaining hand size is crucial for sustaining your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Soul Spike, you need four black mana, which is a significant commitment to one color. This can pose deckbuilding challenges, as it demands a heavily weighted mana base or acceleration methods to consistently have the necessary black mana available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, including four black, Soul Spike is pricey. Even though it offers both life loss for your opponent and life gain for you, there are other options in MTG that may achieve similar effects with a lower investment, making it less appealing in faster-paced decks or those looking for more cost-effective interactions.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Spike offers a unique blend of life gain and creature interaction, suitable for a variety of decks. It serves as an instant-speed response to threats, as well as a surprise finisher, adhering to the dynamic nature of many black deck strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can be played without paying its mana cost by exiling black cards from your hand, which can synergize with strategies involving graveyard play or discard effects, adding depth to combo-centric decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where life totals can be just as important as board presence, Soul Spike’s ability to disrupt opponent strategies while tipping the health scales in your favor keeps it relevant, especially in metas with an emphasis on creature-based aggro decks.

How to beat

Soul Spike is a pretty unique card in MTG that allows players to cast it by paying life instead of mana. This card can deal a sudden 4 damage to any target while giving its caster a 4 life gain, a legitimate swing in health points during a game. It can be a real game-changer, especially in decks that use life as a resource.

To effectively counter Soul Spike, it’s crucial to use strategy. Life gain prevention effects or spells that can counter when an opponent gains life, such as Tainted Remedy, are effective here. Additionally, instant speed removal or discard effects like Thoughtseize can force the card out before it’s ever cast. Deck resilience against peak damage and life gain can also be a key strategy. Cards like Leyline of Punishment or Erebos, God of the Dead which prevent life gain can nullify Soul Spike’s benefit. Keep in mind, versatility in your deck to handle such surprise plays can often make the difference between victory and defeat.

Consequently, while Soul Spike may pose a threat with its alternative casting cost and instant impact, a well-prepared player with the right tools can mitigate its effects and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Soul Spike

Soul Spike offers a distinct twist in the realm of instant-speed removal and life gain spells in Magic: The Gathering. Think of it as a shadowy sibling to the more straightforward Exsanguinate, which lacks Soul Spike’s ability to be cast for free at the expense of exiling two black cards from your hand. This makes Soul Spike an intriguing option in surprise defense maneuvers or last-minute lifeline scenarios.

Dark Ritual is another card that pairs well with the mechanics of Soul Spike. While Dark Ritual isn’t a removal spell, it does provide a burst of mana that can pay for Soul Spike’s cost efficiently, allowing for a powerful sequence of plays in a single turn. Conversely, Snuff Out can be cast for free if you control a Swamp, much like Soul Spike, but it solely engages smaller creatures, while Soul Spike can target creatures or players, enhancing its versatility.

In weighing these options, players may find Soul Spike’s costly free-cast condition and life gain combination a powerful asset in decks designed to exploit such synergies. Its strategic depth showcases the diverse strategies players can execute within the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering cards.

Cards similar to Soul Spike by color, type and mana cost

Hezrou // Demonic Stench - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Spike MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Soul Spike and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Spike has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Soul Spike card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2006-07-15	If you don’t have two cards of the right color in your hand, you can’t choose to cast the spell using the alternative cost.
2006-07-15	You can’t exile a card from your hand to pay for itself. At the time you would pay costs, that card is on the stack, not in your hand.
2006-07-15	You may pay the alternative cost rather than the card’s mana cost. Any additional costs are paid as normal.