Malevolent Whispers MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Madness

Key Takeaways

  1. Malevolent Whispers grants creature control, adding surprise and strength to your battlefield strategy.
  2. Red mana dependency and card discard are potential drawbacks affecting its strategic incorporation.
  3. As a versatile card, it can disrupt opponents and synergize with sacrifice strategies effectively.

Text of card

Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gets +2/+0 and gains haste until end of turn. Madness (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enhancing your control over the game, Malevolent Whispers gives you a temporary boost by gaining control of an opponent’s creature. This not only increases your battlefield presence but potentially denies your opponent a key piece of their strategy.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a direct source of resource acceleration, the ability to utilize an opponent’s creature for a turn can accelerate your own strategy. This can effectively turn the tide by allowing an additional attack or using the creature’s abilities to your advantage without investing in your own resources.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Malevolent Whispers is evident in its ability to be cast at instant speed. This allows for strategic plays during the combat phase or in response to your opponent’s actions, increasing its utility and surprise factor during crucial moments in a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Malevolent Whispers necessitates sacrificing hand advantage by making you discard a card, which can hinder your overall strategy especially when your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana required to cast this spell includes red mana, which can make it less flexible for inclusion in multi-colored builds that might not prioritize red mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total cost of four mana, including three generic and one red, this card comes with a steep price for the temporary control it offers. This can be a major setback when facing opponents that operate on a lower curve with more immediate threats or answers.


Reasons to Include Malevolent Whispers in Your Collection

Versatility: Malevolent Whispers is not just a threat removal; it can temporarily turn an opponent’s creature into an unexpected asset for you, potentially swinging the game in your favor with sudden, additional attack power or a key creature ability.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with sac outlets or effects that capitalize on controlling opponents’ creatures. You gain control, attack, and then potentially sacrifice the creature for an additional benefit, all within one turn cycle.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, the ability to take control of a crucial blocker or an attacker can disrupt your opponent’s plans. It’s a way to turn the tide using their own resources against them.


How to beat

Malevolent Whispers is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tides by granting temporary control of an opponent’s creature and giving it an additional power boost. To effectively counter this spell, players might consider keeping up an instant speed removal. Having the capability to destroy or exile the hijacked creature, as a response, can nullify the threat and potentially waste the opponent’s turn and resources.

Another strategy involves using hexproof to your advantage. Cards that grant your creatures hexproof will prevent Malevolent Whispers from targeting them altogether. It’s crucial to have these protections in place, especially if your deck relies heavily on key creatures. Lastly, keeping counter spells on hand ensures that when your opponent attempts to gain control of your assets with Malevolent Whispers, you are ready to stop the spell in its tracks.

In summary, to thwart Malevolent Whispers, prioritize instant speed interaction, protect your valuable creatures, and have counter measures ready. This approach keeps your board presence solid and maintains your defenses against such takeover tactics.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves knowing when to incorporate unique cards like Malevolent Whispers into your deck. With an in-depth understanding of its pros, cons, and synergies, this card can become a game-changer. Whether you’re capitalizing on its instant speed surprise factor or combining it with sac outlets for added benefits, Malevolent Whispers offers a way to skew the battlefield in your favor. However, it is crucial to consider its mana cost and discard requirement to ensure it aligns with your overall strategy. For tailor-made advice on integrating this card into your gameplay, visit BurnMana for guides and insights that will enhance your MTG strategy and collection.


Cards like Malevolent Whispers

Malevolent Whispers bears resemblance to other card-stealing effects in Magic: The Gathering. An apt comparison can be made to Act of Treason, which at three mana, temporarily gives control of any creature until end of turn. However, Malevolent Whispers distinguishes itself with a twist – it not only snatches a creature for a turn but also grants it a bonus to its power. Despite sharing the same mana cost, Malevolent Whispers packs in more punch with the added aggression it brings to the battlefield.

Diverging slightly, there’s Wrangle, which offers a similar effect at a reduced cost albeit with a limitation – it can only target creatures with power 4 or less. Although more restricted, its efficiency in early turns can be a game-changer. Conversely, Malevolent Whispers comes without such constraints, offering more versatility in the mid to late game. Finally, we have Hijack, which extends the treachery by commandeering artifacts in addition to creatures. While it’s broader in scope, it does miss out on the power boost that makes Malevolent Whispers uniquely aggressive.

Assessing these cards side by side, Malevolent Whispers secures a position as a formidable option for players looking to gain the upper hand with a temporary yet powerful creature control spell.

Act of Treason - MTG Card versions
Wrangle - MTG Card versions
Hijack - MTG Card versions
Act of Treason - MTG Card versions
Wrangle - MTG Card versions
Hijack - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Malevolent Whispers MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Ultimate Masters, 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 Malevolent Whispers and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Malevolent Whispers Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2019-08-23. Illustrated by Greg Staples.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 1732015NormalBlackGreg Staples
22018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 1392015NormalBlackGreg Staples
32019-08-23Commander 2019C19 1502015NormalBlackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Malevolent Whispers has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2016-04-08 A spell cast for its madness cost is put onto the stack like any other spell. It can be countered, copied, and so on. As it resolves, it’s put onto the battlefield if it’s a permanent card or into its owner’s graveyard if it’s an instant or sorcery card.
2016-04-08 Cards are discarded in a Magic game only from a player’s hand. Effects that put cards from a player’s library into that player’s graveyard do not cause those cards to be discarded.
2016-04-08 Casting a spell for its madness cost doesn’t change its mana cost or its converted mana cost. You just pay the madness cost instead.
2016-04-08 Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its madness cost, too.
2016-04-08 If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it’s put into your graveyard. You don’t get another chance to cast it later.
2016-04-08 If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability, that card’s madness trigger (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.
2016-04-08 If you discard a card with madness while resolving a spell or ability, it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability—the card is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness trigger will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.
2016-04-08 Madness works independently of why you’re discarding the card. You could discard it to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or even because you have too many cards in your hand at the end of your turn. You can’t discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.
2016-04-08 When you cast a card with madness, it was still discarded. If it was discarded to pay a cost, that cost is still paid. Abilities that trigger when a card is discarded will still trigger.
2018-12-07 Gaining control of a creature doesn’t cause you to gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it, even though those remain attached to it.
2018-12-07 Malevolent Whispers can target any creature, even one that’s untapped or one you already control.

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