Covetous Urge MTG Card


Grants control over opponents’ strategy by accessing their hand or graveyard, turning their assets into your advantage. May enhance resource efficiency by casting spells with costs lower than Covetous Urge itself. Despite potential benefits, the card requires careful deck construction due to its specific mana cost.
Covetous Urge - Throne of Eldraine
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Released2019-10-04
Set symbol
Set nameThrone of Eldraine
Set codeELD
Number207
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byCarmen Sinek

Text of card

Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from that player's graveyard or hand and exile it. You may cast that card for as long as it remains exiled, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast that spell.


Cards like Covetous Urge

When it comes to disruptive strategies, Covetous Urge stands out in Magic: The Gathering. This card echoes the function of classic disruption spells like Thoughtseize, allowing a peek into an opponent’s hand. However, Covetous Urge goes further by letting you cast a card directly from your opponent’s hand or graveyard, a feature not found in Thoughtseize’s more straightforward approach.

Another similar spell would be Praetor’s Grasp. Like Covetous Urge, it gives you access to your opponent’s library and allows you to play that card. That said, Covetous Urge adds to the battlefield dynamics by targeting the hand and graveyard as well, plus it’s cast at sorcery speed, giving it a different timing in gameplay. Memory Plunder is also worth mentioning, permitting instant speed casting of instants or sorceries from an opponent’s graveyard, yet it lacks the crucial hand targeting ability that Covetous Urge provides.

Considering these aspects, Covetous Urge carves a niche for itself among disruptive spells in MTG. With its versatile targeting and the potential to swing a game by utilizing an opponent’s resources, it comes with a unique appeal for players who enjoy turning an adversary’s strength into their own.

Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Praetor's Grasp - MTG Card versions
Memory Plunder - MTG Card versions
Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Praetor's Grasp - MTG Card versions
Memory Plunder - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Covetous Urge by color, type and mana cost

Lobotomy - MTG Card versions
Barrin's Spite - MTG Card versions
Urza's Guilt - MTG Card versions
River's Grasp - MTG Card versions
Brainbite - MTG Card versions
Whispering Madness - MTG Card versions
Call of the Nightwing - MTG Card versions
Reap Intellect - MTG Card versions
Lobotomy - MTG Card versions
Barrin's Spite - MTG Card versions
Urza's Guilt - MTG Card versions
River's Grasp - MTG Card versions
Brainbite - MTG Card versions
Whispering Madness - MTG Card versions
Call of the Nightwing - MTG Card versions
Reap Intellect - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Covetous Urge offers the ability to pluck a valuable card from your opponent’s hand or graveyard, adding it to your hand for later use. This can disrupt their strategy and strengthen yours by essentially drawing a card you know will be effective.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly related to traditional mana acceleration, by taking a card that may have a lower casting cost than Covetous Urge itself, you can potentially play an extra spell utilizing your available resources more efficiently in subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: While Covetous Urge isn’t an instant itself, it does allow you to access instant-speed spells in your opponent’s hand or graveyard. This flexibility means that once played, it opens up reactive possibilities in your own game plan, aligning with instant-speed play strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Covetous Urge demands that you pick out and discard a card from opponents’ hand or exile, which can occasionally backfire if it leaves you without adequate answers from your own hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a highly specific mana cost, including both blue and black mana, which might not align well with more versatile or mono-colored deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sitting at four mana, including two that are colored, Covetous Urge is relatively expensive considering alternative disruption spells in MTG that might be cast for less and still produce substantial effects on the game’s outcome.


Reasons to Include Covetous Urge in Your Collection

Versatility: Covetous Urge offers a unique flexibility, capable of fitting into a variety of deck types. As a spell that allows you to peek into your opponent’s hand and exile a card, it can be used in control decks for disruption or in more proactive strategies where casting your opponent’s spells can turn the tide in your favor.

Combo Potential: This card demonstrates substantial combo potential by potentially giving you access to key pieces from your opponent’s deck. In combination with cards that leverage your opponent’s resources or graveyard, Covetous Urge can be a pivotal play that synergizes with a multitude of strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With a metagame that often cycles through periods where information and resource disruption are crucial, Covetous Urge can be an excellent counterplay to strategies relying heavily on specific cards or combos. Its capability of potentially turning an opponent’s strength into your advantage makes it a meta-relevant addition to collections anticipating fluctuating competitive scenes.


How to beat

Covetous Urge is one of those intriguing cards that can create a major shift in the control of a game within the realms of Magic: The Gathering. It allows a player to peak into an opponent’s hand and then exile a card from it or from their graveyard. This can offer a significant advantage by pitting an opponent’s own resources against them. Nonetheless, this strategic move can be circumvented.

To restrict the impact of Covetous Urge, players should consider minimizing the card options available. One tactic is to keep one’s hand empty or filled with less pivotal cards. Proper graveyard management is also essential; employing graveyard shuffling cards or utilizing cards like Tormod’s Crypt can nullify the advantage provided by graveyard targeting spells. Additionally, playing instant-speed interaction to disrupt your opponent’s game plan when they aim to play Covetous Urge can prevent them from exploiting their position. Being prepared for such disruptions often makes the difference in maintaining the upper hand.

While Covetous Urge presents itself as a strong strategic play, it can be overcome with careful hand management, graveyard shielding and timely counters. The intricate dynamics of MTG make room for these defenses to be a regular part of your game plan, ensuring you remain one step ahead of cards that threaten to use your own arsenal against you.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of disruption is key in MTG, and Covetous Urge is a prime candidate to add depth to your strategy. With its ability to glance into an opponent’s hand or graveyard, it opens up options to destabilize their plays and fortify your own. While you adapt to fluctuating metagames, including a card like this can be a game-changer. For those keen on harnessing the element of surprise and turning the tables with an opponent’s resources, this card is an essential addition. Dive further into the intricacies of Covetous Urge and other unique spells with us, and refine your deck into a formidable arsenal.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Covetous Urge MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine, 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 Covetous Urge and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Covetous Urge has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-10-04 Casting an exiled card causes it to leave exile. You can't cast it multiple times.
2019-10-04 Covetous Urge's effect doesn't change when you can cast the exiled card. For example, if you exile a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.
2019-10-04 If you cast an Adventure with Covetous Urge, it's you, not the card's owner, who may cast the creature later.
2019-10-04 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, the spell or permanent you control from Covetous Urge's effect is exiled.