Dark Nourishment MTG Card

Provides direct damage with life gain, pivotal for turning the game’s tide in your favor. Instant speed casting allows strategic reactions to opponents’ moves, optimizing game momentum. Valuable in aggro-heavy metas, it counters quick opponents and extends your play time.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2017-09-29
Set symbol
Set name	Ixalan
Set code	XLN
Number	97
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Josh Hass

Text of card

Dark Nourishment deals 3 damage to target creature or player. You gain 3 life.

Demons lurk in the shadows of ancient ruins, spreading plague and corruption across the land.

Cards like Dark Nourishment

Dark Nourishment offers a unique blend of life gain and direct damage in MTG. Resembling cards like Tendrils of Corruption, its capacity to deal damage while providing a health boost to its caster is a significant tactical advantage. Tendrils of Corruption also links damage to the number of Swamps you control, potentially causing more damage but without the fixed life gain Dark Nourishment offers. Essence Extraction is another peer, hitting for a fixed three damage and three life, but at a lower cost with the drawback of being limited to creatures only.

Albeit at a higher mana cost, Dark Nourishment does not discriminate between creatures and players, thereby expanding its utility. It stands as a flexible removal with a built-in life swing; a card like Flames of the Raze-Boar might deal more damage but lacks the life-gain advantage that can often be a game changer.

Furthermore, the ability to target opponents directly allows Dark Nourishment to potentially finish games, making it a compelling choice for players seeking versatile forms of reach and survivability within their MTG strategies.

Tendrils of Corruption - MTG Card versions

Flames of the Raze-Boar - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Dark Nourishment by color, type and mana cost

Death of a Thousand Stings - MTG Card versions

Rescue from the Underworld - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dark Nourishment offers a dual benefit as it deals direct damage and also gives you a notable gain in life points. Playing this card can create a swing in your favor by affecting both you and your opponent’s life totals.

Resource Acceleration: While this card itself doesn’t provide direct resource acceleration, the life gained can be a resource that provides more stability, giving you the flexibility to use your mana more aggressively in the game.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Dark Nourishment at instant speed offers significant strategic versatility. React to your opponent’s moves, save it for a crucial moment or use it to surprise an adversary at the end of their turn to shift the momentum of the match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Dark Nourishment provides a blend of damage and life gain, it does not mandate a discard upon casting. This card lets you maintain your hand size, which can help retain leverage in the game. Being mindful of your available resources ensures you can maximize the benefits of this card without the downside of card loss.

Specific Mana Cost: Dark Nourishment’s cost is weighted with specific mana requirements, including two black mana symbols. This specificity can make it less flexible, as it necessitates a deck with a solid black mana base to use effectively. Players with multi-colored decks might find it challenging to accommodate the mana needs without disrupting their mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of five mana, this card is seen as having a high investment for the effect it brings. In the mana curve of a deck, it competes with other impactful five-mana spells that could potentially offer more substantial board presence or game-altering effects. Hence, this can make Dark Nourishment a less optimal choice especially when your strategy requires maximizing efficiency for each mana spent.

Reasons to Include Dark Nourishment in Your Collection

Versatility: Dark Nourishment provides flexibility as a direct damage spell that also offers a lifegain component, making it suitable for various black decks in need of both removal and health stabilization.

Combo Potential: Its ability to target creatures or players opens up tactical plays, working well in tandem with death triggers, and could serve as a finisher in decks focusing on reducing the opponent’s life total swiftly.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where aggro decks are prevalent, Dark Nourishment can act as an essential lifeline that disrupts aggressive strategies, keeping you in the game longer against fast-paced opponents.

How to beat

Dark Nourishment is a unique instant from Magic the Gathering that offers both lifegain and direct damage, a combination that can turn the tide in a game. To counter this card effectively, strategy adjustment is key. First, prioritize maintaining a high life total that can absorb the hit from Dark Nourishment. This can be achieved by deploying creatures with lifelink abilities or utilizing spells that boost your life points.

Secondly, a well-timed counterspell can neutralize Dark Nourishment before its effects come into play. Cards with counter abilities are essential in any deck facing a strategy that relies on crucial instants like this one. Additionally, incorporating instant-speed removal can unsettle your opponent’s plans by eliminating targets for Dark Nourishment, hence curtailing its effectiveness. Keep an eye on your opponent’s mana pool, as the card’s higher mana cost can telegraph its casting, allowing you to hold your responses for the right moment.

Remember, shielding your most valuable creatures or your own life total from surprise damage is crucial, thus ensuring that Dark Nourishment becomes more of a minor nuisance than a game-deciding threat.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dark Nourishment MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Dark Nourishment and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dark Nourishment has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-09-29	If the target permanent or player is an illegal target by the time Dark Nourishment resolves, the entire spell doesn’t resolve. You won’t gain life.