Enervate MTG Card

Enervate can tap creatures instantly, offering a significant tactical advantage during crucial moments. Its instant speed allows for flexible, reactive gameplay, keeping options open until necessary. The card’s requirements and cost need strategic hand and mana management to maximize benefits.

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 67

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 84

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 47

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant

Text of card

Tap target artifact, creature, or land. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

"Worlds turn in crucial moments of decision. Make your choice." —Gustha Ebbasdotter, Kjeldoran Royal Mage

Cards like Enervate

Enervate, a blue instant spell from Magic: The Gathering, offers a subtle yet strategic advantage by tapping a target creature and preventing it from untapping during the next untap step. This card echoes the functionality of renowned cards like Frost Breath, which targets two creatures but lacks the instant speed that Enervate boasts. This distinct trait allows players to respond more flexibly to threats during the opponent’s turn.

Icy Manipulator is another classic that shares similarities with Enervate. Although Icy Manipulator is an artifact and not a spell, its ability to tap a target artifact, creature, or land has made it a staple control tool in many MTG decks. What sets Enervate apart is its low casting cost and the surprise element it can introduce to the game. Unlike Enervate, Icy Manipulator requires a small investment each turn to activate its ability.

Assessing the strengths and use cases of Enervate, it becomes clear that this card can be a game changer in the right circumstance. It allows players to temporarily neutralize a threat with precision, which, when timed correctly, can turn the tide of a game in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Enervate by color, type and mana cost

Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions

Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enervate’s unique ability to tap a target creature potentially neutralizes an opponent’s threat while leaving your resources available for other plays. This tactical advantage can prevent opponents from using their creature’s abilities, which might require tapping, providing you with a strategic edge.

Resource Acceleration: While Enervate doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, it can indirectly contribute to resource acceleration by buying you time. By tapping an opponent’s potential blocker, Enervate allows you to swing in with your creatures unhindered, leading to faster victory conditions and preserving your creatures for future turns.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Enervate means it can be played on your opponent’s turn, keeping your mana open and your options flexible. This allows for reactive play, letting you wait until the last possible moment before deciding whether to use Enervate or hold your mana for another spell or ability.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Enervate necessitates discarding from your hand, potentially depleting valuable resources and impacting your game strategy negatively if not managed carefully.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost requires both blue mana and generic mana, which may not fit seamlessly into all deck constructs, possibly restricting its inclusion only to specific blue-centric or multicolor decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the tapping effect it provides, Enervate’s mana cost might be seen as steep when compared to other options. Players may find alternative spells that tap creatures for less, thereby optimizing their mana usage more effectively.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Enervate offers the flexibility to fit into multiple deck archetypes, serving as a tool for temporarily neutralizing threats or prepping for a strategic play by tapping an opponent’s creature or artifact at a crucial moment.

Combo Potential: As an instant, Enervate can synergize with cards that profit from spells being cast on your opponent’s turn, or from their permanents being tapped, opening up avenues for inventive combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where tempo plays a significant role, Enervate can disrupt opponents’ plans by interfering with their combat phase or by stalling their mana resources, making it a timely addition to your arsenal against specific metagame conditions.

How to beat Enervate

Enervate is an intriguing blue instant card from the world of Magic: The Gathering that temporarily disrupts your opponent’s battle plans. This subtle but strategic card untaps target artifact, creature, or land, essentially setting up for a follow-up play or stalling an adversary’s crucial asset. The beauty of Enervate lies not in raw power but in timing and positioning, much like its counterparts from the infamous “boomerang” effects that return cards to hand.

Defeating a strategy involving Enervate hinges on outmaneuvering its timing advantage. Deploying cards that negate instant spells or utilizing abilities to shield your pieces from being targeted can effectively neutralize Enervate’s influence. Consider employing cards like “Grand Abolisher” to forbid your opponent from casting spells during your turn or “Prowling Serpopard” to render your creatures uncounterable. By building a lineup resilient to such tempo plays, Enervate’s impact can be reduced, maintaining the momentum crucial to achieving victory against decks wielding this deceptively simple yet cunning Magic: The Gathering trick.

Always be mindful of an opponent with untapped mana and unknown cards in hand that could signify the presence of Enervate or similar counters. Predicting and planning can turn the tide of the game in your favor, ensuring Enervate’s effect becomes a mere hiccup in your strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Enervate MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Enervate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Enervate Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Allen Williams.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE	67	1993	Normal	Black	Allen Williams
2	1997-03-24	Fifth Edition	5ED	84	1997	Normal	White	Allen Williams
3	2008-09-22	Masters Edition II	ME2	47	1997	Normal	Black	Allen Williams

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Enervate has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal