Plague Witch MTG Card

Nemesis (NEM)
2000-02-14 - Number 66

Eternal Masters (EMA)
2016-06-10 - Number 103

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Elf Spellshaper
Power	1
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Plague Witch enables targeted creature weakening, pivotal for certain MTG deck strategies.
Cost-effective and flexible, it contributes to deck tempo and complex combos.
Despite mandatory discards, it remains a strategic asset in graveyard-synergistic builds.

Text of card

o B, oc T, Discard a card from your hand: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

"I can ail what cures you."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Plague Witch has a built-in ability to discard a card in order to give a creature -1/-1 until the end of the turn. This can grant you the upper hand by disrupting your opponent’s strategy and potentially removing key threats.

Resource Acceleration: Although Plague Witch does not directly ramp your mana, its low casting cost contributes to a curve-friendly deck build, enabling you to play other spells sooner and maintain tempo.

Instant Speed: Plague Witch’s ability can be activated at instant speed, offering flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves. This grants you the control to make last-minute decisions that could alter the course of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Plague Witch demands a card to be discarded to exercise its ability. This can be a considerable drawback when your hand is running short of cards and each card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a combination of black and generic mana, Plague Witch may not seamlessly fit into multi-colored decks that are not focused on black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its ability to give a creature -1/-1 until the end of the turn, the cumulative mana and card cost could be seen as steep when there are alternatives that might deal with threats more permanently or efficiently.

Reasons to Include Plague Witch in Your Collection

Versatility: Plague Witch offers a flexible role in various decks, especially those revolving around graveyard mechanics or needing a repeatable way to achieve creature removal.

Combo Potential: As enabler for graveyard-based combos, Plague Witch allows players to discard cards that may have valuable interactions when in the graveyard, complementing strategies such as reanimator or madness.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where small creatures are prevalent, the ability to give -1/-1 to creatures can be extremely useful, allowing Plague Witch to act as a consistent board presence deterrence.

How to Beat Plague Witch

Plague Witch is a unique creature card often found in black decks within Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to discard a card to give a creature -1/-1 until end of turn provides strategic options for the controlling player, essentially weakening opponent’s creatures or even clearing the field of pesky 1 toughness creatures.

To counteract the tactical advantage Plague Witch offers, players need to be cunning. Enabling hexproof or shroud to your creatures is an effective strategy, as Plague Witch’s ability targets creatures. Consequently, making your creatures untargetable prevents her from diminishing their strength. Additionally, using instant-speed removal spells when she attempts to activate her ability can disrupt your opponent’s plans. This way, their card is discarded for no effect.

In summary, when facing Plague Witch, it’s essential to adapt your game plan accordingly. Shielding your creatures from being targeted or proactively removing the Witch through spells can neutralize her impact, ensuring she doesn’t become a recurring threat on the board.

Cards like Plague Witch

The Plague Witch card offers MTG players a unique blend of creature abilities and resource management strategy. In the realm of creature cards that enable the discard of another card to generate an effect, Plague Witch stands as a versatile option. It bears resemblance to cards like Stronghold Rats, which also allows players to discard a card but in contrast, it gives all players this ability. Unlike Plague Witch, Stronghold Rats doesn’t provide direct control over the effects on the board.

Another comparable card is Oona’s Blackguard, which has the potential to create card advantage when rogues you control deal combat damage to a player. While not directly offering the utility of discarding, the end result of diminishing your opponent’s hand can be quite similar. However, Oona’s Blackguard lacks the immediate board impact that Plague Witch provides with its ability to give -1/-1 to target creature.

When evaluating the utility and versatility Plague Witch offers in game scenarios, it definitely finds its place among nuanced discard-to-effect cards. Its capacity for targeted creature weakenings makes it not just a card but also a strategic asset in various deck builds that focus on controlling the board state.

Cards similar to Plague Witch by color, type and mana cost

Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions

Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)

Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)

Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Plague Witch MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis and Eternal 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 Plague Witch and other MTG cards: