Hateflayer MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Abilities | Wither |
| Released | 2008-07-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Eventide |
| Set code | EVE |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 55 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Thomas M. Baxa |
Key Takeaways
- Hateflayer excels in controlling the board and gaining card advantage through repeated ability activations.
- Its mana-specific requirements shape deck construction, emphasizing strategic resource management.
- Despite a high casting cost, Hateflayer’s versatility and combo potential make it a powerful asset.
Text of card
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.) , {Q}: Hateflayer deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player. ({Q} is the untap symbol.)
It has no safe side.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Expanding your hand while exerting pressure on the battlefield, Hateflayer can potentially dismantle multiple threats by untapping and utilizing its ability again. This opens the door to outmaneuvering the opponent with superior board control and card utility.
Resource Acceleration: As it’s woven into red’s identity to tap and untap creatures, Hateflayer synergizes with cards that can untap it, giving you the opportunity to leverage its ability multiple times within a turn. This potentially translates to accelerating your resource advantage by removing essential threats your opponent controls.
Instant Speed: Hateflayer’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, allowing you to respond to your opponents’ actions on their turn. Whether it’s disrupting combat scenarios or eliminating newly cast creatures before they can make an impact, the flexibility provided by instant speed activation is a significant tactical advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of drafting Hateflayer into your deck is the necessity to manage your hand efficiently, as not having the right card to discard could mean missing out on its potential.
Specific Mana Cost: Hateflayer demands a precise mana setup with both generic and red mana. This specificity often confers a limit on deck-building, potentially making it less versatile compared to more flexible creatures.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Hateflayer boasts an impactful untap and deal damage ability, the cost of {5}{R}{R} can be steep. In a game where board presence and tempo are paramount, it’s considerable mana investment can lead to challenging plays, especially when faced against decks that establish quicker threats or offer lower-cost removal options.
Reasons to Include Hateflayer in Your Collection
Versatility: Hateflayer boasts an ability to be a powerhouse in both aggressive and control-oriented decks. Its untapping mechanism can serve as a reliable way to dish out damage multiple times in a turn or to strategically remove threats during your opponent’s turn.
Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that synergize with untap effects or with those that benefit from dealing damage without needing to attack. It can be a critical piece in combos that aim to win the game outright or that significantly tilt the board state in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that values impactful creatures and direct damage, Hateflayer holds its ground. It can adapt to various metas, punishing decks that rely on creatures while also posing a constant threat that can end games if left unchecked.
How to beat
Hateflayer is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique ability to deal damage without needing to go into combat. This card can definitely catch an opponent off guard with its untap ability enabling it to activate its damage-dealing effect more than once in a turn cycle. However, there are strategies to mitigate its impact on the game. One effective countermeasure is to keep your creature board state as flush as possible, making it less profitable for your opponent to target individual creatures with Hateflayer.
Additionally, cards that prevent damage or negate activation costs can be a thorn in the side of Hateflayer users. Consider cards like Pithing Needle, which can shut down Hateflayer’s activated abilities, or even general removal spells to clear the creature off the board before it can unleash its potential. Keeping a steady stream of instant-speed removal or counter spells can prove to be a nightmare for a Hateflayer user, as it restricts them from maximizing the card’s capabilities, especially during your own turn when they might aim to untap it.
In essence, while Hateflayer poses a formidable threat in MTG, a prepared player with the right countermeasures and board presence can effectively check its dominance and beat it in a head-to-head matchup.
Cards like Hateflayer
Within the diverse MTG landscape, Hateflayer emerges as a notable creature for its activation ability to deal damage. It’s akin to Kumano, Master Yamabushi, which also has the ability to ping creatures or players. However, Hateflayer brings a distinctive twist with its Wither ability, reducing the target’s toughness as well as causing damage. Kumano, on the other hand, lacks this particular trait.
Comparing with Heartless Hidetsugu, another card that can deal damage to each player, Hateflayer offers more targeted control, allowing for precise hits that can eliminate key threats or clinch the game. Also, Hateflayer’s untap ability synergizes well with effects that enable multiple activations per turn, a versatility that Hidetsugu doesn’t possess.
Exploring these alternatives uncovers Hateflayer’s unique standing in Magic: The Gathering. Its combination of targeted damage and toughness reduction, along with its potential for multiple activations, positions it as a card with a unique mechanics blend that can pivot the flow of play in its controller’s favor.
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Cards similar to Hateflayer by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Hateflayer MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Hateflayer and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Hateflayer has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Hateflayer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-08-01 | If the permanent is already untapped, you can’t activate its {Q} ability. That’s because you can’t pay the “Untap this permanent” cost. |
| 2008-08-01 | The “summoning sickness” rule applies to {Q}. If a creature with an {Q} ability hasn’t been under your control since your most recent turn began, you can’t activate that ability. Ignore this rule if the creature also has haste. |
| 2008-08-01 | When you activate an {Q} ability, you untap the creature with that ability as a cost. The untap can’t be responded to. (The actual ability can be responded to, of course.) |
| 2008-08-01 | Wither applies to any damage Hateflayer deals to a creature, which includes both its combat damage and damage from its activated ability. |
