Thelon's Curse MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1994-11-01
Set symbol
Set name	Fallen Empires
Set code	FEM
Number	77
Frame	1993
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Pete Venters

Key Takeaways

Grants additional draw power, enabling a wider array of strategic options each turn.
Reduces spell costs under specific conditions, allowing faster board presence.
Operates at instant speed, offering versatile responses to opponents’ moves.

Text of card

Blue creatures do not untap as normal during their controller's untap phase. During his or her upkeep, a blue creature's controller may pay an additional o U to untap it. Each creature may be untapped in this way only once per turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thelon’s Curse provides sustained draw power by allowing players to potentially draw an additional card each turn. This consistent access to more options is a significant boon in any game, securing an edge over opponents by broadening available strategies and resources.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment can edge you closer to victory by accelerating your resource generation. It can reduce the cost of your spells under certain conditions, enabling you to deploy threats or answers ahead of schedule—an invaluable asset in the race for board dominance.

Instant Speed: Thelon’s Curse operates at instant speed, granting you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions on the fly. This agility means you’re always prepared to counter threats or optimize your strategies without skipping a beat, keeping you one step ahead in the contest of wits and reflexes that defines Magic.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thelon’s Curse necessitates the discard of another card which can be a setback when your hand is already depleted. This condition could potentially cost you the advantage of having multiple options on subsequent turns and hinder your game plan, especially in formats where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires blue mana to cast, which restricts its inclusion to decks that run this color. Players not using blue in their deck construction may find Thelon’s Curse less versatile compared to more flexible enchantments that aren’t color-bound.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands two blue mana and an additional two generic mana, Thelon’s Curse can impact your tempo, especially in the early game. Alternative enchantments or spells might offer similar or better effects with a lower or more flexible cost, allowing for a smoother curve and more efficient mana usage.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thelon’s Curse is not just limited to one style of play or deck archetype. Its ability to influence elf and fungi themed decks makes it an adaptable addition, opening new strategic avenues for deck builders interested in exploring these creature types.

Combo Potential: Thelon’s Curse shines when combined with cards that benefit from the abundance of elf and saproling tokens it helps generate. Its synergy with cards that capitalize on creature tokens can significantly amplify your board presence and potential for victory.

Meta-Relevance: Given the constant evolution of the competitive landscape, Thelon’s Curse could see its value surge. With elves and fungi remaining popular among players, this card’s unique properties might give you the edge needed to outmaneuver opponents in an ever-shifting meta.

How to beat

Thelon’s Curse introduces a unique dynamic to the already intricate gameplay of Magic: The Gathering. Not just a card, it features abilities that can manipulate and challenge the flow of the match. To effectively navigate and conquer the challenges posed by this card, players need to understand its strengths and strategize accordingly.

For starters, having removal spells that can target enchantments or utilizing counterspells to prevent Thelon’s Curse from hitting the battlefield are excellent first lines of defense. It is also advisable to adjust your playstyle. This might involve holding back on creature deployment if Thelon’s Curse’s effects are detrimental to your game plan. Furthermore, emphasizing versatility in your deck build can allow for an adaptive response, giving you the tools to address and neutralize threats such as Thelon’s Curse efficiently.

Considering these approaches, MTG players stand a better chance at maintaining control over the game, ensuring that Thelon’s Curse doesn’t hamper their journey to victory. By anticipating and preparing for challenging cards like this, adept players can turn potential setbacks into opportunities for strategic advantage.

Cards like Thelon's Curse

Thelon’s Curse offers depth to the pool of blue debuff enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. It shares conceptual ground with cards like Frozen Aether, which also complicates opponents’ strategies by slowing them down. In contrast to Thelon’s Curse’s specific targeting of green creatures and their untapping ability, Frozen Aether applies its effect across all opponents’ spells and permanents, irrespective of color. This makes Thelon’s Curse surgically effective in certain matchups, especially in green-heavy metagames.

Looking at Curse of Chains, we find another enchantment that inhibits creatures but on an individual basis. Curse of Chains enables blue mages to lock down any threatening creature, an advantage when dealing with singular powerful threats. On the flip side, Thelon’s Curse may dampen the efficacy of an entire creature base, assuming multiple green threats are on the board. Then there’s Chilling Grasp, which can be a temporary stopgap, freezing multiple creatures for a turn. However, unlike the persistent nuisance of Thelon’s Curse, its impact is fleeting, making it a tool for more immediate tactical gains rather than ongoing control strategies.

Ultimately, Thelon’s Curse carves its niche among enchantment-based control in MTG by specifically targeting a color that is usually abundant with creature-based strategies. It can be a silver bullet in the right setting, exemplifying the nuanced strategic deckbuilding MTG is known for.

Cards similar to Thelon's Curse by color, type and mana cost

Favor of the Overbeing - MTG Card versions

Ongoing Investigation - MTG Card versions

Simic Ascendancy - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)

Secret Plans - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Ongoing Investigation - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thelon's Curse MTG card by a specific set like Fallen Empires, 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 Thelon's Curse and other MTG cards: