Nihiloor MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Horror
Power 3
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Nihiloor offers a tactical edge by copying opponent creatures, greatly disrupting their game plan.
  2. Its abilities provide a mana advantage and offer diverse strategic plays for resourceful MTG players.
  3. Activating its abilities at instant speed ensures flexibility and keeps opponents on their toes.

Text of card

When Nihiloor enters the battlefield, for each opponent, tap up to one untapped creature you control. When you do, gain control of target creature that player controls with power less than or equal to the tapped creature's power for as long as you control Nihiloor. Whenever you attack with a creature an opponent owns, you gain 2 life and that player loses 2 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nihiloor allows players to exert control over the battlefield by creating card disparity. When Nihiloor enters the battlefield, it grants the controller the ability to create a token copy of an opponent’s creature, tipping the scale of card advantage in your favor. This can disrupt your opponent’s strategies and provide you with more options during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Upon utilizing Nihiloor’s abilities, the player not only gets a copy of an opposing creature but also gains access to additional resources. This can fast-track your mana development or offer alternative uses for mana, thereby enhancing your resource acceleration and providing strategic depth to your play.

Instant Speed: Though Nihiloor itself is not an instant, its Etchings of the Chosen ability can be activated at instant speed. This provides a significant advantage by allowing you to react to threats on the fly or surprise an opponent during their turn, all the while facilitating the use of mana efficiently and keeping pressure up at all times.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nihiloor demands a card to be discarded when its ability is activated. This can deplete your hand, especially problematic when you’re already behind in card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Its casting requirement involves a precise blend of colors, which could restrict deck-building options and make it less versatile across multiple archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an elevated cost to get onto the battlefield, Nihiloor competes with other impactful creatures and spells in the same mana range, which may offer immediate board presence or value without additional conditions.


Reasons to Include Nihiloor in Your Collection

Versatility: Nihiloor possesses a unique skill set that allows it to disrupt your opponent’s hand while simultaneously providing you with a creature. This adaptability can be critical for decks that aim to control the battlefield and maintain card advantage.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with strategies that capitalize on its creature stealing ability or when using sacrifice synergies. It works well with cards that benefit from controlling opponents’ creatures, thereby offering intriguing combo possibilities.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creatures dominate, Nihiloor’s mind control effect can turn the tides of the game. As the meta shifts, its relevance can increase, particularly in formats where gaining control of enemy creatures can decide the outcome of a match.


How to beat

Nihiloor is a notorious menace in the MTG realm due to its ability to bring opponents to their knees with its mind controlling powers. With this creature on the battlefield, the tide of the game can turn quickly, as it not only steals a creature from your opponent but also introduces an army of horrors if your opponent is unable to pay the toll. Overcoming this powerful force requires strategic planning and timely responses.

To counter Nihiloor, it’s essential to have removals or counterspells ready. Instant speed interaction, such as Swords to Plowshares or Counterspell, can prevent Nihiloor from ever taking control of a match. Moreover, having sacrifice outlets allows you to get rid of your own creatures before Nihiloor can take them, denying your opponent the chance to benefit from your loss. Additionally, running cards that can exile or bounce creatures back to the hand can mitigate the risks that Nihiloor poses. Prioritize dealing with Nihiloor immediately upon its arrival, as its formidable presence unaddressed can dominate the game unexpectedly. Remember, in MTG, knowing your enemy is as vital as mastering your own deck.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the nuances of Nihiloor is key to mastering MTG’s challenging environment. This unique card can pivot the momentum of any game, so leveraging its strengths and mitigating its weaknesses is essential. Whether you seek to fortify your control deck or simply to expand your collection with multifaceted cards, Nihiloor represents a fine blend of challenge and opportunity. Dive deeper into the realm of battlefield control, and tap into the strategic plays that Nihiloor enables. Want to enhance your deck-building skills and gameplay strategies? Let us be your guide to harness the full potential of Nihiloor and secure your next victory. Learn more with us and enrich your MTG experience.


Cards like Nihiloor

Nihiloor stands as an intriguing entrant among Mind Control themed cards in the ever-expanding Magic: The Gathering universe. It finds kinship with cards such as Sower of Temptation, both offering a way to temporarily gain control of your opponent’s creatures. Nihiloor differentiates itself with its longer-term impact, allowing you to maintain control as long as you pay homage to its parasitic demands.

In the same vein, we explore Domestication, a card that also seizes control of creatures, albeit with limitations based on power. Nihiloor sidesteps this constraint, but at the cost of a greater mana investment and the ongoing need to feed it other creatures. Moreover, Empress Galina presents itself as a legendary alternative, selectively targeting commanders and other legendary creatures, and similarly requiring upkeep to retain control.

Drawing a parallel, Control Magic is a classic example, albeit without the dynamic potential for creature growth that Nihiloor possesses. It’s the simplicity versus the multifaceted lattice of effects that Nihiloor brings to the table that distinguishes these similar spells. Ultimately, Nihiloor’s unique blend of control and creature advantage enforces its presence in decks aiming for a mix of domination and tactical utility.

Sower of Temptation - MTG Card versions
Domestication - MTG Card versions
Empress Galina - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
Sower of Temptation - MTG Card versions
Domestication - MTG Card versions
Empress Galina - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Nihiloor by color, type and mana cost

Ertai, the Corrupted - MTG Card versions
Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign - MTG Card versions
Marneus Calgar - MTG Card versions
Ertai, the Corrupted - MTG Card versions
Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign - MTG Card versions
Marneus Calgar - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nihiloor MTG card by a specific set like Forgotten Realms Commander and Forgotten Realms Commander, 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 Nihiloor and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Nihiloor Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2021-07-23 and 2021-07-23. Illustrated by Chris Rallis.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 3232015NormalBlackChris Rallis
22021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 532015NormalBlackChris Rallis

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Nihiloor has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-07-23 As Nihiloor's first triggered ability resolves, you choose up to one creature for each opponent, and tap them all at the same time. Then, a separate triggered ability is put on the stack for each creature you tapped this way. Those abilities are placed on the stack in the order you choose. If tapping those creature caused any other abilities you control to trigger, those are also placed on the stack at this time.
2021-07-23 Both the tapped creature's power and the target creature's power are checked both as you put the ability on the stack and as the ability resolves in order to make sure the target is legal.
2021-07-23 If Nihiloor leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield ability resolves or before its reflexive triggered abilities resolve, then you won't gain control of any creatures.
2021-07-23 If a creature you tapped for Nihiloor's ability is somehow no longer tapped as the reflexive triggered ability resolves, that ability will still resolve and you will still gain control of the target as long as it has less power than the creature you tapped.
2021-07-23 If the tapped creature is no longer on the battlefield as the trigger resolves, use its last existence on the battlefield to determine whether the target is still legal as the ability resolves.

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