Gloom Surgeon MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Spirit |
| Released | 2012-05-04 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Avacyn Restored |
| Set code | AVR |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 104 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Volkan Baǵa |
Text of card
If combat damage would be dealt to Gloom Surgeon, prevent that damage and exile that many cards from the top of your library.
He roams the streets of Havengul seeking the sick and delirious so that he may cure them of their lives.
Cards like Gloom Surgeon
Gloom Surgeon is a unique creature card that offers players a defensive option in the realm of black spells. This card is similar to the Wall of Omens, as both serve as reliable defenders. However, Gloom Surgeon comes with an intriguing twist – it exiles a card from the top of your library instead of taking damage. This self-exile strategy bolsters its survivability on the board, contrasting Wall of Omens’ simpler defensive strategy which draws you a card once it enters the battlefield.
Looking at another comparable card, we have Fog Bank, which boasts immunity to combat damage and can block creatures of any size. While Gloom Surgeon doesn’t prevent all combat damage, it effectively has the potential to block infinitely, provided your library can sustain the exiling mechanic. Finally, we compare it to Guardian of the Guildpact, a creature with protection from monocolored which can be an unassailable defender against many decks. While Gloom Surgeon doesn’t offer outright protection, its ability to evade destruction via damage provides an alternative form of resilience.
In the spectrum of Magic: The Gathering defensive creatures, Gloom Surgeon stands out for its unique approach to damage prevention, making it an intriguing choice for players crafting decks around library manipulation and longevity on the battlefield.
Cards similar to Gloom Surgeon by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Gloom Surgeon offers a distinct form of card preservation that can frequently result in retained card advantage. When it blocks, you exile cards from the top of your library instead of taking damage — this can protect your life total without losing creatures on the battlefield, effectively acting as a deterrent against attacking creatures.
Resource Acceleration: While Gloom Surgeon itself may not directly accelerate resources, it does enable resource protection, ensuring your key creatures and spells remain untouched and ready to be utilized for strategic plays. This can lead to a state where you can outpace your opponent by making the most of the resources at your disposal.
Instant Speed: Though Gloom Surgeon operates at sorcery speed, its persistent defensive capability often translates into comparable strategic depth as having an instant-speed interaction. It compels your opponent to reconsider their attacks, which can buy you crucial time to deploy your own instants and tricks during their turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Gloom Surgeon’s unique ability forces you to exile a card from your library whenever it blocks or becomes blocked. While its toughness keeps it alive, this effect gradually diminishes your library, which can be detrimental in the long run, especially if you’re enduring a drawn-out game.
Specific Mana Cost: Gloom Surgeon’s casting cost requires one black and one colorless mana, aligning it strictly with the Swamp lands. This specificity may hinder it from being easily incorporated into multi-color decks that may not always have the necessary black mana available when needed.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of two for a 1/1 creature, it may seem disproportionate when considering the creature’s modest stats. While its ability provides a degree of survivability, players may find other two-mana creatures or spells that contribute more dynamically to their overall strategy.
Reasons to Include Gloom Surgeon in Your Collection
Versatility: Gloom Surgeon offers a unique layer of defense for your lineup, fitting well into decks that value survivability and resilience against aggression.
Combo Potential: Its ability to exile cards from the top of your library can synergize with strategies focused on utilizing the graveyard or manipulating the deck.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta heavy on creature-based attacks, Gloom Surgeon serves as a consistent block against many threats, complicating your opponent’s combat decisions.
How to beat
Gloom Surgeon offers a unique challenge in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, boasting an ability that can make it a formidable opponent on the battlefield. This creature card finds its resilience in its ability to prevent damage and exile the top card of its owner’s library instead. What that means for players facing this elusive surgeon is that traditional damage-based removal like Lightning Bolt may prove ineffective. However, not all hope is lost for those who face this pesky threat.
To surmount the obstacle presented by Gloom Surgeon, players should pivot their strategies towards exile effects or -1/-1 counters which bypass the card’s protective ability. Cards like Path to Exile or Toxic Deluge can handle the surgeon efficiently, removing it from play without triggering its damage prevention effect. Moreover, strategies that target the opponent’s library can exploit the Gloom Surgeon’s weakness, as repeatedly exiling cards for its ability could lead to decking the owner out. Finally, don’t forget about enchantments that nullify abilities or change creature types, leaving this once tricky adversary as nothing more than a simple creature card easy to tackle.
Strategic adaptation is key in Magic: The Gathering, and knowing how to bypass the Gloom Surgeon’s defensive measures could be the difference between victory or defeat.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gloom Surgeon MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Gloom Surgeon and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Gloom Surgeon has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gloom Surgeon card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2012-05-01 | Combat damage that would be dealt to Gloom Surgeon will be prevented even if you can’t exile that many cards from the top of your library. |
| 2012-05-01 | If damage that can’t be prevented (such as the damage Malignus deals) is dealt to Gloom Surgeon, you’ll still exile cards from your library. |