Grip of Desolation MTG Card

Offers significant card advantage by allowing you to remove two key opponent resources simultaneously. The instant speed of Grip of Desolation provides players with the opportunity to alter the game state at critical moments. Despite its powerful effect, the card’s high and specific mana cost can be restrictive, impacting its playability in some decks.

Grip of Desolation - Battle for Zendikar

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Devoid
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Number	94
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Lius Lasahido

Text of card

Devoid (This card has no color.) Exile target creature and target land.

As the hand closed, there was first terror, then numbness, and finally nothingness.

Cards like Grip of Desolation

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Grip of Desolation stands out as a potent removal option. It shares similarities with other removal spells, such as Utter End, which also allows a player to target and exile something troublesome on the battlefield. What makes Grip of Desolation distinct is its specificity in hitting both a creature and a land at the same time, something that Utter End cannot achieve with one cast. Utter End, however, boasts greater flexibility due to its lack of color-restriction on the target.

Comparative to Rain of Tears or Stone Rain, which solely focus on land destruction, Grip of Desolation adds extra value by also allowing you to remove a creature. Yet, it requires a larger mana commitment at six mana in its color requirement of black and colorless, which may not always align with a deck’s mana curve strategy.

Examining its place in a player’s deck, Grip of Desolation caters to those looking for a comprehensive removal, especially effective in formats where both creatures and lands can dictate the ebb and flow of control. Offering dual-target removal, this card ensures that it can be a game-changer in the right circumstances.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grip of Desolation presents a strong card advantage by allowing you to exile one creature and one land at the same time. This two-for-one deal disrupts your opponent’s board presence, efficiently eliminating key threats and potential mana sources in a single move. It’s a formidable swing that can shift the momentum of the game significantly in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Grip of Desolation itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its land removal aspect effectively acts as resource deceleration for your opponent. By taking out an important land, you’re hindering their ability to ramp up or utilize specific mana for pivotal spells, potentially setting their game plan back a few crucial turns.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Grip of Desolation offers strategic flexibility, presenting the opportunity to respond to threats in real-time. It empowers you to wait for the most opportune moment to act, such as when your opponent taps out or commits to a crucial play, ensuring maximum impact and disruption to their strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Grip of Desolation doesn’t require a card to be discarded, it demands a hefty price in terms of mana, which can be restrictive during gameplay, especially in fast-paced matches or when a player’s mana resources are already stretched thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Grip of Desolation’s casting cost is specifically intensive, requiring both black and colorless mana. This can make it difficult to cast in a multicolored deck that might not always have the necessary mana available at the crucial moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, including two black and four colorless, Grip of Desolation is on the higher end of the mana curve. This can make it less desirable compared to lower-cost removal options that might allow for a more efficient use of resources throughout the game.

Reasons to Include Grip of Desolation in Your Collection

Versatility: Grip of Desolation stands out as a flexible removal option capable of dealing with both troublesome creatures and land threats. Its ability to exile a creature and a land in one shot makes it a unique answer in formats where nonbasic lands can be as dangerous as any creature.

Combo Potential: This card excels beyond just removal; it opens up avenues for land disruption strategies and pairs well with effects that capitalize on opponents’ loss of resources, such as landfall triggers or graveyard-based strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where land-centric decks are prevalent or where indestructible or regenerate abilities protect key creatures, Grip of Desolation breaks through those defenses by exiling the targets, ensuring that they don’t stick around to cause problems for your game plan.

How to beat

Grip of Desolation presents a unique challenge in the world of MTG with its dual destruction ability, targeting both a creature and a land. To overcome the card’s menacing impact, strategic play is essential. Anticipating its six mana cost is key – with such a significant mana investment, players need to maintain their momentum by deploying low-cost creatures and diversifying their land base. This can mitigate the tempo loss if Grip of Desolation disrupts your board presence.

Countermeasures like instant-speed spell counters or cards that grant hexproof to your resources can prove invaluable. By protecting your essential lands from being exiled, you preserve the foundation of your strategy. Moreover, consider keeping mana open for counterspells when approaching the critical six mana threshold to swiftly negate the intimidating effect of this card. Successfully intercepting Grip of Desolation can turn the tide of the game in your favor, cementing your position and thwarting your opponent’s destructive plans.

Employing a mix of these tactics will prepare you to confidently navigate the match, regardless of your opponent’s attempts to unravel your game plan with Grip of Desolation. Solid deck construction, thoughtful play, and timely responses are your best defense against this potent spell.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grip of Desolation MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Grip of Desolation and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grip of Desolation has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-08-25	A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost.
2015-08-25	Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play.
2015-08-25	Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield.
2015-08-25	If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid.
2015-08-25	Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless.
2015-08-25	You must target a creature and a land in order to cast Grip of Desolation. A permanent that’s both a land and a creature can be chosen for both targets.