Havoc Eater MTG Card

Havoc Eater can create card advantage by forcing opponent’s discards when dealing combat damage. Feeding it creatures for acceleration can lead to a powerful board presence and strategy facilitation. Its mere presence potentially influences opponent’s plays, even at instant speed without direct action.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Flying,Goad
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

Flying When Havoc Eater enters the battlefield, for each opponent, goad up to one target creature that opponent controls. Put X +1/+1 counters on Havoc Eater, where X is the total power of creatures goaded this way.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Havoc Eater can potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy by forcing them to discard cards, thereby giving you a leg up in terms of card advantage. Each time it deals combat damage, you could create a significant gap between your resources and your opponent’s.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability to sacrifice other creatures, Havoc Eater can indirectly contribute to resource acceleration. Feeding it creatures that have fulfilled their purpose or that provide benefits when sacrificed can pave the way for a more powerful board presence.

Instant Speed: While Havoc Eater itself may not operate at instant speed, its mere presence can influence your opponent’s decisions at instant speed. Knowing it can grow rapidly and deal substantial damage might deter an opponent from making aggressive plays, essentially extending its impact to your opponent’s turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Havoc Eater necessitates a discard from your hand to activate its ability, often leading to a tough decision for the player if their hand is already depleted or contains high-value cards.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mix of mana to cast—black and red. This requirement could potentially restrict its inclusion to only certain deck archetypes, primarily those that can reliably provide the necessary mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s on the higher side, players might find Havoc Eater is a larger investment compared to other creatures in the same mana range. This can affect its playability, especially in fast-paced games where low-cost creatures are essential.

Reasons to Include Havoc Eater in Your Collection

Versatility: Havoc Eater offers flexibility in gameplay, slotting seamlessly into aggro and midrange decks. Its ability to threaten opponents with life total swings makes it adaptable to various board states.

Combo Potential: With its capability to double its power and toughness, Havoc Eater synergizes with cards that benefit from high-power creatures. This opens up intriguing interactions and amplifies various combo strategies.

Meta-Relevance: Considering its potential to rapidly change the pace of a match, Havoc Eater can be incredibly impactful in metas where life totals are under constant pressure and aggressive strategies prevail.

How to beat

Havoc Eater presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its potent ability to grow in power as it deals damage. To effectively counter this card, it’s important to prevent it from triggering its “feast counters” ability. Cards that can neutralize Havoc Eater before it wreaks havoc include instant-speed removal spells such as Path to Exile or Murder, which can dispatch the creature before the attack declaration. Ensnaring spells like Frost Breath can inhibit the creature from attacking, thereby blunting its impact.

Strategically, playing creatures with high toughness can serve as a roadblock to Havoc Eater’s attacks. Likewise, employing preventive measures such as Ghostly Prison or Propaganda can discourage or penalize the player from attacking with Havoc Eater at all. In addition, utilizing cards that restrict players from paying life, like Tainted Remedy, can negate Havoc Eater’s ‘feast counter’ ability since it requires the player to pay life to grow stronger.

When confronts Havoc Eater, being proactive and adapting your strategy is crucial. Removing it quickly or deploying disruption tactics can ensure your opponent’s plans are thwarted, and victory remains within reach.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Havoc Eater MTG card by a specific set like Murders at Karlov Manor Commander and Murders at Karlov Manor 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 Havoc Eater and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Havoc Eater Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2024-02-09 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by David Szabo.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 312015NormalBlackDavid Szabo
22024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 3412015NormalBlackDavid Szabo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Havoc Eater has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal