Black Scarab MTG Card


Black Scarab - Ice Age
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set nameIce Age
Set codeICE
Number6
Frame1993
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byKaja Foglio

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed allows Black Scarab to be a surprise element, disrupting opponent plays when least expected.
  2. Can be a double-edged sword with its discard requirement, demanding careful hand management.
  3. Fits snugly in decks that exploit graveyard mechanics or prioritize creature control.

Text of card

Target creature gets +2/+2 as long as any opponent controls any black cards. That creature cannot be blocked by black creatures.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Black Scarab offers indirect card advantage by potentially removing multiple opposing threats with a single cast. This can shift the game in your favor by depleting your opponent’s resources while maintaining your own.

Resource Acceleration: If Black Scarab’s conditions are met, it may provide a form of resource acceleration by unlocking your mana for other spells. Efficient removal enables more aggressive plays or the development of your board without interruption.

Instant Speed: The instant-speed nature of Black Scarab ensures that you have the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategy at a critical moment. Reactivity during the opponent’s turn adds a layer of strategic depth to your gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Black Scarab demands a card discard to unleash its effects. This prerequisite can be a hindrance during gameplay, particularly when your hand is nearly empty and each card holds significant strategic value. This cost can force tough decisions and potentially stall your game plan if you’re not judicious with your resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Given its singular black mana cost, the Black Scarab may not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks. This imposes a deck-building constraint, as it necessitates a steady source of black mana to play effectively, possibly affecting the card’s versatility in various MTG matchups.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a notable mana investment required for activation, the card could be perceived as a costly endeavor. In scenarios where efficiency and curve are crucial, there might be alternatives that offer similar benefits without the steep cost. Budgeting mana in a game is essential, and as such, players may opt for more cost-effective creatures or spells that maximize their mana usage.


Reasons to Include Black Scarab in Your Collection

Versatility: Black Scarab is a robust addition to decks that seek to disrupt opponents’ strategies. Its ability to offer selective creature negation makes it adaptable across various game stages.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, working particularly well with strategies focused on graveyard manipulation or creature control mechanisms, hence enhancing overall deck synergy.

Meta-Relevance: Given the usual prevalence of creatures in competitive play, Black Scarab’s capability to manage the battlefield aligns perfectly with the current needs of many meta decks, making it a pragmatic choice for a range of matchups.


How to beat

The Black Scarab card presents a challenge on the battlefield with its unique abilities that can disrupt your game plan. Being able to shrug off damage and disrupt your opponent’s deck makes it a card that demands a strategy to overcome. To beat this card, it’s critical to deploy removal spells that can bypass its damage prevention or utilize abilities that force the card to be sacrificed, thus skirting around its conventional defenses. Cards with exile effects prove to be particularly useful here as they can remove Black Scarab from the game entirely, sidestepping its abilities.

In addition, establishing a formidable board presence quickly can overwhelm the Black Scarab’s controller, reducing the card’s impact. Alternately, focusing on enhancing your card draw can help you get to the answers you need more quickly, ensuring you have the tools to handle the threat it poses. Remember to anticipate any graveyard recursion tactics, where your opponent might try to bring Black Scarab back from the graveyard to the battlefield, and have a counter ready. Drafting a balanced deck with flexible responses is the key to ensuring that Black Scarab doesn’t cripple your gameplay.


Cards like Black Scarab

Black Scarab is a unique piece within the arsenal of MTG’s enchantments, drawing parallels to other existing cards like Dark Favor. Both enhance creatures with additional power but Black Scarab provides the added benefit of protection from a chosen color, giving it a strategic edge in combat situations.

Looking at Edge of the Divinity, we find a similar buff mechanism that grants +1/+1 for each color among the enchanted creature’s identity. While this can potentially offer a larger power boost than Black Scarab, it lacks the protective aspect which can be crucial during gameplay. Conversely, Shade’s Form equips a creature with regeneration, a useful defensive ability, but again misses the targeted color protection that Black Scarab affords.

Ultimately, Black Scarab’s ability to grant both a power increase and protection makes it a valuable card for MTG players. Its dual functionality can shift the tides of a match, showcasing how even small differences between similar cards can vastly affect in-game strategies.

Dark Favor - MTG Card versions
Edge of the Divinity - MTG Card versions
Shade's Form - MTG Card versions
Dark Favor - Magic 2012 (M12)
Edge of the Divinity - Eventide (EVE)
Shade's Form - Torment (TOR)

Cards similar to Black Scarab by color, type and mana cost

White Ward - MTG Card versions
Green Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Strength - MTG Card versions
Lance - MTG Card versions
Consecrate Land - MTG Card versions
Animate Wall - MTG Card versions
Black Ward - MTG Card versions
Blue Ward - MTG Card versions
Holy Armor - MTG Card versions
Red Ward - MTG Card versions
Land Tax - MTG Card versions
Brainwash - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Green Scarab - MTG Card versions
Blue Scarab - MTG Card versions
Armor of Faith - MTG Card versions
Kithkin Armor - MTG Card versions
Flickering Ward - MTG Card versions
Limited Resources - MTG Card versions
Mask of Law and Grace - MTG Card versions
White Ward - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Green Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Holy Strength - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lance - Revised Edition (3ED)
Consecrate Land - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Animate Wall - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Black Ward - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Blue Ward - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Holy Armor - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Red Ward - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Land Tax - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Brainwash - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Spirit Link - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Green Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Blue Scarab - Ice Age (ICE)
Armor of Faith - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Kithkin Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Flickering Ward - Tempest (TMP)
Limited Resources - Exodus (EXO)
Mask of Law and Grace - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Black Scarab MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Black Scarab and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Black Scarab has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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