Curse of Marit Lage MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Ice Age
Set code	ICE
Number	181
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Amy Weber

Key Takeaways

The Curse can provide substantial card advantage by hindering an opponent’s color-based strategies.
Demands strategic deck inclusion due to specific mana requirements and the potential for hand depletion.
It’s a meta-relevant card with versatility in disrupting multicolored or specific land-dependent decks.

Text of card

When Curse of Marit Lage comes into play, tap all islands. Islands do not untap during their controller's untap phase.

"Our world has not felt her thundering steps in lifetimes, but Marit Lage's presence is still with us." —Halvor Arenson, Kjeldoran Priest

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Curse of Marit Lage can lock out an opponent’s particular color, potentially leading to a significant card advantage over time. This can manipulate the flow of the game, especially when you’re able to target the predominant color in your opponent’s deck, thereby diminishing their ability to play cards from their hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing resource acceleration, this card can indirectly influence your own resources by stalling your opponent’s strategies. This gives you crucial time to build up your board presence and mana base without pressure.

Instant Speed: As an enchantment, Curse of Marit Lage doesn’t have the instant speed itself. However, its presence on the battlefield can force your opponent to play at instant speed, reacting to the limiting conditions by playing spells and abilities within a narrowed time frame before their mana becomes locked.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To unleash the icy wrath of Curse of Marit Lage, you’ll need to part ways with another card from your hand. This requisite sacrifice can leave you at a strategic disadvantage, especially when your hand size dwindles and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Commanding a dedicated blend of two islands’ essence, this spell’s demand for specific mana affiliation restricts its seamless integration, potentially clashing with the mana curve of multicolored or particularly agile decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its casting cost mirrors the harsh chill of its home, demanding a steep investment of four mana. When every resource is a step towards victory, there are alternative spells that may achieve similar, if not more flexible, control at a lesser expense, rendering this card’s cost-effectiveness a point of contention among players.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Curse of Marit Lage fits into various deck archetypes that aim to disrupt opponents’ strategies. The ability to lock down all non-Island lands can be pivotal in matches against multicolor or non-blue decks, making it an adaptable tool for control players.

Combo Potential: While it functions as a stand-alone disruption card, it can also be an integral part of a combo. It synergizes with cards that change land types or allow you to play additional lands, intensifying its impact and creating oppressive board states.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames dominated by greedy mana bases or reliant on specific land types, Curse of Marit Lage can hinder those strategies effectively. It’s a strong sideboard choice, particularly in formats where lands play a critical role in deck functionality.

How to beat

The Curse of Marit Lage is known for its disrupting prowess, locking down all Islands a player controls upon entering the battlefield. Its chilling grip restricts mana and can steadily tilt the game in favor of the caster. To navigate through this icy blockade, foresight and the right combination of cards are vital. Diversifying your mana base to include various land types beyond Islands can mitigate the curse’s impact, keeping your deck fluid and responsive.

Strategic inclusion of artifact mana sources or land cards with types other than Island ensure that even as the curse takes hold, your magic flows unabated. Enchantment removal spells such as Disenchant or Naturalize are also crucial. They serve as a swift countermeasure, dismantling the curse and freeing your lands. A clear understanding of the meta and preparation for such hindrances could be the difference between a win or a loss.

When contemplating deck construction or sideboard options, knowing cards like Curse of Marit Lage can emerge gives you the upper hand. Forewarned and forearmed, your deck can withstand such icy enchantments and maintain dominance on the battlefield.

Cards like Curse of Marit Lage

The Curse of Marit Lage is an enthralling artifact card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, with unique properties that draw a parallel with the tapestry of icy enchantments in the game. Comparable to Winter Orb, another card that impedes opponent’s resource flow, it resonates with the ability to lock down lands. However, unlike Winter Orb, which affects all players, the Curse specifically targets a single opponent, freezing their untapped lands with a chilling grip that can be a game-changer in one-on-one encounters.

Likewise, we can look at the enchantment card Stasis. It shares the concept of manipulating the playfield by not allowing lands to untap during the untap phase. However, Stasis is much broader, affecting all players and can ultimately dictate the tempo of the entire match. And there’s the Ice Floe card that also deals with the strategic freezing of lands, though on an individual basis, allowing for more precise and surgical control over an opponent’s resources.

When assessing the impact and strategic utility, Curse of Marit Lage offers a specialized approach, making it a formidable choice for players looking to capitalize on hindering an opponent without restricting their own flow of mana, thus creating significant leverage within MTG matches.

Cards similar to Curse of Marit Lage by color, type and mana cost

Unpredictable Cyclone - MTG Card versions

Dictate of the Twin Gods - MTG Card versions

Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded - MTG Card versions

Confusion in the Ranks - MTG Card versions

Yet Another Aether Vortex - MTG Card versions

Where Ancients Tread - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Curse of Marit Lage 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 Curse of Marit Lage and other MTG cards: