Easy Prey MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Cycling
Released	2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set name	Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set code	IKO
Number	87
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ekaterina Burmak

Key Takeaways

Easy Prey offers instant creature removal and a card advantage against aggressive decks at early stages.
Cycling ability guarantees Easy Prey stays useful, aiding in deck resource acceleration and adaptability.
Limited to targeting creatures with power 2 or less, but versatile for decks that can leverage its utility.

Text of card

Destroy target creature with mana value 2 or less. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

The definition of "bite-sized treat" depends on who you ask.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Easy Prey offers the ability to eliminate a creature with a power 2 or less from the battlefield. This can effectively remove key early threats, helping to maintain board control and providing a potential card advantage against aggressive decks.

Resource Acceleration: Beyond its primary function, Easy Prey can be cycled for just a single black mana. Cycling not only helps you filter through your deck to draw into more resources but also ensures that the card is never dead in your hand. This kind of adaptability accelerates your access to the right tools at the right time.

Instant Speed: As an instant speed spell, Easy Prey offers the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s plays during their turn. This timing allows you to be reactive and strategic, keeping your adversaries guessing and potentially wasting their resources on threats destined to become easy prey themselves.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Some players consider the necessity to discard as part of the activation cost for Easy Prey to be a drawback, especially in game situations where maintaining card advantage is crucial. Losing an extra card can sometimes mean diminishing valuable resources too quickly.

Specific Mana Cost: Easy Prey’s mana cost is color-specific, requiring one black mana. This means that it can’t be easily slotted into just any deck, especially those that do not run black mana sources or those that are color-intensive in other hues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its ability to destroy a creature with power 2 or less, Easy Prey’s cost might appear steep when compared to other removal spells in MTG that can target creatures with a wider range of powers for a similar, or even lower, mana investment.

Reasons to Include Easy Prey in Your Collection

Versatility: Easy Prey is a flexible addition to any collection, seamlessly integrating into a variety of deck builds. Its low casting cost makes it a practical choice for early game interaction and a smart inclusion for efficient removal strategies.

Combo Potential: Boasting the cycling mechanic, this card offers players a chance to draw into more significant pieces of their combo or key cards necessary for their game plan, all while keeping their deck cycled and efficient.

Meta-Relevance: In environments teeming with low-cost creatures, Easy Prey has its moment to shine. It serves as a proactive answer to aggressive strategies that rely on cheap and potent creatures to overwhelm opponents quickly.

How to beat

Easy Prey is an unassuming yet potentially troublesome card that can disrupt early game plays in Magic: The Gathering. With its cost-effective creature removal for those with power 2 or less, it can swiftly take out key low-cost creatures pivotal to an opponent’s early strategy. To effectively combat Easy Prey, consider playing creatures with a power of 3 or higher to avoid its conditional removal. Keep in mind it also features cycling, allowing opponents to draw a card if the removal isn’t currently needed, underscoring the value of maintaining a diverse range of creature powers within your deck.

Playing around Easy Prey also involves careful timing and strategic sequencing of creature plays. Deploying creatures with strong enter-the-battlefield effects or those that provide value even if they are removed can mitigate the potential setback from this removal spell. By forcing opponents to make tough decisions on what to target, you’ll often be able to keep your most valuable creatures on the board and out of Easy Prey’s reach.

Ultimately, adapting to the presence of removal spells like Easy Prey is part of developing a robust strategy in MTG. Considering its limitations and planning your creature plays can provide you with the resilience needed to overcome such pinpoint removal tactics and advance your position in the game.

Cards like Easy Prey

Easy Prey may seem like a modest spell among removal options available in Magic: The Gathering, yet it harbors distinct qualities. Its direct comparison could be made with Dead Weight, as both cards serve to neutralize smaller creatures. Easy Prey offers the advantage of cycling, permitting the player to trade it for a new card, should it not find its target. Dead Weight, meanwhile, lingers on the battlefield, potentially disrupting enchantments or persisting as a deterrent.

Snuff Out also provides an alternative as a removal spell, requiring no mana if you control a swamp, at the cost of 4 life. The sacrifice of life points can be quite meaningful depending on your strategy, and the ability to cast it without tapping lands can be a tactical advantage. Go for the Throat is another similar spell, targeting non-artifact creatures for a quick exit. However, unlike Easy Prey, Go for the Throat is unable to cycle, making it less flexible in situations where the board doesn’t present an ideal target.

Accounting for the adaptability provided by the cycling mechanism, Easy Prey can be a particularly strategic inclusion in decks that value fluid play over raw power, maintaining momentum even when immediate threats are not present.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Easy Prey MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Easy Prey and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Easy Prey has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal