Infernal Darkness MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Infernal Darkness may disrupt your opponent’s strategies by influencing mana access, potentially giving you a tactical edge in the flow of the game. This translates into indirect card advantage as your opponent might not be able to cast their spells efficiently.

Resource Acceleration: Though not a direct accelerator, Infernal Darkness can act as a pseudo accelerator for you by hampering your enemies’ mana bases, especially in mono-black decks where the card’s downside is less impactful, allowing you to leverage your resources better.

Instant Speed: Although Infernal Darkness is an enchantment and not an instant, its effect can be akin to instant speed disruption. You can play it just before your turn to surprise your opponent, effectively acting under the guise of an instant by altering the state of play when your adversaries least expect it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Infernal Darkness requires continuous resource sacrifice to maintain its effect. This could lead to a significant card disadvantage over time, hampering your ability to respond to opponents’ moves or to develop your own strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation leans heavily on black mana, which might not always be readily available, especially in multi-colored decks. It could potentially be a dead card in your hand if your mana base isn’t properly tuned.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to cast Infernal Darkness is significant when compared to other control or disruption options available. There are numerous alternatives that can lock down the game or create substantial obstacles for your opponents without the ongoing cost to your own resources.

Reasons to Include Infernal Darkness in Your Collection

Versatility: Infernal Darkness can adapt to various deck strategies that pivot around controlling the game tempo. Its ability to turn all lands into producing only black mana for a duration can be pivotal in mono-black decks or those that heavily rely on black spells.

Combo Potential: This card excels when combined with strategies that minimize its downside, such as decks with a surplus of black mana or those that can capitalize on opponents being temporarily mana-screwed, potentially locking them out of casting spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that heavily favors multicolored decks or depends on specific non-black mana to function, Infernal Darkness has the ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies, making it an intriguing sideboard option, or even a main deck choice for the right build.

How to beat

Infernal Darkness is a potent enchantment card that can be a real challenge for players when trying to maintain a stable board presence. Its ability to turn all lands into essentially Swamps can disrupt many strategies, especially in multicolored decks that rely on specific mana typings to cast their spells. Nevertheless, there are effective ways to counter this card’s influence. Keeping enchantment removal spells in your deck, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, can swiftly take Infernal Darkness off the board. Moreover, cards with mana filtering capabilities will help sidestep the problem by allowing you to produce the necessary mana for your spells despite the change in land typing.

Another strategy involves planning ahead. Predicting when your opponent might cast Infernal Darkness and setting aside mana of the desired type in response can mitigate some of the card’s effects. Also, consider leveraging spells that can be cast regardless of color, or including cards that benefit from having many Swamps. Ultimately, the key is preparation and flexibility, striking a balance between having answers in your deck and adapting your playstyle to overcome the temporary setback that Infernal Darkness can impose.