Unnatural Growth MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 206s
2021-09-24 - Number 365
2021-09-24 - Number 206
2021-09-24 - Number 206p
2022-01-28 - Number 206
2023-09-08 - Number 62
2002-06-24 - Number 94038
2023-09-08 - Number 75
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- It commands board presence by doubling creatures’ power and toughness, reducing the need for additional threats.
- Its static ability indirectly accelerates resources, empowering any new creatures immediately without extra mana.
- Consistent combat phase triggers from Unnatural Growth can disrupt opponents and require strategic responses.
Text of card
At the beginning of each combat, double the power and toughness of each creature you control until end of turn.
With the cycles of day and night unspooled, the twisted sway of the moon only grew. And grew.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Unnatural Growth doesn’t directly allow for drawing cards, but by exponentially growing your creatures’ power and toughness each turn, it compels your opponent to deal with an ever-escalating threat. This consistent board dominance means your creatures are likely to survive longer, reducing the need to draw into further threats.
Resource Acceleration: The card doesn’t produce mana or ramp, yet its static ability can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. Each turn your creatures effectively double in power, which means that any new creature you play will become twice as powerful by the next combat phase without any additional mana investment.
Instant Speed: While Unnatural Growth isn’t an instant-speed spell, its enduring effect has an instant impact on the game by allowing you to maintain a formidable presence. At the beginning of each combat, your creatures will effectively grow, catching opponents off guard and potentially disrupting their combat calculations.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Unnatural Growth doesn’t directly demand discard as a cost, but it’s crucial to acknowledge the potential card disadvantage. If the card is removed from the battlefield soon after it’s played, the substantial investment might not yield enough board presence, effectively feeling like a lost card.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring an exact blend of one green and four other mana, Unnatural Growth’s cost structure is stringent. Decks that run on a tight mana base or those that are multicolored might struggle with consistently casting it on curve, potentially causing delays in gameplay or card utility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Unnatural Growth enters the late mid-game arena, where players must choose their plays wisely. In competitive formats, other cards in the same mana range may offer more immediate impact or versatility, which could deem Unnatural Growth a higher risk choice for the potential reward it brings.
Reasons to Include Unnatural Growth in Your Collection
Versatility: Unnatural Growth stands out as a card that can amplify various strategies. It’s a perfect fit for decks that are creature-heavy and looking to enhance their battlefield presence dramatically each turn, making it a dynamic addition to green-heavy or multicolored aggro and stompy decks.
Combo Potential: With this enchantment, the combo possibilities are compelling. Imagine doubling your creatures’ power, potentially turning the tide in one combat phase. When combined with cards that have trample or ways to grant it, Unnatural Growth can end games unexpectedly and synergize with effects that count creature power.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based decks are prevalent, Unnatural Growth brings a significant edge. It scales your threats to overpower defensive strategies and makes every creature you cast an immediate concern for your opponent, thus maintaining its relevance in various competitive formats.
How to beat
Unnatural Growth is a powerful green enchantment that can quickly escalate the power of creatures in a Magic: The Gathering match. This card doubles the power and toughness of each creature you control at the beginning of each combat, making it a formidable force that can overwhelm unprepared opponents. Yet, like all cards, it has its Achilles’ heel.
Counterplay revolves around timing and disruption. Since Unnatural Growth only triggers at the beginning of each combat, instant-speed removal spells can be effective in managing the threat before it balloons. Directly addressing Unnatural Growth is also viable; enchantment removal in the form of cards like Disenchant, or Naturalize, provides an efficient solution to the problem. Another strategy involves preventing it from hitting the board altogether through counterspells. Furthermore, employing board wipes can reset the state of the game, negating the accumulated advantage provided by Unnatural Growth. Cards such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear out creatures regardless of their size, nullifying the impact of this mighty enchantment.
Understanding the strategies to dismantle the synergies powered by Unnatural Growth is crucial for any player looking to maintain control of the game and ultimately claim victory over their opponent’s green-enforced army.
Cards like Unnatural Growth
Unnatural Growth has carved its niche in the Magic: The Gathering universe as a powerful tool in green decks, especially those looking to increase their creatures’ size exponentially each combat. Shifting our gaze to cards that share similarities, we encounter the enchantment Doubling Season. While Doubling Season doubles the number of counters and tokens you produce, it doesn’t have the combat-specific trigger that Unnatural Growth flaunts.
Joining the league of green enhancers is the card Hardened Scales, which, albeit more subtle, incrementally adds +1/+1 counters to creatures as they accumulate them. It may not have the immediate impact of Unnatural Growth’s doubling effect, yet offers a solid, consistent advantage over time. Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider punches its way onto this list with its passive ability to double counters on creatures under your control, akin to Unnatural Growth’s intent to magnify power but also affects permanents, setting it apart with its versatility.
Ultimately, Unnatural Growth aligns with a strategy of swift and aggressive growth in creature size, positioning itself uniquely when matched against other growth-inducing cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its singular focus on combative might makes it a key player in green-centric decks that aim to overwhelm opponents quickly.
Cards similar to Unnatural Growth by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Unnatural Growth MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos, 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 Unnatural Growth and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Unnatural Growth Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 94038 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | ||
| 2 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos | PMID | 206s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 3 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 365 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 4 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 206 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 5 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Promos | PMID | 206p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 6 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 206 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 7 | Wilds of Eldraine Art Series | AWOE | 75 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Francoyovich | ||
| 8 | 2023-09-08 | Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales | WOT | 62 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Francoyovich |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Unnatural Growth has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Unnatural Growth card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-09-24 | If a creature's power is less than 0 when it's doubled, instead that creature gets -X/-0, where X is how much less than 0 its power is. For example, if an effect has given Bear Cub, a 2/2 creature, -4/-0 so that it's a -2/2 creature, doubling its power and toughness gives it -2/+2, and it becomes a -4/4 creature. |
| 2021-09-24 | If an effect instructs you to "double" a creature's power, that creature gets +X/+0, where X is its power as that effect begins to apply. Similarly, a creature whose toughness is doubled gets +0/+X, where X is its toughness as the effect begins to apply. |
| 2021-09-24 | If you control more than one Unnatural Growth, each one applies independently. For example, if you control two copies of Unnatural Growth, a 2/2 Bear Cub becomes a 4/4 creature when the first ability resolves and then becomes an 8/8 creature when the second one resolves. |
