It of the Horrid Swarm MTG Card

Advantageous for increasing board presence with multiple 1/1 insect tokens, enhancing your creature count. Useful in ramp strategies for playing bigger threats early by sacrificing lesser creatures to reduce emerge cost. Effective with instant speed spells, surprising opponents by creating tokens at critical moments of gameplay.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	8
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Eldrazi Insect
Abilities	Emerge
Released	2016-07-22
Set symbol
Set name	Eldritch Moon
Set code	EMN
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	8
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jason Felix

Text of card

Emerge (You may cast this spell by sacrificing a creature and paying the emerge cost reduced by that creature's converted mana cost.) When you cast It of the Horrid Swarm, put two 1/1 green Insect creature tokens onto the battlefield.

Cards like It of the Horrid Swarm

It of the Horrid Swarm is an intriguing creature card in Magic: The Gathering with unique qualities worth comparing to others. Like It of the Horrid Swarm, Sifter Wurm is another larger creature with a seven mana cost, but it trades the Eldrazi’s insect-generating ability for life gain and scrying, helping fine-tune the player’s next moves. While Sifter Wurm’s immediate value can shape game outcomes, It of the Horrid Swarm’s strength lies in its swarm of tokens that presents a multiplying threat.

Brood Monitor also shares a conceptual lineage with It of the Horrid Swarm, birthing multiple creature tokens upon entering the battlefield. However, Brood Monitor costs one less mana and produces Eldrazi Scion tokens, which have a sacrifice ability for mana acceleration, unlike the Insect tokens spawned by It of the Horrid Swarm. The latter’s dominance is seen through its potential flood of insect tokens capable of overwhelming opponents.

Comparing these cards, we see that It of the Horrid Swarm’s capacity to alter the board by introducing a number of creatures makes it a solid choice for players looking to expand their battlefield presence amidst the vast ecosystem of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: It of the Horrid Swarm provides a swell in board presence by creating multiple creature tokens. Each token represents an additional card on the field, tipping the scale towards card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While this creature doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens that can be used as mana, it excels in ramp strategies. Its emerge cost can be reduced by sacrificing a smaller creature, essentially accelerating your resource deployment and allowing you to play a significant threat ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, It of the Horrid Swarm synergizes well with instant speed spells. Its ability to populate the board with tokens can swiftly be followed up with instant speed tricks or spells your opponents might not be expecting post-combat phase or during their own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although It of the Horrid Swarm offers the benefit of emerging from a sacrificed creature, this can be a setback when you’re forced to lose a valuable creature on the battlefield, which might otherwise aid your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: It of the Horrid Swarm has a specific mana cost that is heavily reliant on green mana, requiring a total of eight mana to cast traditionally. This makes it less flexible and hard to fit into decks that aren’t heavily green or lack the necessary ramp to accumulate such resources efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the flexibility of the emerge ability, It of the Horrid Swarm’s traditional casting cost is at the higher end of the spectrum. For eight mana, its 4/4 stat line can be underwhelming compared to other creatures you could play at a similar cost, which might provide greater impact, making it less attractive in environments where mana efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: It of the Horrid Swarm’s emerge mechanic allows players to sacrifice a creature for a cost reduction, making it a flexible addition for decks looking to utilize creatures both big and small.

Combo Potential: When you cast this card, you capitalize not only on the 4/4 body but also on the three 1/1 insect tokens created, perfect for strategies that benefit from swarming the board or sacrificing creatures for greater effects.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to flood the board and provide substantial presence, It of the Horrid Swarm can be particularly effective in environments where board presence equates to winning conditions, seamlessly fitting into the current creature-centric meta.

How to beat

It of the Horrid Swarm is a creature card known for its emerge ability, allowing players to cast it for a reduced cost by sacrificing another creature. This tentacled beast not only brings a formidable presence to the battlefield but also spawns several 1/1 insect creature tokens, making it a potential game-shifter.

To efficiently combat this multi-faceted threat, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place. Removal spells that can handle multiple creatures at once, such as board wipes or spot removal with additional effects, can be highly effective. Counterspells also serve as an excellent preemptive measure to stop It of the Horrid Swarm before it hits the board and its accompanying token army. Another avenue would be to limit the opponent’s creature pool, thereby increasing the emerge cost and making it less attractive as a play.

Remember that timing and resource allocation are key when facing It of the Horrid Swarm. Understanding when to disrupt your opponent’s plan and maintaining the ability to respond to their threats will help you keep the swarm at bay and guide you towards victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase It of the Horrid Swarm MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon, 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 It of the Horrid Swarm and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where It of the Horrid Swarm has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering It of the Horrid Swarm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2016-07-13	A creature’s converted mana cost is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner (unless that creature is the back face of a double-faced card, is a melded permanent, or is copying something else; see below). If the mana cost includes , X is considered to be 0. If it’s a single-faced card with no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it’s an animated land, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. Ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) that were paid as the creature was cast.
2016-07-13	A “when you cast” triggered ability resolves before the original spell resolves. It resolves even if the original spell is countered, and the original spell resolves even if the triggered ability is countered.
2016-07-13	Colored mana components of emerge costs can’t be reduced with emerge.
2016-07-13	Each card with emerge is colorless and has an emerge cost that includes one or more colors of mana. These cards are still colorless if you pay the emerge cost.
2016-07-13	If you sacrifice a creature with in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0.
2016-07-13	Once you begin to cast a spell with emerge, no player may take actions until you’re done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice.
2016-07-13	The converted mana cost of a creature spell with emerge isn’t affected by whether its emerge cost is paid. For example, if you cast Elder Deep-Fiend for its emerge cost and sacrifice a creature whose converted mana cost is 3, Elder Deep-Fiend’s converted mana cost remains 8.
2016-07-13	The converted mana cost of the back face of a double-faced card is the converted mana cost of its front face. The converted mana cost of a melded permanent is the sum of the converted mana costs of its front faces. A creature that’s a copy of either has a converted mana cost of 0.
2016-07-13	The creature chosen to be sacrificed is still on the battlefield up through the time that you activate mana abilities. Its abilities may affect the spell’s cost, be activated to generate mana, and so on. However, if it has an ability that triggers when a spell is cast, it will have been sacrificed before that ability can trigger.
2016-07-13	You may sacrifice a creature with a converted mana cost of 0, such as a token creature that’s not a copy of another permanent, to cast a spell for its emerge cost. You’ll just pay the full emerge cost with no reduction.
2016-07-13	You may sacrifice a creature with converted mana cost greater than or equal to the emerge cost. If you do, you’ll pay only the colored mana component of the emerge cost.