Withercrown MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Number	119
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Miranda Meeks

Key Takeaways

Withercrown weakens creatures, enhancing your board position at a low mana cost.
Specific black mana requirement limits its use to certain decks.
It offers strategic control and meta relevance in creature-centric games.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature has base power 0 and has "At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life unless you sacrifice this creature."

"We'll see each other again soon." —Egon, god of death

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Withercrown provides an indirect form of card advantage by effectively neutralizing a targeted creature without outright removing it. It forces the opponent to decide whether to keep a hamstrung creature on the board or sacrifice it, often resulting in a loss of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Withercrown itself doesn’t directly offer resource acceleration, it contributes to maintaining your mana resources. By spending only two mana to essentially disable an opponent’s major threat, you can deploy your own strategy more efficiently, conserving mana for other pivotal plays.

Instant Speed: While Withercrown is an enchantment that can only be cast at sorcery speed, it complements instant-speed plays by taking care of creatures that could interfere with your end-of-turn tactics. Clearing the way with Withercrown during your turn can help your instant-speed interactions resolve with less opposition.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite its ability to weaken an opposing creature, Withercrown requires the player to potentially sacrifice card advantage. In a situation where maintaining a full hand is crucial, deploying Withercrown could pose a risk if it means discarding a valuable piece of your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Withercrown demands a specific black mana in its casting cost. This necessity restricts its inclusion to black decks or those with a reliable mana base that can support multicolor demands, potentially excluding it from various other deck archetypes that cannot accommodate or splash black mana effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost often considered steep for its effect, Withercrown may not always be the most mana-efficient option. Other cards at a lower mana cost might offer similar or better control effects, allowing players to maintain tempo without committing a significant part of their mana resources to a singular enchantment.

Reasons to Include Withercrown in Your Collection

Versatility: Withercrown is a flexible enchantment that can be effective in a variety of deck types. Control decks appreciate it as a removal solution, while black-based aggressive decks use it to neutralize potential blockers.

Combo Potential: In conjunction with sacrifice mechanics or cards that benefit from death triggers, Withercrown can become part of a powerful combo, turning it into more than just a simple control piece.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, creature-based strategies often dominate. Withercrown serves as an excellent response to protect against formidable creatures that your opponents might deploy, keeping you competitive in the constantly shifting meta.

How to beat Withercrown

Withercrown is an intriguing enchantment card that can alter the battlefield dynamics significantly by essentially neutralizing a player’s most prominent creature threat. Once attached, it renders the enchanted creature a minimal threat by changing its power to 0 and allowing its controller to sacrifice it unless they pay life. This change can shift the game’s momentum, but there are effective ways to outmaneuver this obstacle.

To counteract Withercrown’s debilitating effect, utilizing removal spells targeting enchantments can be highly beneficial. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant quickly dispose of such enchantments, freeing your creature from its withering hold. Moreover, mechanics that bounce your own creatures back to your hand, such as with Into the Roil, can save them from being ensnared by the crown’s influence, preserving your battlefield presence. Alternatively, sacrificing the afflicted creature for your own benefit before it becomes a life-draining liability can turn a disadvantage into a strategic play.

Assessing MTG card interactions and potential counters is key to any Magic: The Gathering matchup. Mastering these tactics can ensure that cards like Withercrown, while imposing, aren’t the end-all in your games. By having the right responses in your deck, you can maintain control and turn situations to your advantage, keeping you one step ahead on the battlefield.

Cards like Withercrown

Withercrown is a notable enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, fitting into the set of cards that focus on creature control. It can be likened to other cards such as Dead Weight; both attach to a creature and stunt its capabilities. Withercrown, however, adds a layer of strategy by allowing the enchanted creature to remain on the battlefield albeit weakened, forcing opponents into deciding whether to keep it or sacrifice it.

Another comparable card is Pacifism, which similarly restrains the opponent’s creature from attacking or blocking. While Pacifism completely neutralizes the combat abilities of a creature, Withercrown leaves the creature with a glimmer of function, only to be activated with the cost of life. Then there is Claustrophobia, which taps the enchanted creature and prevents it from untapping during its controller’s untap step, much like a permanent Pacifism unless dealt with.

Evaluating these cards against each other, Withercrown stands out due to its unique ability to potentially cause life loss for the opponent, offering a secondary path to victory outside of combat. This strategic edge finds Withercrown a distinctive place among enchantment-based creature control cards in MTG.

Cards similar to Withercrown by color, type and mana cost

Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions

Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions

Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Withercrown MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Withercrown and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Withercrown has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-02-05	Any effects that modify the enchanted creature’s power without setting it to a specific value will apply after its base power is set, regardless of the order in which those effects were created. The same is true of counters that modify its power.
2021-02-05	Withercrown overwrites all previous effects that set the enchanted creature’s power to specific a value. Other effects that set its base power to specific values that start to apply after Withercrown becomes attached to the creature will overwrite this effect.