Kess, Dissident Mage MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kess, Dissident Mage excels at providing card advantage by allowing you to cast an additional spell from your graveyard each turn. This means each instants or sorceries has the potential to be used twice, tipping the scales in your favor by effectively doubling your usable resources.

Resource Acceleration: With the ability to delve into your graveyard, Kess gives you access to a wider array of spells throughout the game. This can lead to a form of resource acceleration as you’re not solely reliant on the cards in hand, but you can also utilize those in the graveyard, ensuring a steadier flow of options and strategies.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast spells at instant speed with Kess, Dissident Mage is of paramount importance. By enabling you to cast instants or sorceries from your graveyard during any player’s turn, this magic manipulator opens up avenues for disruption, surprise plays, and tactical advantages impossible for opponents to predict.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the key drawbacks of Kess, Dissident Mage is the discard stipulation attached to her ability. Every use necessitates discarding, which can be restrictive when you’re running low on card options and can potentially place you at a disadvantage against opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirements for Kess are fairly specific, demanding a combination of blue, black, and red mana. This restricts her inclusion to decks that run on a Grixis color scheme, potentially excluding her from various other multicolor combinations that might not be able to accommodate her mana needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of one blue, one black, one red, and one generic mana, Kess, Dissident Mage is not the cheapest commander to get onto the battlefield. While her abilities are strong, the mana investment is significant and could be deemed high compared to other commanders who offer immediate impact or lower cost alternatives.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kess, Dissident Mage offers flexibility to slot into a variety of decks, particularly those that revolve around instants and sorceries. Her ability to grant an additional casting opportunity each turn makes her a consistent performer in strategies that rely on spell recursion.

Combo Potential: This card is a powerhouse in combo decks, allowing players to recast pivotal spells from the graveyard. This can set the stage for powerful plays and synergize with spells that have cast or graveyard-triggered effects, amplifying the deck’s combo execution capabilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control and combo decks are prevalent, Kess, Dissident Mage stands out, providing an edge by enabling repeat spell plays that can disrupt opponents’ strategies or swing the game in your favor.

How to beat

Kess, Dissident Mage, stands out as a powerful spellcaster in the world of Magic: The Gathering. This legendary creature allows you to cast an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard during each of your turns, complicating strategies for opponents who must deal with recurring threats. Nevertheless, there are ways to ensure Kess doesn’t dominate the game.

Employing graveyard hate is an effective approach. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can exile cards as soon as they hit the graveyard, rendering Kess’s ability useless. Moreover, since Kess is prone to summoning sickness, using removal spells right after she hits the battlefield is key. Fast-acting spells like Path to Exile or Terror can dispatch her before her abilities even come into play. Other strategies include countering Kess with spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak when she’s cast, or using enchantments like Imprisoned in the Moon to neutralize her abilities without sending her to the graveyard.

Responding swiftly and prioritizing graveyard control can decisively dismantle the advantages Kess, Dissident Mage, poses, safeguarding your gameplay from her potential to turn the tide in favor of your opponent. By incorporating preventative measures into your deck, you can navigate around her powerful effects and maintain control of the match.

BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing Kess, Dissident Mage can significantly upgrade your spell-slinging experience in MTG, opening up a library of possibilities each turn. Whether it’s building a deck around her strengths, understanding potential pitfalls, or studying how she interacts with similar cards, our deep dive into Kess highlights the avenues to harness her full potential. If facing her across the battlefield, we’ve also shared sage advice on thwarting her formidable skills. As you continue your MTG journey, consider the insight and strategies discussed to refine your gameplay. Curious about incorporating Kess into your arsenal or crafting a strategy to best her? Connect with us to learn more and advance your mastery of the game.