Knife and Death MTG Card
Text of card
Just a second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't move permanents.) One at a time, throw ten cards you own from outside the game onto the playing area from a distance of at least three feet (about one meter). For each of those cards, Knife and Death deals 1 damage to each creature or planeswalker you don't control that card is touching. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.
Cards like Knife and Death
Knife and Death stands out as a unique piece of the complex puzzle that is deck building in Magic: The Gathering. When we consider its abilities and strategic uses, we find analogies with cards such as Fatal Push, which also offers a way to deal with opponent’s creatures efficiently. Fatal Push can potentially remove larger threats for less mana, but it requires a specific condition to be met for its maximum effect. Knife and Death bypasses this with its versatile mechanic of having to sacrifice a creature to showcase its potential.
Analogously, we have Murderous Cut, which delves into your graveyard to become cheaper to cast, similar to Knife and Death, which also relies on creatures in the graveyard to fuel its morbid strength. Furthermore, Grasp of Darkness is another card that serves a similar purpose, ensuring a quick removal of threats with its lowering of a creature’s toughness. However, it neither scales with the game nor feeds off the graveyard synergies. This is where Knife and Death becomes an intriguing addition to decks that capitalize on death-triggers and graveyard interactions.
Comparatively examining these cards against Knife and Death, we see a pattern of removal efficiency balanced by different resource requirements and tactical setups. Knife and Death’s dual functionality and synergy with certain deck archetypes might afford it a special place in MTG players’ collections and strategies.
Cards similar to Knife and Death by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Knife and Death presents a formidable option for sustaining your grip on the game by enabling recurring card draw mechanics. This ensures you’re never falling behind on resources and keeps your tactical options varied. The more cards you have access to, the higher your chances of responding effectively to opponents’ moves.
Resource Acceleration: Beyond card draw, the card offers distinct avenues for accelerating your resources. This could manifest in the form of direct mana ramp, token generation, or other means to advance your board state more swiftly than your rivals. A card that speeds up your gameplay can be a game-changer, setting you up for victory by outpacing the opposition.
Instant Speed: The instant speed interaction of Knife and Death means greater flexibility during your match. You can optimally time your plays, responding to threats or opportunities as they arise and adapt your strategy with precision. Engaging at instant speed signifies control over the game tempo, allowing you to utilize your mana efficiently and keep adversaries on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Knife and Death presents a hefty price for its activation, insisting players discard a card. This can prove costly, particularly when your hand is already dwindling, potentially sacrificing crucial future plays or much-needed answers to opponents’ threats.
Specific Mana Cost: Designed with a precise mana alignment, Knife and Death requires a meticulous blend of resources to cast. This restriction may well confine its usage to decks specifically tailored around its color identity, potentially excluding a broad swathe of archetypes from harnessing its power.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While wielding potential to turn the tide of a duel, Knife and Death comes with a mana cost on the higher end of the spectrum. Avid players may find that other options available could fulfill similar roles without exacting such a toll on their mana resources, affording them a quicker or more versatile response to the evolving battlefield.
Reasons to Include Knife and Death in Your Collection
Versatility: Knife and Death offers a broad range of applications, whether you’re looking to clear the board or deal with single problematic creatures. It easily slots into various deck archetypes that appreciate flexible removal options.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that revolve around death triggers or benefit from the removal of opponents’ creatures. The versatility of Knife and Death makes it a linchpin in multiple combo setups, enabling diverse win conditions.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with creature-based decks, Knife and Death asserts itself as an essential tool. Its capacity to disrupt opposing board states and control the tempo of the game keeps it pertinent irrespective of shifting meta trends.
How to beat
Knife and Death is a card that might seem daunting at first glance, with its ability to skew the battlefield in favor of the user. However, with a strategic approach, players can find effective methods to counteract this card’s influence in a game of Magic: The Gathering. One common approach is to utilize instant-speed removal spells that can target and eliminate the creature before Knife and Death’s death-triggering effect can be utilized. Cards like Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile excel in this role, as they can bypass the potential advantage Knife and Death offers.
Another tactic is to employ graveyard disruption. Cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze can give players the upper hand by hindering Knife and Death’s ability to capitalize on death triggers, keeping opposing graveyards clear of potential targets. Furthermore, leveraging counterspells like Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent Knife and Death from ever hitting the battlefield, maintaining a player’s control over the game’s pace and keeping threats at bay.
Navigating around Knife and Death requires a balance of foresight and timing, cognizant of its potential yet ready with answers. When prepared, players can neutralize this card’s impact and maintain their position in the match, illustrating that even the most formidable cards in Magic: The Gathering have counter-strategies awaiting their deployment.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Knife and Death MTG card by a specific set like Unfinity and Unfinity, 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 Knife and Death and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Knife and Death Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-10-07 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by Caio Monteiro.
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Knife and Death card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-10-07 | Card sleeves are considered part of the card. If a thrown card (or its own card sleeve) is touching another card’s sleeve, it is considered touching that card. |
| 2022-10-07 | If a thrown card ends up touching more than one creature or planeswalker you don’t control, Knife and Death will deal 1 damage to each of them. You’ll gain 1 life for each of them. Knife and Death won’t deal damage to creatures or planeswalkers you control that get hit, and you won’t gain life for them either. |
| 2022-10-07 | If one of the cards ends up touching the object used to represent a creature or planeswalker token an opponent controls, Knife and Death will deal damage to it. |
| 2022-10-07 | Just a second is a variant of split second. Announcing Knife and Death instantly locks all permanents in place on the battlefield. As long as Knife and Death is on the stack, players can’t cast spells, activate abilities, or move their permanents. |
| 2022-10-07 | Knife and Death considers only the creatures and planeswalkers any of the ten cards are touching after you have thrown the tenth card and all cards stop moving. It’s possible that a card will land touching a creature but then will be knocked off that creature by a later throw. That is, assess damage only after all knives . . . er, cards have been thrown. |
| 2022-10-07 | No player may interfere with the throwing of the ten cards, including while they’re in flight. |
| 2022-10-07 | The ten cards must be traditionally sized Magic cards. They can be in card sleeves if you’d like, but not otherwise modified. They must be thrown onto the battlefield from at least three feet (about one meter) away horizontally. |
| 2022-10-07 | The thrown cards never actually enter the game. After Knife and Death finishes resolving, they return from whence they came, to thine sideboard or collection. |