Darkpact MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Darkpact trades life for cards, offering a chance to tilt game dynamics in your favor.
  2. Use at instant speed enables strategic plays without interrupting your main phase actions.
  3. Its specific mana cost and discard requirement may limit its use in diverse decks.

Text of card

Without looking at it first, swap top card of your library with either card of the ante; this swap is permanent. You must have a card in your library to cast this spell. Remove this card from your deck before playing if you are not playing for ante.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Darkpact offers a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to exchange life points for crucial deck cards, potentially swinging the momentum of the game in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Darkpact itself does not produce additional mana or tokens, the strategic selection of cards retrieved from your library can effectively lead to acceleration by enabling powerful combos or by unlocking high-impact plays sooner than usual.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Darkpact at instant speed gives you the flexibility to wait until the most opportune moment to pay life and secure the cards you need, all without disrupting your main phase plans.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Casting Darkpact demands the discard of a precious card. This steep price can hurt, especially when your hand is running thin and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Darkpact’s exacting mana cost, demanding two black and one generic mana, restricts its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce black mana, potentially sidelining it in multicolored strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing in at a total of three mana, Darkpact’s cost is hefty when judged next to other cards offering similar strategic value. Players often opt for alternatives that achieve comparable goals without such a significant investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Darkpact offers a unique effect that allows you to trade life points for a large card advantage, proving useful in decks that enable life gain or utilize life as a resource.

Combo Potential: This card offers synergy with decks that focus on paying life points for powerful effects, or those that can use the drawn cards as fuel for other combo pieces.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where controlling the board and maintaining card advantage are key, Darkpact can be a game-changer, providing the edge needed against slower, controlling archetypes.


How to beat

Darkpact is a classic card that challenges players with its unique trade-off – offering a significant boost to your hand at the expense of your life total. It’s a delicate balance, navigating the line between drawing power and self-preservation. To effectively counter this card, strategic deck building and timely card play are crucial. Control decks that can manage life totals, such as those that feature life gain, damage prevention, or countering abilities, can mitigate the risk and dull the impact of Darkpact. Similarly, cards that can remove it from play before it resolves, or that can shuffle it back into a library, diminish its threat.

Aggressive strategies also serve as a viable countermeasure by pressuring opponents who might risk activating Darkpact, turning their gamble into a disadvantage. Players should always be aware of their life total when facing a deck with Darkpact and be prepared to adapt their playstyle. The key is to carefully monitor the state of the game and be prepared to disrupt your opponent’s plan while protecting your own life total, making their Darkpact play a risky proposition instead of a surefire path to victory.


Cards like Darkpact

Darkpact holds its own among the myriad of unique spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its peers include the likes of Infernal Contract, which also demands a steep price for its benefits: paying half your life points to draw four cards. The similarity lies in the high-risk, high-reward strategy they both offer, tempting players to teeter on the edge for greater power.

Dark Ritual is another card that shares a conceptual lineage with Darkpact, offering a burst of mana at a minimal cost. While Dark Ritual doesn’t draw cards, it provides the immediate mana boost that can be crucial for fast plays or delivering that game-winning spell sooner. Delve deeper into the pool, and you’ll find Demonic Pact, a card that presents a selection of powerful effects but comes with the ultimate risk of losing the game if not handled correctly. While the implementations differ, the idea of a pact with dangerous consequences remains a thrilling and daring element in gameplay.

In examining Darkpact among its counterparts, it emerges as a tantalizing option for players who enjoy gambling with destiny for immense payout. The careful balance of risk versus reward makes it a spell that can turn the tides when played with precision in Magic: The Gathering.

Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
Demonic Pact - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - Mirage (MIR)
Dark Ritual - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Pact - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Darkpact by color, type and mana cost

Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Inquisition - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Call from the Grave - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Inquisition - The Dark (DRK)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Call from the Grave - Astral Cards (PAST)
Wicked Pact - Starter 1999 (S99)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 2000 (S00)
Grim Tutor - Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Darkpact MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Darkpact and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Darkpact Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 1994-06-21. Illustrated by Quinton Hoover.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 991993normalblackQuinton Hoover
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 1001993normalblackQuinton Hoover
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 1001993normalwhiteQuinton Hoover
41993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 1001993normalblackQuinton Hoover
51993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 1001993normalblackQuinton Hoover
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 1001993normalwhiteQuinton Hoover
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 1001993normalblackQuinton Hoover
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 1001993normalwhiteQuinton Hoover

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Darkpact has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolBanned
CommanderBanned
LegacyBanned
OathbreakerBanned
VintageBanned
DuelBanned
PredhBanned

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