Locust Miser MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When playing Locust Miser, the effect of reducing your opponents’ maximum hand size can indirectly serve as a way to generate card advantage. It applies pressure, forcing them to play out their cards quicker or discard them, which can tilt the balance of the game in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Locust Miser does not directly affect resource acceleration, its ability to constraint opponents’ resources can indirectly accelerate your position in the game. By handicapping their hand, you limit their ability to react to your plays, potentially allowing for more efficient use of your own resources without immediate retaliation.

Instant Speed: Locust Miser is a creature card and thus is not played at instant speed. However, its presence on the board is a persistent “instant speed” effect since it impacts your opponents’ hand size as long as it’s in play. This constant pressure can be considered akin to holding up an instant, as it requires opponents to continually adjust their playstyle and strategy around the limitation imposed by the Locust Miser.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Locust Miser requires you to adhere to a particular playstyle that focuses on forcing opponents to discard, which may not synergize well with your deck’s strategy if it’s not centered around discarding tactics. This can be quite situational and may not always provide the desired advantage against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of the Locust Miser includes black mana, making it somewhat inflexible. If your mana base is not stable or if you’re running a multicolored deck without sufficient mana fixing, you may encounter difficulties when trying to play this card on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that might be considered steep for its stats and ability, its efficiency is often questioned. There are other creatures and spells within the same mana range that can provide immediate impact or more versatile abilities without the setup that the Locust Miser demands.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Locust Miser has a unique ability that makes it a flexible addition to decks centered around hand-control strategies. It can be a vital component in exploiting your opponents’ hand size and can seamlessly integrate into various control or discard-focused decks.

Combo Potential: Its capacity to reduce hand size can be the linchpin in combinations with cards that punish players for having fewer cards in hand, or it can amplify the effects of cards that cause players to draw. This has synergy with strategies aiming to keep your opponents at a resource disadvantage.

Meta-Relevance: Should the current meta favor decks with a high draw-rate or strategies reliant on hand resources, Locust Miser can serve as a countermeasure, hindering your opponents’ ability to maintain card advantage and significantly disrupting their game plan.

How to beat

Locust Miser from the MTG Saviors of Kamigawa set brings a unique challenge to the battlefield. Its ability to reduce each opponent’s hand size by two can severely hamper strategies reliant on numerous options. Unlike cards that temporarily reduce hand size or have an immediate discard effect, Locust Miser maintains a constant pressure, subtly yet persistently warping the game around its ability.

To outplay this card, consider running removal spells that can target Locust Miser before its effect becomes too detrimental. Board wipes like Wrath of God or spot removal like Murder can efficiently dispose of the Miser. Alternatively, employing instant-speed spells that draw cards or flash creatures ensures you maintain card advantage even under the Miser’s oppressive thumb. Utilizing distractions or threats that demand an answer can also divert attention away from hand size, mitigating the Miser’s impact on your gameplay.

Deploying countermeasures that capitalize on graveyard strategies, such as reanimation with cards like Unearth or beaconing out value with delve mechanics, can skirt around Locust Miser’s limitations. By focusing on in-hand flexibility and available resources, adept players can navigate the constraint posed by Locust Miser, ensuring the pest becomes less of a menace and more of a minor nuisance to a well-prepared deck.

BurnMana Recommendations

Locust Miser’s unique ability to constrain your opponents’ hand size can be a strategic asset in MTG. When building around this card, consider the impact it brings to the table. It’s about more than just the cards; it’s the psychological edge and the way it shapes the dynamics of the game. Whether you’re tweaking your deck to include hand-disrupting schemes or looking to capitalize on the existing meta, the Locust Miser requires thoughtful inclusion. Eager to discover how you can harness the full potential of this intriguing card? Dive deeper with us into the world of MTG strategies and refine your deck to gain the upper hand in your next duel.