Dread MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental Incarnation |
| Abilities | Fear |
| Released | 2007-10-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Lorwyn |
| Set code | LRW |
| Power | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
| Number | 107 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Matt Cavotta |
Key Takeaways
- Dread’s discard effect is potent for controlling the game and suppressing threats with strategic play.
- It prompts quicker play and battlefield dominance, but requires a careful balance of resources.
- While potent, its cost and color requirements may limit deck versatility and early game impact.
Text of card
Fear Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it. When Dread is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Dread card excels in maintaining the upper hand through its discarding mechanic. With this powerful strategy, you tighten your grip on the game state by selectively discarding opponents’ threats while preserving your own resources.
Resource Acceleration: Dread enables players to create a formidable presence on the battlefield. It accomplishes this by accelerating resources, allowing you to deploy your threats sooner and more efficiently than your opponent can respond.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Dread at instant speed is a key advantage. It allows you to strategically navigate through each turn, potentially disrupting your opponent’s plays at the most opportune times, thus keeping them constantly under pressure.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Dread requires sacrificing a card from your hand, which could deplete your hand and reduce your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: Dread’s casting cost necessitates both black and generic mana, potentially restricting its inclusion to mono-black or two-color decks that can reliably produce both.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a substantial mana value needed to summon Dread, it may arrive too late in the game, especially when facing faster aggro decks that thrive on low-cost creatures.
Reasons to Include Dread in Your Collection
Versatility: Dread offers a broad defensive strategy that can be a key piece in any black-focused deck. Its ability to destroy any creature dealing you combat damage and shuffle back into your library can discourage opponents from attacking, enhancing your long-game resilience.
Combo Potential: This card pairs well with effects that encourage creatures to attack, such as goad or cards that punish opponents for having tapped creatures. In combination, Dread can become a recurring nightmare for your adversaries.
Meta-Relevance: With a metagame that’s rich in creature-heavy strategies, having Dread in your deck ensures a constant threat against formidable creatures. Its presence alone can be a game-changer, making it a valuable asset in many matchups.
How to beat
Overcoming the challenge of the card Dread in your Magic: The Gathering matches demands strategic finesse. At its core, Dread is a powerful creature that can easily become a roadblock due to its fear ability, making it only blockable by black and artifact creatures. On top of that, Dread ensures that any creature destroyed by it won’t be easily returning from the graveyard, tightening its grip on the state of the board with each attack or block.
To effectively handle this formidable foe, consider utilizing removal spells or abilities that don’t deal damage or strive to destroy it. These can include exile effects or spells that force a player to sacrifice a creature, neatly sidestepping Dread’s intimidating presence. Moreover, making use of board wipes that affect all creatures irrespective of their color or abilities can reset the playing field, clearing out Dread alongside other potential threats. It’s also advisable to employ an aggressive early game strategy, aiming to diminish your opponent’s life total before Dread can stabilize their board and begin its oppressive reign.
In essence, while Dread poses a significant challenge, a deck armed with the right answers and an adaptive game strategy can navigate past this nightmarish card with success, maintaining control over the match’s outcome.
Cards like Dread
Dread is a potent creature that finds its place among the fearsome suite of black cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to destroy any creature it blocks or is blocked by, reminiscent of cards like Avatar of Woe, allows it to control the battlefield. However, unlike Avatar of Woe which can be activated, Dread’s effect is automatic, simplifying combat interactions for players.
When evaluating Dread against other cards with similar effects, No Mercy comes to mind. Both create a daunting presence, yet No Mercy acts as an enchantment rather than a creature. Still, Dread offers the added benefit of being a threatening attacker in its own right. Additionally, comparing it to Withengar Unbound, another intimidating card, Dread’s reanimate ability when a creature dies swings favor in its direction, providing enduring value throughout the match.
Overall, Dread stands out in the array of creature control options within the game, not just for its immediate board impact but also for its recurring influence, ensuring that it remains a revered and formidable magic card among players looking for powerful defensive strategies.
Cards similar to Dread by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dread MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn, 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 Dread and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dread has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dread card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2007-10-01 | Although this ability triggers when the Incarnation is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it doesn’t *specifically* trigger on leaving the battlefield, so it doesn’t behave like other leaves-the-battlefield abilities. The ability will trigger from the graveyard. |
| 2007-10-01 | If the Incarnation had lost this ability while on the battlefield (due to Lignify, for example) and then was destroyed, the ability would still trigger and it would get shuffled into its owner’s library. However, if the Incarnation lost this ability when it was put into the graveyard (due to Yixlid Jailer, for example), the ability wouldn’t trigger and the Incarnation would remain in the graveyard. |
| 2007-10-01 | If the Incarnation is removed from the graveyard after the ability triggers but before it resolves, it will remain in its new zone when its owner shuffles their library. Similarly, if a replacement effect has the Incarnation move to a different zone instead of being put into the graveyard, the ability won’t trigger at all. |
| 2007-10-01 | The last ability triggers when the Incarnation is put into its owner’s graveyard from any zone, not just from on the battlefield. |
