Curse of Wizardry MTG Card
2006-01-02 - Number 47
2010-04-23 - Number 104
2002-06-24 - Number 36863
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- It pressures opponents by penalizing them for casting spells of a specific color, influencing gameplay.
- Despite its higher mana cost, the enchantment’s disruptive ability can significantly impact game dynamics.
- Adaptable and tactically rich, it can define a deck’s strategy and respond to meta shifts.
Text of card
As Curse of Wizardry enters the battlefield, choose a color. Whenever a player casts a spell of the chosen color, that player loses 1 life.
"We must all push through the pain to heal our world." —Ayli, Kamsa cleric
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Curse of Wizardry can effectively disrupt an opponent’s strategy by making them lose more life when playing specific colored spells. This wear-down tactic can provide a subtle but substantial edge as it limits their options and can sway the course of the game.
Resource Acceleration: While Curse of Wizardry doesn’t directly generate additional mana or resources, it can indirectly accelerate your board state by slowing down an opponent’s pace. By forcing them to pay additional life to play spells, it may cause them to hesitate or alter their plays, giving you time to advance your position.
Instant Speed: Curse of Wizardry itself isn’t an instant, but its continuous effect influences the game at all times once in play. This means its pressure is constant, working on your behalf even when it’s not your turn, which can be just as crucial as instant speed in many scenarios.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: This card forces each player to discard a card whenever they cast a spell that shares a color with the cursed enchantment. This can be particularly cumbersome for the player who controls Curse of Wizardry, especially if they can’t maintain a comfortable hand size.
Specific Mana Cost: Curse of Wizardry has a specific casting cost that requires both general and black mana. The inclusion of black mana in its casting cost means it will fit only into decks that run black mana sources, potentially limiting its versatility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial investment of four mana to get Curse of Wizardry on the field, it can be a costly enchantment, especially when you consider alternative cards that might allow for more immediate board impact or provide greater card advantage in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Curse of Wizardry offers a unique twist for players seeking to tailor their decks to respond to specific mana costs. This enchantment can be a strategic foil to opponents who rely heavily on spells with the same mana value, showcasing its adaptability across various deck builds.
Combo Potential: The card shines when synergized with strategies that punish opponents for casting spells. Combine it with cards that have similar punishing effects to amplify the hurt on opponents every time they play into your carefully laid trap.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment rich with players favoring certain spell types, Curse of Wizardry has the potential to serve as a powerful countermeasure. As the meta shifts and adapts, having this card in your arsenal ensures you can adjust and potentially tilt the scales in your favor.
How to beat
Curse of Wizardry presents a unique strategic challenge in the realm of enchantments, impacting players every time they cast a spell of a chosen color. Experienced campaigners know that this can be a continuous drain on their life total, which demands a decisive resolution. To successfully navigate this obstacle, one might consider spells or abilities that destroy or exile enchantments. Naturalize and Disenchant are two widely recognized answers that offer cost-effective removal options.
Another viable strategy is to adjust your gameplay by leaning into spells and creatures that aren’t affected by the curse’s specific color designation. Look for versatile options in your deck that offer alternative paths to victory. It’s essential to remain adaptive; should you find yourself under the curse, focusing on developing your board with non-targeted color spells could minimize its impact on your life total.
A proactive approach, featuring counterspells like Negate or Spell Pierce, can prevent the curse from ever taking hold. Being vigilant about the types of threats that can enter the battlefield is crucial. In essence, disrupting the enchantment directly or subtly altering your game plan can ensure that Curse of Wizardry’s grip is but a fleeting concern.
Cards like Curse of Wizardry
The mystical realms of Magic: The Gathering offer a variety of enchantments that manipulate the battlefield like Curse of Wizardry. This particular enchantment stands out with its unique ability to penalize players whenever they cast a spell of the chosen color. It reminds seasoned players of cards like Painful Quandary, which also imposes a cost on opponents’ spellcasting but affects all spells irrespective of their color.
Comparatively, there’s Sulfuric Vortex, another card that exerts continuous pressure by dealing damage to players. While it offers a different approach by focusing on life totals rather than spellcasting, both create taxing situations for opponents. Cursed Totem, trades the color-specific punishment for a more general approach, restricting all activated abilities of creatures. The tactical advantage this grants can shift the tempo of gameplay similarly to the selective denial Curse of Wizardry provides.
In sum, within the enchantment spectrum of Magic: The Gathering, Curse of Wizardry provides a specific and intriguing strategy for controlling player actions, marking its place alongside its peers in offering distinctive game play effects and strategic depth.
Cards similar to Curse of Wizardry by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Curse of Wizardry MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and DCI Promos, 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 Curse of Wizardry 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 Magic products
Printings
The Curse of Wizardry Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2006-01-02 and 2010-04-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 36863 | 2003 | normal | black | Karl Kopinski | ||
| 2 | 2006-01-02 | DCI Promos | PDCI | 47 | 2003 | normal | black | Karl Kopinski | |
| 3 | 2010-04-23 | Rise of the Eldrazi | ROE | 104 | 2003 | normal | black | Kekai Kotaki |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Curse of Wizardry 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 Curse of Wizardry card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-06-15 | Curse of Wizardry affects all players, including you. |
| 2010-06-15 | If a player casts a spell of the chosen color, Curse of Wizardry’s second ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. The ability will resolve before the spell does. |
