Leeches MTG Card

Homelands (HML)
1995-10-01 - Number 9

Masters Edition IV (ME4)
2011-01-10 - Number 18

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Leeches can swing games by removing multiple poison counters at once, offering a unique form of card advantage.
While restrictive due to the white mana requirement, they are vital in healthy counters to infect strategies.
Being sorcery speed, Leeches require strategic play to optimize their game-changing effect on your turn.

Text of card

Target player loses all poison counters. Leeches deals 1 damage to that player for each poison counter removed in this way.

"Where our potions and powders fail, perhaps nature will succeed." —Reyhan, Samite Alchemist

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Leeches offer a unique twist on card advantage, allowing you to potentially remove multiple threats in the form of poison counters from yourself all at once. This can drastically swing the momentum of a game in your favor, keeping you ahead in the race to victory.

Resource Acceleration: While Leeches might not directly produce additional resources, they efficiently utilize your mana to cleanse poison counters, which can be a pivotal resource in games where poison is a main win condition for your opponent. Having leeches effectively accelerates your safe turns in a match, as you negate the accumulating threat of poison-based strategies.

Instant Speed: The power of Leeches comes from their sorcery speed, which requires strategic planning to optimize their effect. While not an instant, the timing of playing Leeches can be as critical as an instant, clearing the threat on your turn and paving the way for a counter-offensive.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One limiting factor for players using Leeches is the discard requirement. Engaging in such a trade-off could be detrimental in instances where hand advantage is critical, leaving players at a disadvantage if they cannot replenish their hand promptly.

Specific Mana Cost: Leeches commands a specific mana makeup to cast, necessitating white mana exclusively. This requirement can be restrictive, tying the card’s utility down to decks that can readily produce white mana, potentially sidelining it in the vast environment of multicolored or colorless-leaning strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Moreover, the mana investment for casting Leeches is on the higher side when contrasted with other options in the meta. Allocating three white mana to remove poison counters might not always be the optimal play, especially considering the pace and resource allocation inherent in competitive play. This can render Leeches a less appealing choice when deck building for efficiency and speed.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Leeches offers a unique effect — the removal of poison counters. This card can be a vital part of any collection, serving as a countermeasure in formats where infect strategies are prevalent or as a safety net in your own deck utilizing poison counters.

Combo Potential: In decks that manipulate life totals or use life as a resource, Leeches can be a tactical addition. It can reset your poison counters after taking advantage of effects that grant them to you for an advantage, opening up creative combo avenues.

Meta-Relevance: With the fluctuating dynamics of the meta, a resurgence of infect decks could make cards like Leeches unexpectedly relevant. Having it in your collection ensures you’re prepared for such shifts, offering a precise response when the meta dictates.

How to beat

Overcoming the challenge presented by the Leeches card in Magic: The Gathering relies on a strategic approach to the game. This sorcery card is particularly unique as it removes all poison counters from a player, a tactic that could dismantle poison-based strategies. However, it comes with the downside of causing life loss equivalent to the number of counters removed, which opponents can use to their advantage.

Considering Leeches’ double-edged nature, the most effective strategy to beat it is to ensure your play doesn’t hinge solely on poison counters. Diversify your threats to apply pressure from multiple angles. Additionally, utilize cards that can negate life loss or provide you with life gain to offset the impact of Leeches. Cards with alternative win conditions, such as milling your opponent’s deck or creating an overwhelming board presence, can also render Leeches less effective.

Lastly, having instant-speed removal or counter spells can prevent Leeches from resolving, keeping your poison counters in play if that’s your chosen path to victory. By broadening your strategy and having a backup plan, you maintain the upper hand against opponents who might rely on Leeches in their decks.

Cards like Leeches

Leeches is a unique sorcery in MTG that stands out for its ability to address a specific situation on the battlefield. It serves as a solution to the poison counter mechanic, allowing a player to remove all poison counters from themselves with the trade-off being that they lose that much life. When it comes to comparability, one may consider other life-manipulating cards such as Chaplain’s Blessing, which offers a sudden five life gain without the removal of poison counters.

Life gain cards like Rest for the Weary, in the same vein, provide a rapid life boosting effect but again, do not interact with counters. Meanwhile, cards like Melira, Sylvok Outcast completely negate the ability to get poison counters, serving as a preemptive countermeasure rather than a reactive solution like Leeches. Other cards, such as Solemnity can provide a broader defense against counters, yet lack the immediate impact on poison counters that Leeches has.

Therefore, within the scope of MTG, Leeches holds a niche position that – while not universally applicable – becomes a crucial tool in any match where poison counters are a threat, emphasizing its situational yet potentially game-altering role.

Melira, Sylvok Outcast - MTG Card versions

Chaplain's Blessing - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Melira, Sylvok Outcast - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Leeches by color, type and mana cost

Cleansing Meditation - MTG Card versions

Kayla's Reconstruction - MTG Card versions

Proclamation of Rebirth - MTG Card versions

Tivadar's Crusade - Masters Edition (ME1)

Angelic Blessing - Tempest Remastered (TPR)

Virtuous Charge - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Riding Red Hare - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Hive Stirrings - Magic 2014 Promos (PM14)

Kayla's Reconstruction - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Proclamation of Rebirth - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)

Righteous Charge - Masters Edition IV (ME4)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Leeches MTG card by a specific set like Homelands and Masters Edition IV, 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 Leeches and other MTG cards: