Enslaved Horror MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Horror
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	134
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mike Ploog

Key Takeaways

Enslaved Horror can lead to significant card and board control advantages in your favor.
Its presence forces resource management and can skew the tempo against your opponent.
Strategic deck building is essential to turn its demanding mana and discard costs into benefits.

Text of card

When Enslaved Horror comes into play, each other player may return a creature card from his or her graveyard to play.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When played, Enslaved Horror presents the opportunity to introduce a sizable creature to your board without expending multiple cards. This enhances your overall card economy, giving you a leg up in the battlefield presence.

Resource Acceleration: Although Enslaved Horror does not directly generate additional mana or resources, its sheer presence can pressure opponents into spending resources to address it, indirectly accelerating your resource advantage by maintaining your own while depleting theirs.

Instant Speed Interaction: Enslaved Horror might not be an instant itself, but it can interact favorably against decks that rely on instant-speed removal. Since it gives an opponent a creature when it comes into play, it can disrupt their strategy and use their instant-speed plays against them, catching them off guard if they’re not prepared for such a swing in board state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the glaring drawbacks of Enslaved Horror is its requirement that a player must discard another card from their hand to utilize it effectively. This can sometimes be counterproductive, especially when you are struggling to maintain a robust hand size to combat an opponent’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Crafting a deck with Enslaved Horror requires careful consideration due to its specific mana cost. Being aligned with one color, it demands a mana base consistent with its needs, potentially restricting deck diversity. If your deck cannot easily produce the necessary mana, the card can become a cumbersome draw.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluated against other creatures in the MTG universe, the mana cost required to summon Enslaved Horror might seem steep. Players may opt for alternative creatures or spells that offer a better cost-to-effect ratio, thus positioning Enslaved Horror as a less favorable choice in competitive play.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Enslaved Horror’s ability to act as a significant threat makes it a flexible addition to any deck that favors high-power creatures. Its imposing presence can tip the balance in matches where board control is crucial.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that capitalize on high-cost creatures, or those that look to recur creatures from the graveyard. Its massive 7/7 stats make it a suitable candidate for reanimation tactics or any spell that benefits from sacrificing creatures for value.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that’s heavy on removal, Enslaved Horror maintains relevance. When it’s killed or exiled, it immediately presents a dilemma to your opponent, often forcing them to sacrifice one of their own creatures. It’s a potent play against decks that rely heavily on maintaining creature-based board control.

How to beat

Enslaved Horror presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, offering a massive 4/4 creature for four mana – a temptingly efficient cost-to-power ratio in Magic: The Gathering. But Enslaved Horror carries a significant drawback that can be exploited. Unleashing this behemoth onto the field comes at the price of an opponent receiving a free creature cast, turning the tables and giving your adversary a boost in their forces.

To effectively navigate around Enslaved Horror’s double-edged sword, consider cards that manipulate the outcome of your opponent’s bonus creature. Utilizing removal spells such as Path to Exile or countering abilities with Counterspell can mitigate the disadvantage. Alternatively, deploying cards that restrict your opponent’s ability to play the gained creature, like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, can lessen the impact of Enslaved Horror’s drawback and maintain your lead on the board.

Enslaved Horror requires careful consideration and strategic timing. By turning its downside into your strategic advantage and managing the battlefield wisely, one can overcome the challenges it presents and maintain control over the game’s tempo and board state.

Cards like Enslaved Horror

Enslaved Horror is an intriguing creature in the world of MTG, inviting comparisons with other cards that have an associated casting disbenefit. Comparable to Phage the Untouchable, Enslaved Horror makes its mark with a detrimental effect upon entering the battlefield; it grants an opponent the opportunity to put four creature cards into play. Phage, while also carrying an undesirable consequence if not cast from your hand, can instantly lose you the game instead of giving an advantage to your opponent.

Another card that echoes a similar trait is Leveler. When Leveler enters the battlefield, exile your entire library, a drastic effect that can be a game-ender if not used with the right strategy. The significant difference here is that Leveler’s impact is self-contained, unlike Enslaved Horror’s opponent-focused disadvantage. We also see that Leveler offers a more substantial body as a 10/10 creature, whereas Enslaved Horror’s summoning drawback might not equate to its 7/7 stature.

Assessing Enslaved Horror’s role amongst other risk/reward creatures, it’s clear that it can be a double-edged sword. It demands a strategic deck synergy to exploit its negative effect to your advantage, thereby creating dynamic gameplay scenarios in MTG.

Phage the Untouchable - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Enslaved Horror by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Enslaved Horror MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Enslaved Horror and other MTG cards: