Tragic Fall MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Hellbent
Released	2021-06-18
Set symbol
Set name	Modern Horizons 2
Set code	MH2
Number	104
Frame	2015
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Bastien L. Deharme

Key Takeaways

Offers selective creature removal, efficiently tipping board control in your favor.
Instant speed allows for strategic responses, enhancing gameplay flexibility.
Demands the hellbent condition or card discard, potentially affecting hand resources.

Text of card

Target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn. Hellbent — That creature gets -13/-13 until end of turn instead if you have no cards in hand.

Every final journey begins with a single misstep.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tragic Fall as a Magic the Gathering card offers selective removal, potentially dealing with a key threat on the board. This can tilt the balance of card presence in your favor, as you efficiently dispatch a creature while maintaining your hand’s resources.

Resource Acceleration: In decks that focus on getting multiple creatures in the graveyard, Tragic Fall synergizes well by potentially accelerating your strategy. It can serve as an enabler for cards or abilities that benefit from having creatures in the graveyard, indirectly contributing to your resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Tragic Fall is a significant advantage, providing flexibility in gameplay. This allows you to make strategic moves during your opponent’s turn, respond to imminent threats at the most opportune time, or simply keep your options open as the game unfolds.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To employ this removal spell, Tragic Fall demands that you meet the hellbent condition or discard a card, which may not always be convenient or beneficial, especially if your hand is already running short on options.

Specific Mana Cost: Tragic Fall necessitates both black mana in its cost, making it less flexible for multi-colored or color intensive decks that may need mana of different types more urgently for other spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While being efficient in a deck that can easily achieve hellbent, the card’s regular mana cost is slightly expensive for the effect it provides, given that many other removal spells do the same for less, allowing you to utilize your mana more efficiently elsewhere.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tragic Fall is a flexible removal spell capable of adapting to various game states. Its ability to function at both regular and heightened power levels makes it accommodating for different situations, suiting it to a broad spectrum of black-centric or multicolor decks.

Combo Potential: With the escalating mechanic, Tragic Fall has synergies in decks that focus on manipulating the number of cards in hand to maximize effect potency. It can also work well with cards that benefit from the casting of instants or activate based on card types in graveyards.

Meta-Relevance: As creature-based strategies continue to be prevalent, having an efficient and scalable creature removal like Tragic Fall ensures you can respond to threats across various stages of the game, making it a valuable addition to decks contending in the current meta.

How to Beat Tragic Fall

Tragic Fall is a noteworthy removal spell in the tactical landscape of Magic: The Gathering. This effective instant card can drastically alter the outcome of a match by eliminating a creature with four or less toughness. Its lethality increases as your game progresses, since it gains the ability to target creatures with toughness equal to or less than the number of lands you control when you’ve reached hellbent (no cards in hand).

To counteract Tragic Fall, strategic deck building is essential. Including creatures with toughness greater than four is an immediate way to reduce its impact. Additionally, flexibility in your mana base and hand size can render Tragic Fall less effective. Playing cards that boost your creatures’ toughness or having instant-speed spells to regenerate or give indestructibility can protect your key creatures from this potent spell. Lastly, being mindful of your hand size can limit the circumstances in which Tragic Fall can target your larger creatures should you reach hellbent.

Understanding your opponent’s potential to play this card can be the difference between losing a vital creature and outmaneuvering the fall. With these strategies in hand, you can tilt the odds in your favor and ensure your creatures stand tall against the threat of Tragic Fall.

Cards like Tragic Fall

Tragic Fall adds a fresh spin to the arsenal of removal spells within Magic: The Gathering. When evaluating this spell, Geth’s Verdict comes to mind, both requiring the opponent to sacrifice a creature. Yet, Tragic Fall offers more precision by targeting a specific creature, providing players with a strategic upper hand, especially when dealing with threats on the battlefield.

Another card that echoes Tragic Fall’s essence is Doom Blade, which is known for its straightforward creature destruction. However, Tragic Fall eclipses Doom Blade with the ability to handle indestructible creatures thanks to its ‘minus’ mechanic. The comparison extends to Defile, a spell that paints a stark picture of the flexibility that Tragic Fall brings to the table with its potential power during the late game when controlling large creatures becomes pivotal.

After contrasting features and effectiveness, it’s clear that Tragic Fall has its own niche in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. It offers targeted control often crucial for turning the tides of the game to one’s favor, integrating well with strategies focused on board manipulation and opponent disruption.

Cards similar to Tragic Fall by color, type and mana cost

Word of Command - Collectors' Edition (CED)

Simulacrum - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Diabolic Edict - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Rapid Decay - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)

Go for the Throat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Cast Down - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)

Hero's Demise - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Sickening Shoal - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Goryo's Vengeance - Ultimate Box Topper (PUMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tragic Fall MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2, 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 Tragic Fall and other MTG cards: