Murderous Betrayal MTG Card

Card advantage through life-for-removal offers a strategic option for black decks to shift the game. Instant-speed flexibility allows for reactive gameplay, making it a powerful enchantment in the right circumstances. Significant mana and life cost must be balanced against other more efficient removal options available.

Nemesis (NEM)
2000-02-14 - Number 61

Murderous Betrayal - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Eighth Edition (8ED)
2003-07-28 - Number 147

Eighth Edition (8ED)
2003-07-28 - Number 147★

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

Text of card

o Bo B, Pay half your life rounded up: Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.

In darkness, the assassin sneaked into the village and destroyed what Eladamri loved most: his daughter.

Cards like Murderous Betrayal

Murderous Betrayal stands as a unique card with its ability to inflict direct damage to an opponent in Magic: The Gathering. Echoing the characteristics of Murderous Betrayal, we find cards like Underworld Dreams, which applies a penalty to opponents whenever they draw a card. While Underworld Dreams deals damage passively and persistently, Murderous Betrayal requires a more proactive resource commitment from the player.

Another similar card is Greed, offering card advantage at the expense of life and mana. Greed permits to convert life to card draw, while Murderous Betrayal leverages life and mana to dispatch opponents. Then, there’s Painful Quandary, a card that burdens opponents with a choice between losing life or discarding cards during spellcasting. Painful Quandary is less about direct removal and more about restriction and attrition.

Considering the strategy and impact on gameplay, Murderous Betrayal asks for significant life sacrifices for targeted removal. This positions it uniquely among alternative cards that provide different trade-offs like passive damage or gaining card advantage.

Cards similar to Murderous Betrayal by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Murderous Betrayal offers a strategic way to turn life points into a removal engine, potentially decimating an opponent’s board presence and shifting the balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating mana resources, Murderous Betrayal can indirectly accelerate your game plan by efficiently dealing with costly threats, allowing you to allocate mana elsewhere.

Instant Speed: While this enchantment operates at sorcery speed, its ability to be activated at any time gives it a level of flexibility, enabling on-demand creature removal when most advantageous for the user.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To activate Murderous Betrayal’s ability, a player must sacrifice two life points and pay three black mana. This can be a heavy toll, especially in a game where life totals can be the determining factor between victory and defeat.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring three black mana makes it less flexible for multi-colored decks. Its specific mana requirement can be challenging for decks that rely on a broader color palette or want to maintain open mana for instant-speed responses.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an activation cost of three black mana and two life points, the card’s cost to destroy a single creature can be steep, considering other removal options in the game. Cards with lower mana costs or without life payment can offer a more economical solution for controlling the board.

Reasons to Include Murderous Betrayal Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Murderous Betrayal offers black deck players an alternative win condition to corner opponents. Its ability to remove key creatures makes it a strategic option in a variety of match-ups.

Combo Potential: This card can synchronize well with strategies that involve life gain or have methods to mitigate the cost. With a setup that stabilizes your life total, it becomes a recurring threat to an opponent’s creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-heavy decks are commonplace, having a repeatable destroy mechanic can dramatically shift the tide of battle. As the meta ebbs and flows, it’s a solid inclusion to anticipate and counter creature-centric plays.

How to beat Murderous Betrayal

Murderous Betrayal stands out as a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to trade life points for the destruction of opponent’s creatures. While powerful, beating this card involves a deep understanding of strategy and card interaction. The key is to recognize that Murderous Betrayal requires a hefty payment of three black mana and half your life total, making timing critical.

One approach to counter this ability is by leveraging life gain strategies or cards that provide alternatives to paying life, such as Platinum Emperion or Angel’s Grace, which can effectively nullify the life cost requirement. Creature protection spells like Blossoming Defense or hexproof abilities can also safeguard your creatures from Murderous Betrayal’s targeted removal.

Aggressive decks focused on rapid deployment can overrun a player relying on Murderous Betrayal before they accumulate the necessary mana or life resources to use against you. Conversely, control decks can employ counterspells and direct hand disruption like Thoughtseize or Duress to preemptively deal with the enchantment. Understanding MTG’s dynamic meta and your deck’s capabilities are critical when formulating a plan to outmaneuver cards with the potential impact of Murderous Betrayal.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Murderous Betrayal MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis and Eighth Edition, 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 Murderous Betrayal and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Murderous Betrayal Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2000-02-14 and 2003-07-28. Illustrated by Randy Gallegos.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2000-02-14	Nemesis	NEM	61	1997	Normal	Black	Randy Gallegos
2	2003-07-28	Eighth Edition	8ED	147	2003	Normal	White	Randy Gallegos
3	2003-07-28	Eighth Edition	8ED	147★	2003	Normal	Black	Randy Gallegos

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Murderous Betrayal has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal