Necrotic Fumes MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Necrotic Fumes offers a strategic trade-off by exiling a creature you control, but in return, it lets you exile an opponent’s threat, essentially turning one of your lesser creatures into a removal tool. This unique exchange can shift the balance of the game, by maintaining your vital resources while depleting theirs.

Resource Acceleration: As part of the Strixhaven set’s Learn mechanic, casting Necrotic Fumes grants you access to your sideboard if you reveal a Lesson card, thereby expanding your resources. This subtle form of resource acceleration can give you an edge in the mid to late game where the right card can make all the difference.

Instant Speed: While Necrotic Fumes itself is a sorcery, it synergizes well with instant-speed effects within the same set or other cards that trigger upon casting a spell like this. The ability to plan your turn around the sorcery, while keeping mana open for instant plays is a tactical advantage not to be overlooked.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Necrotic Fumes asks players to exile a creature they control as part of the casting cost. This can be a steep price to pay, particularly if your board presence is already reduced or if you’re in the late game needing every available creature to maintain pressure on the opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card requiring one black mana, its inclusion is primarily tailored for black-centric or black-inclusive decks. This requirement can restrict deck-building flexibility for players who are looking to incorporate this spell into more diverse mana base decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total mana cost of three, including one black and two generic mana, Necrotic Fumes sits on the higher end compared to other removal spells. Some may find that there are more mana-efficient options available when it comes to controlling the board or dealing with threats directly.

Reasons to Include Necrotic Fumes in Your Collection

Versatility: Necrotic Fumes offers a flexible answer to threats on the board, fitting well into black decks or multicolored strategies that can support its mana cost. Its utility as a removal spell makes it relevant in various game situations.

Combo Potential: As a card with the learn mechanic, it can not only remove a problematic creature but also provide you access to the sideboard’s Lessons, creating opportunities for beneficial combos and enhancing your gameplay versatility.

Meta-Relevance: In metas packed with creature-based strategies, the removal offered by Necrotic Fumes can disrupt your opponents’ boards and shift the tide of the game. This card becomes an asset when dealing with creatures that have hexproof or indestructible, as the exiling effect gets around those abilities.

How to beat

Necrotic Fumes is a unique spell removal option in Magic: The Gathering. Its distinct trait is the requirement of exiling a creature you control as an additional cost to casting it. This aspect can be daunting, but it opens strategic avenues for players facing it. To effectively combat Necrotic Fumes, players need to maintain a board state that makes the exile cost unfavorable for the opponent. This might include deploying creatures with death triggers that deter opponents from giving you potential value through their sacrifice.

Another tactic is to keep an array of hexproof or indestructible creatures in play. Since Necrotic Fumes targets a creature an opponent controls, having creatures with these abilities can nullify the opportunity for your opponent to remove your threats. Additionally, running instant-speed spells that can save or regenerate your key creatures in response to Necrotic Fumes ensures that your opponent’s sacrifice results in a reduced impact. In essence, being prepared and adaptable can thwart the plans of a player wielding Necrotic Fumes, turning their resource investment into a less significant hurdle.