Nettling Imp MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nettling Imp doesn’t directly offer card advantage in the traditional sense, but its ability to force opponents to attack with a creature of your choosing can disrupt their strategy and potentially lead to advantageous trades on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While Nettling Imp itself doesn’t accelerate resources in terms of mana, it can serve as a tactical accelerant by allowing you to control combat phases, potentially removing costly threats from the board without expending additional cards or mana.

Instant Speed: Nettling Imp’s ability can be activated at instant speed, providing a significant advantage by dictating the flow of combat on your opponent’s turn. This ensures a more strategic and calculated approach to each turn, keeping your adversaries on their toes.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Nettling Imp demands that you have a creature to target with its ability, potentially forcing premature plays or bluffing strategies that can backfire, especially if your opponent lacks creatures or has a superior board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring one black and two generic mana, Nettling Imp can be challenging to cast in multi-colored decks that may not consistently produce the necessary black mana in the early game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana for a 1/1 creature, Nettling Imp’s stats are underwhelming compared to other three-mana creatures, and its activated ability doesn’t quite justify the initial investment without a focused strategy.

Reasons to Include Nettling Imp in Your Collection

Versatility: Nettling Imp offers a unique form of control in black decks, allowing players to force opponents to attack with creatures they may prefer to keep back for defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card works well with other cards that punish tapped creatures or benefit from the opponent’s creatures attacking, thus introducing strategic layers to your gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where large, cumbersome creatures are common, Nettling Imp can be an excellent tool to disrupt your opponent’s game plan and swing the tide of the match in your favor.

How to beat

Nettling Imp is a classic creature from the early sets of Magic: The Gathering. Its unique ability to force opposing creatures to attack can be used to your advantage or become a nuisance if you’re not prepared. Overcoming the Imp’s effect involves strategic creature management and timing. A straightforward method is to remove it from the game with direct removal spells such as Murder or Path to Exile, thus nullifying its ability to dictate combat.

It’s also beneficial to control the field with creatures that have drawbacks when forced to attack, such as ones with “Echo” or “Cumulative Upkeep,” utilizing the Imp’s ability against your opponent. Additionally, creatures with “Vigilance” or “Defender” can withstand being chosen by Nettling Imp since they’re either ready to block or can’t be forced into an attack position. By accounting for these interactions, you can neutralize the strategic threat posed by Nettling Imp and maintain the upper hand in your Magic: The Gathering matchups.