Noxious Grasp MTG Card

Noxious Grasp’s instant speed provides crucial flexibility for removal of threats during any phase of the game. Its specificity to green or white targets makes it a meta-dependent but highly efficient sideboard option. While potent, Noxious Grasp’s efficiency is weighed against its black mana cost, shaping deck inclusion.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Number	110
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tomasz Jedruszek

Text of card

Destroy target creature or planeswalker that's green or white. You gain 1 life.

"The bog doesn't give a stinking bubble about your title, wealth, or piety. It's just hungry." —Byaras, backwoods guide

Cards like Noxious Grasp

Noxious Grasp has carved out its niche in the pantheon of targeted removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often grouped with other spells like Naturalize, due to their shared potential to handle threats on the board. But what makes Noxious Grasp stand out is its precision and efficiency against green or white creatures, excelling in games where these colors dominate the arena. Moreover, the additional benefit of gaining you one life upon destroying a planeswalker is a subtle bonus not seen in comparable cards.

Assassin’s Trophy is a worthy comparison, with the ability to target any permanent at the cost of providing your opponent with a basic land. While more versatile, Noxious Grasp’s lower mana cost and lack of downsides make it a more efficient choice in certain metagames. Then there is Doom Blade, one of the original removal spells that sets the benchmark. However, with its restriction to nonblack creatures only, Noxious Grasp offers a different spectrum of control, making it highly effective in its specialized role.

Evaluating Noxious Grasp within this selective group showcases its particular strengths. Its niche application ensures it remains relevant and a go-to choice for players seeking targeted solutions against some of the most powerful colors in Magic: The Gathering.

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Noxious Grasp. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Rakdos Midrange	Pioneer	Rakdos Midrange	Axion Now Pioneer Regional Championship Qualifier

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Noxious Grasp provides a straightforward way to remove key threats from the battlefield, potentially disrupting opponent strategies and leveling the playing field. By targeting powerful green or white creatures and planeswalkers, you can efficiently trade one card for a significant piece of your opponent’s game plan.

Resource Acceleration: Although Noxious Grasp doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana generation, the advantage gained by eliminating a major threat can indirectly accelerate your board state, allowing for more aggressive plays or freeing up mana that would otherwise be used for defensive measures.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Noxious Grasp at instant speed offers flexibility, enabling strategic responses to opponent’s actions. Whether you’re thwarting an incoming attack, neutralizing a planeswalker before it can use an ability, or discreetly waiting for the perfect moment to disrupt a combo, the timing can drastically shift the momentum in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Whilst Noxious Grasp doesn’t directly require a discard, it’s important to consider the potential card disadvantage. Using spot removal spells like Noxious Grasp means trading one of your cards for one of theirs, which can affect your hand size and resources, particularly if the opponent has methods to recover their creatures or negate the removal.

Specific Mana Cost: Noxious Grasp’s mana cost is specific to black, necessitating at least one black mana source to cast it. This specificity can limit the inclusion of Noxious Grasp to decks that consistently produce black mana, often restricting its presence to mono-black or two-color decks where black is a primary color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Noxious Grasp costs only two mana, when considering the spectrum of removal options available, there are spells that eliminate threats at a lower cost or without color limitations. This means the mana investment for Noxious Grasp might be comparatively high when you are trying to manage your mana economy in a game, especially in fast-paced matches where efficiency is paramount.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Noxious Grasp is an efficient instant that can be slotted into various decks. Its ability to target green or white creatures – two prominent colors in many metas – makes it a flexible response to threats on the board.

Combo Potential: This card can disrupt your opponent’s strategies by removing key creatures, potentially setting up favorable conditions for your combos or denying theirs.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting landscape of the MTG game, Noxious Grasp maintains its relevance by being a cost-effective answer to powerful green and white creatures that frequently dominate competitive play.

How to beat

Noxious Grasp has established its presence in Magic: The Gathering decks as a key card for removing green or white creatures and planeswalkers. To navigate around this potent instant spell, players should consider diversifying their deck’s color palette. Implementing creatures and planeswalkers outside of the green and white spectrum can significantly reduce the effectiveness of Noxious Grasp.

Another strategy is to bait out the spell with less crucial green or white targets, thereby safeguarding your more valuable creatures and planeswalkers. It’s also wise to have an assortment of noncreature spells at your disposal or to lean on abilities that can be activated from the graveyard in case your primary threat does get eliminated.

Additionally, taking advantage of instant-speed spells that can grant hexproof or indestructible temporarily can render Noxious Grasp ineffective at a critical moment. By employing these tactics, you can diminish the impact of Noxious Grasp on your game plan, keeping your pivotal pieces in play and maintaining your pathway to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Noxious Grasp MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Noxious Grasp and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Noxious Grasp has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Noxious Grasp card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2019-07-12	If the target creature or planeswalker is an illegal target by the time Noxious Grasp tries to resolve, the spell doesn’t resolve. You won’t gain life. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), you will gain life.