Withering Hex MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Number	181
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Key Takeaways

Withering Hex offers control by depleting opponents’ resources, a key play for attrition strategies.
Its low cost and instant speed enable early game dominance without hindering mana progression.
However, the card’s discard requirement and specific mana cost can hinder its overall utility.

Text of card

Whenever a player cycles a card, put a plague counter on Withering Hex. Enchanted creature gets -1/-1 for each plague counter on Withering Hex.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Withering Hex can potentially dismantle an opponent’s strategy by forcing them to continually discard cards, gradually tipping the game scale in your favor as you deplete their resources.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly acting as mana acceleration, Withering Hex’s casting cost is low, permitting you to control the board early on without sacrificing resource development for other strategies.

Instant Speed: The versatility of casting Withering Hex at instant speed means you can nimbly respond to threats or wait for the optimal moment to disrupt your opponent’s plans, maintaining a reactive and flexible playstyle.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Withering Hex necessitates discarding a card, which can be particularly detrimental in situations where your hand is already depleted, potentially leading to a net loss of valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Withering Hex comes with a specific mana requirement, narrowing its seamless integration to decks that can consistently produce the needed black mana, and potentially limiting its flexibility and playability across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potential to disrupt opponents, its mana cost is on the higher end for its effect range. Considering other cards in the same mana bracket, players might find more impactful options for their decks that could offer lower-cost alternatives or more versatile solutions.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Withering Hex offers flexibility in its ability to disrupt your opponent’s game plan. This enchantment can target any creature, making it a valuable addition to decks that need ways to handle problematic creatures regardless of size, type, or abilities.

Combo Potential: Enabling various strategies, Withering Hex works well with cards that benefit from -1/-1 counter placement. It can be a key piece in combos that diminish entire boards or that exploit -1/-1 counters for various effects, such as card draw or mana acceleration.

Meta-Relevance: With game formats frequently changing, the usefulness of Withering Hex can rise if creature-heavy decks dominate the play environment. Its ability to continuously weaken opponents’ creatures can tilt the battlefield to your advantage over time, making it a savvy pick for adaptive players monitoring current trends.

How to beat

Withering Hex is a unique enchantment in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal with the ability to put pressure on opponents by imposing a sacrifice of nonland permanents. To tackle this persistent threat, a solid strategy involves swift removal. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can efficiently dispose of Withering Hex before its effect becomes too daunting. Countermagic, such as Negate, also works wonders by preventing Withering Hex from hitting the battlefield in the first place.

Another approach is to lean into decks focused on token generation or creatures with death-triggered abilities, essentially dulling the card’s impact. The incremental advantage gained from tokens or the benefits of creatures that do something beneficial when they die can counterbalance the downside of Withering Hex. It’s critical to stay ahead by maintaining a wider board presence or utilizing effects that can recur or protect your key permanents.

Ultimately, keeping a cool head and a calculated approach when Withering Hex is in play can turn the tides in your favor. By leveraging these strategies, the card transforms from a formidable obstacle into a manageable aspect of your opponent’s strategy.

Cards like Withering Hex

The strategic depth of Magic: The Gathering is evident when examining cards like Withering Hex. Within the realm of curse enchantments, Withering Hex provides a unique gameplay experience by offering incremental damage over time. Compare this to Trespasser’s Curse, which also plays on the theme of penalizing opponents, though it does so by different means—deducting life and bestowing it to you upon creature entry.

Another card worth mentioning is Curse of Thirst. It shares the incremental damage approach but applies it during the upkeep, creating a persistent threat. Withering Hex instead focuses on the number of spells played—potentially racking up damage quicker depending on how spell-heavy an opponent’s strategy is. Still, it doesn’t offer the immediate lifegain bonus of Trespasser’s Curse.

Ultimately, Withering Hex can be a sleeper hit in metas inundated with spellcasting. While it doesn’t guarantee the life exchange from Trespasser’s Curse or the consistent clock of Curse of Thirst, it can snowball into a significant source of damage and should not be underestimated in decks designed to exploit an opponent’s spell-heavy game plan.

Cards similar to Withering Hex by color, type and mana cost

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Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Bloodchief Ascension - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Withering Hex MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Withering Hex and other MTG cards: