Pain Distributor MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Enhances resource control by dealing damage and potentially drawing cards for ongoing tactical superiority.
- Offers instant-play adaptability, disrupting opponents and optimizing turn sequencing for strategic plays.
- Demands careful deck building due to its color-specific mana and self-discard requirement for balance.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Pain Distributor MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine Commander and March of the Machine Commander, 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 Pain Distributor and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Text of card
Menace Whenever a player casts their first spell each turn, they create a Treasure token. Whenever an artifact an opponent controls is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Pain Distributor deals 1 damage to that player.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Pain Distributor shines in offering incremental advantages by inflicting damage and potentially drawing cards if certain conditions are met, ensuring a consistent flow of resources to outmaneuver your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: In tandem with other synergistic pieces, this card can strategically chip away at life totals, which, in specific deck archetypes, can be leveraged as a form of resource acceleration by unlocking additional effects on the battlefield or in hand.
Instant Speed: The ability to deploy Pain Distributor at instant speed provides the crucial flexibility to disrupt an adversary’s strategy during their turn, preserve mana for reactive plays,or to simply weave your plays into the most advantageous sequence.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Pain Distributor demands players to discard a card when it enters the battlefield. This can be especially detrimental if your hand is already depleted or if you’re holding onto key strategy cards.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise blend of mana, including black and red, to cast. If you’re not running a deck centered around these colors, integrating Pain Distributor could disrupt your mana base and reduce consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s slightly above the curve for its power level, you might find that Pain Distributor is less mana-efficient compared to other options available within the same range, potentially slowing down your game plan.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Pain Distributor can be a diverse tool in any MTG player’s arsenal. With its ability to manipulate life totals, it compliments decks that thrive on life-switch mechanics and surprise tactics, making it useful in a variety of game scenarios.
Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with strategies that capitalize on life total changes. Its unique interaction opens up avenues for combos, particularly in decks that revolve around life-gain and life-loss mechanics, amplifying their effects for an overwhelming advantage.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive strategies may dominate, Pain Distributor provides a counter-balance. It serves as a strategic piece to potentially disrupt your opponent’s tempo, making it a considerable option for anyone aiming to remain competitive in the ever-evolving meta landscape.
How to beat
Pain Distributor is a card that commands respect on the battlefield. Its ability to manipulate life totals and distribute counters makes it a tool for both offense and intricate board control in Magic: The Gathering. While it might seem daunting at first, overcoming this card can be achieved with a few strategic moves.
To effectively counter Pain Distributor, consider deploying cards that prevent life loss, such as healing spells, or enchantments that provide you with hexproof, ensuring that Pain Distributor’s targeted abilities are nullified. Moreover, tapping into instant-speed removal spells can catch your opponent off guard, eliminating the threat before it fully capitalizes on its potential. Additionally, keep an eye out for creatures with indestructibility to diminish the impact of the Distributor’s -1/-1 counters.
In essence, the key to outplaying Pain Distributor lies in timing and protective measures. By maintaining board presence with resilient creatures and readying removal spells, you stand a strong chance of dismantling your opponent’s strategy. Adapting swiftly and shielding yourself from direct hits will turn the tides and help maintain control of the game.
BurnMana Recommendations
Mastering MTG is an art that blends strategy, timing, and card knowledge. Pain Distributor is a card teeming with potential, and with the right approach, it could be the next great addition to your deck. Understanding the pros and cons of this versatile card is key to maximizing its impact on the battlefield. Whether enhancing your collection for its unique abilities, countering aggressive metagames, or exploring new combo potentials, the card presents numerous opportunities for strategic advantage. Interested in optimizing your gameplay with Pain Distributor and similar impactful cards? Dive deeper with us and refine your MTG tactics to ensure your next duel is a display of cunning and skill.
Cards like Pain Distributor
Pain Distributor is a unique inclusion in the lineup of modal cards in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards such as Orzhov Advokist, which provides players with a choice in how it can be used. Yet, Pain Distributor introduces a tactically advantageous twist with its potential to spread damage across the board. Orzhov Advokist, while offering growth to your creatures, doesn’t match the immediate board impact that Pain Distributor can create.
When eyeing the card Tyrant’s Choice, we recognize a similarity in the offer of choices that affect all players, but Tyrant’s Choice lacks the repeatable nature of Pain Distributor, which can continually influence the game’s state round after round. Collective Effort is another card that shares the element of choice; however, it leans towards boosting your own side of the battlefield as opposed to distributing pain among creatures and players alike.
In drawing parallels between these cards, Pain Distributor establishes its niche in the Magic: The Gathering realm. Its capacity to flexibly adapt to the evolving game and influence multiple players simultaneously allows it to stand out within its category, offering a strategic edge to those wielding it.
Cards similar to Pain Distributor by color, type and mana cost
Printings
The Pain Distributor Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-04-21 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by Olivier Bernard.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-04-21 | March of the Machine Commander | MOC | 120 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Olivier Bernard | |
| 2 | 2023-04-21 | March of the Machine Commander | MOC | 33 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Olivier Bernard |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Pain Distributor has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Pain Distributor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-04-14 | Pain Distributor has to be on the battlefield at the moment they cast their first spell. Notably, Pain Distributor’s first ability won’t trigger for you on the turn you cast it, although it may trigger if another player casts their first spell that turn after Pain Distributor is on the battlefield. If a spell causes Pain Distributor to leave the battlefield as an additional cost to cast it, the ability won’t trigger. |
| 2023-04-14 | Pain Distributor’s ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but not before you have to pay for the original spell. You won’t be able to use the Treasure token you create to pay for it. |
| 2023-04-14 | Pain Distributor’s second ability triggers whenever a player casts their first spell each turn, not just on their own turn. |