Phage the Untouchable Avatar MTG Card

Phage can instantly swing games but requires careful management to avoid her casting condition pitfalls. She’s best in mono-black decks due to specific mana requirements and high investment cost. While risky, Phage offers unique combo potential for game-winning plays in the right setup.

Rarity	Rare
Type	Vanguard
Released	2003-01-01
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Online Avatars
Set code	PMOA
Number	31
Frame	2015
Layout	Vanguard
Border	Black
Illustred by	UDON

Text of card

Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, destroy that creature. Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever target creature you control deals combat damage to a creature, destroy the damaged creature.

Cards like Phage the Untouchable Avatar

Phage the Untouchable stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a truly unique legendary creature. Her ability to defeat players with a single touch echoes the distinctive mechanics of cards like Vraska’s Contempt, which exiles a target creature or planeswalker while giving you life. However, Phage deals her fatal blow directly to opponents upon dealing damage, without offering the life gain of Vraska’s spell.

Comparing Phage to cards with similar “destroy” effects, Avatar of Woe comes to mind. Both are powerful creatures capable of taking out opponents’ threats. Avatar of Woe can destroy creatures without tapping if you have enough creatures in all graveyards, but unlike Phage’s game-ending trait, it doesn’t guarantee a win upon touching the opponent. Then there’s Dark Impostor, which can exile creatures and gain their abilities, providing a versatile approach to threat management but lacking the immediate board impact Phage provides.

Each of these cards offers players a different strategic advantage, but Phage the Untouchable’s instant-win ability is unparalleled for those daring enough to navigate around her dangerous casting cost stipulation, demonstrating her worth as a singular, game-ending threat in the vast array of Magic: The Gathering cards.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phage the Untouchable’s ability to eliminate an opponent’s creature on touch and potentially end the game when dealing combat damage to a player puts you in an impressive position of leverage. This can swing the game in your favor with a single attack, providing a substantial edge.

Resource Acceleration: Although Phage does not directly contribute to Resource Acceleration, her sheer presence deters opponents from committing significant resources to the board. This can indirectly conserve your resources and allow for better management of your mana and cards, as foes have to play cautiously.

Instant Speed: While Phage herself must be played at sorcery speed, her ability complements decks that can protect her and capitalize on her abilities at instant speed. Tricks and removals to clear the way or fend off threats ensure Phage’s impact is felt immediately and during the most opportune moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Phage the Untouchable doesn’t demand a discard, she presents a unique condition. When cast from anywhere other than your hand, she deals fatal damage to her owner. This requirement severely limits her versatility and reanimation strategies, as it turns potential game-winning plays into abrupt losses.

Specific Mana Cost: Phage has a very specific mana cost at three black and four generic mana, demanding heavy investment in black mana sources. This can make her an awkward play in multicolored decks or those with a less stable mana base, often confining her to mono-black deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost at seven mana, Phage comes at a high price. While she does have a potential game-ending ability upon dealing combat damage to a player, in the fast-paced environment of current formats, this makes her a late-game card that may be outpaced by lower-cost creatures and spells with immediate impacts on the game.

Reasons to Include Phage the Untouchable Avatar in Your Collection

Versatility: While Phage the Untouchable Avatar may not fit into every deck archetype, it shines in strategies tailored around evasion or direct reanimation onto the battlefield, avoiding its game-losing casting pitfall from the hand.

Combo Potential: In combination with cards like Torpor Orb or Sundial of the Infinite, Phage’s otherwise detrimental ability becomes a powerful asset, enabling potential instant wins if you can bypass its negative trigger and connect with an opponent.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks without solid creature removal, Phage brings a significant threat to the table. Its ability to take out players with a single strike can shift the momentum of the game and is especially relevant in a creature-heavy environment.

How to Beat

Phage the Untouchable is one of those legendary creatures that can completely dominate a game of Magic: The Gathering if it’s not dealt with swiftly. One direct strategy to triumph over this formidable avatar is to utilize removal spells that don’t involve dealing damage, as Phage bypasses such interactions with her “loss of game” triggered ability. Cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can exile Phage before she’s able to deal combat damage, sidestepping her devastating effect altogether.

Alternatively, ensuring Phage never hits the battlefield is another effective method. Counters like Counterspell or Mana Leak prevent Phage from posing a threat in the first place. Ensnaring effects such as Silent Arbiter limit the chances of Phage connecting with a player while protective enchantments or equipment like Ghostly Prison or Crawlspace can provide a defensive bulwark, dissuading opponents from attacking. Should Phage be summoned via non-traditional means that negate her downside, cards like Hallowed Moonlight can preempt such strategies.

Understanding these strategies, utilizing the right timing, and keeping the right cards in hand are key to neutralizing the threat of Phage the Untouchable in MTG, therefore maintaining the balance of power and keeping the game in your favor.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phage the Untouchable Avatar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Avatars, 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 Phage the Untouchable Avatar and other MTG cards:

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