Phyrexian Harvester MTG Card

Phyrexian Harvester’s instant speed grants dynamic play, enhancing control during critical game moments. It also poses deck-building challenges due to color-specific mana requirements and its discard cost. Nonetheless, its utility in creature heavy metas can shift game balance, proving its collection worth.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Creature — Phyrexian Horror
Abilities	Menace,Seek
Released	2023-02-28
Set symbol
Set name	Alchemy: Phyrexia
Set code	YONE
Power	5
Toughness	5
Number	13
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	José Parodi

Text of card

Menace Whenever Phyrexian Harvester is dealt damage, seek that many nonland cards. At the beginning of your next end step, discard those cards.

Cards like Phyrexian Harvester

The Phyrexian Harvester is a unique creature card with a life cost ability that sets it apart in MTG’s vast library. Its closest relatives include the likes of Shauku’s Minion, which also brings a creature destruction ability at the cost of your life points. However, Shauku’s Minion requires sacrificing a creature each turn, making the Harvester more flexible and direct in its approach.

Analogous to the Harvester, there’s Royal Assassin, offering targeted creature demolition without needing to pay with life, but it only works on tapped creatures, providing a different tactical edge. Then there’s Avatar of Woe, capable of removing creatures without the life point expense and with the potential to cost less mana under certain conditions. Although it is more powerful on paper, its eight-mana cost can be prohibitive compared to the Harvester’s six.

When considering creature removal options, the Phyrexian Harvester stands out for its immediate impact and clear transaction cost. It provides a strategic advantage to players willing to balance life points against board control, thus carving its niche among MTG creature destruction cards.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phyrexian Harvester provides strategic flexibility in control decks, allowing you to bypass the usual one-for-one removal trades and instead thin out your deck to draw into more valuable cards more consistently.

Resource Acceleration: This card, while not directly providing mana or acceleration, can clear the way for your mana dorks or other acceleration tools by taking out blockers or potential threats, streamlining your path to greater resources.

Instant Speed: Phyrexian Harvester can be activated at instant speed, enabling you to respond to your opponent’s moves during their turn or at the end of their turn to maintain the element of surprise and control over the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Phyrexian Harvester requires the discarding of a card upon activation, which can pose a significant setback when your hand is already depleted or when holding on to key cards is crucial for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation necessitates a specific color combination, which might not seamlessly fit into every deck structure, particularly those with a tighter mana base or those running multiple colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With costing three mana to cast and another three to activate its ability, Phyrexian Harvester might be considered mana-intensive compared to other removal options available in the game, potentially slowing down your tempo in matches where efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Phyrexian Harvester offers flexibility in various deck builds, granting instant-speed creature control which can be a pivotal turn in both aggro and control matchups.

Combo Potential: With its life payment option for activation, this card works seamlessly within life manipulation strategies, synergizing with cards that thrive on life total changes or as a recurrable removal tool in graveyard-based decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-heavy decks are dominant, Phyrexian Harvester emerges as a key piece, capable of disrupting opponent’s board presence while advancing your game state.

How to Beat

The Phyrexian Harvester card presents a formidable obstacle with its powerful life-loss ability that can quickly turn the tides of battle in Magic: The Gathering. When facing this daunting artifact creature, the key lies in swift removal. Strategies to consider include instant-speed removal spells like Path to Exile or Disenchant to efficiently dispatch the Harvester before it can leverage its life-draining effect.

Another line of play is to have sacrifice prevention at the ready. Cards like Teyo, the Shieldmage can provide you with hexproof, thereby rendering the Harvester’s ability unusable against you. Counter magic, such as Negate, also serves as a reliable countermeasure, ensuring that the Harvester never hits the battlefield in the first place.

Ultimately, dismantling the threat of a Phyrexian Harvester revolves around preparedness and responsiveness. Deckbuilding with the forethought to include answers to such potentially game-swinging cards will bolster your resilience in the match and maintain your life total safe from perilous drains.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phyrexian Harvester MTG card by a specific set like Alchemy: Phyrexia, 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 Phyrexian Harvester and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phyrexian Harvester has restrictions

Format	Legality
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Historic	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal