Phyrexian Insect MTG Card
| Type | Token Creature — Phyrexian Insect |
| Abilities | Infect |
| Released | 2023-02-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander |
| Set code | ONC |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 15 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Token |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Adrian Smith |
Key Takeaways
- Insects often provide card draw and hand disruption, strengthening your strategic options during play.
- Resource acceleration and instant speed abilities make them versatile in ramping and reactive strategies.
- However, be mindful of discard effects and the specific mana costs that these cards may present.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Phyrexian Insect MTG card by a specific set like Phyrexia: All Will Be One 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 Phyrexian Insect 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
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With a Phyrexian Insect card, you may find yourself with the ability to disrupt your opponent’s hand while also fortifying yours. Some of these insects come with abilities that when they deal combat damage to a player, you get to draw cards, replenishing your hand and giving you more options as the game progresses.
Resource Acceleration: These creeping critters can potentially ramp up your resources. Certain cards within this subset might have proliferate abilities or other methods to add counters quickly, helping you to accelerate your play and bring more powerful spells into the fray sooner than your adversary expects.
Instant Speed: Phyrexian Insects in your strategic cache may have flash or bestow instant-speed interaction, allowing for sudden shifts in the power balance during combat or right before your turn. These fast-reacting cards can catch opponents off-guard, providing you with tactical advantages at pivotal moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Some Phyrexian Insect cards often come with a discard clause necessitating the removal of a card from your hand. This can be counterproductive if you’re already pressed for card advantage or trying to maintain a robust hand size to handle an opponent’s strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: A precise configuration of mana is critical for the summoning of a Phyrexian Insect, which can include demanding combinations such as black and Phyrexian mana. These requirements can restrain the card’s integration, making it a challenge for decks that don’t have easy access to these resources or that are strained by a multicolored mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to the efficiency of cost against effect, Phyrexian Insects can head towards the expensive side. While their unique abilities and the potential for board impact are undeniable, the mana investment necessary to deploy these creatures can be quite steep, potentially slowing down your game plan when speed is essential.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Phyrexian Insects adapt effortlessly across a wide spectrum of deck themes due to their inherently unsettling presence on the board. Their unique abilities often play defence as well as offence, controlling the flow of the game.
Combo Potential: Many of these creatures synergize with proliferation and counter-manipulation mechanics, establishing potent combinations that strengthen their presence on the battlefield and can overwhelm opponents.
Meta-Relevance: Given their adaptability to infect and control strategies, Phyrexian Insects remain a timely addition to collections aimed at countering creature-heavy decks or those looking to leverage consistent, incremental advantages.
How to beat
The Phyrexian Insect is one of those cards in MTG that offers unique challenges on the battlefield. Understanding the tactics to thwart this card can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Since this card often comes with potent abilities and the dreaded Infect mechanic, being prepared is key. First, consider utilizing removal spells; they are your bread and butter against such threats. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile effectively bypass the Insect’s potential for exponential growth through +1/+1 counters.
Another strategy involves negating the Infect mechanic. Using cards like Melira, Sylvok Outcast can ensure that the Insect’s damage doesn’t result in poison counters, which are usually difficult to remove. Moreover, keeping a robust blocker ready can help manage the onslaught. Insects are notorious for their synergy with proliferate and other counter-increasing mechanics, so sweeping the board with a card like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the state of play, offering a fresh start minus the Phyrexian threat.
Tackling the problem head-on, strategic sideboarding tailored to counter specific MTG threats like Phyrexian Insects, can be the deciding factor in your matches. Be aware, adapt, and prepare to contain this pestilent force efficiently.
Cards like Phyrexian Insect
The Phyrexian Insect is an intriguing piece to the creature card lineup in Magic: The Gathering. It can be considered alongside the likes of other insect horror cards such as Swarm of Locusts, which also manifests from the eerie and mechanically rich Phyrexia. This particular Phyrexian Insect stands out with its unique blend of abilities, potentially including infect or poisonous traits, which other horror insects may not boast, enabling it to contribute to a strategy focused on depleting opponents’ life totals indirectly.
In terms of functionality, Sheoldred’s Whisper can also draw parallels. Designed with the sinister Phyrexian theme, it might not only affect the board state similarly through dread-evoking abilities but also introduce additional interaction with various game zones, which a simple Phyrexian Insect creature may lack. Then, there’s Carrion Beetle, a card that operates on a different axis of graveyard disruption, sometimes offering a different tactical edge depending on your MTG deck’s overarching game plan.
Assessing their roles in the complex ecosystem of MTG, it’s apparent that while each card carries the Phyrexian hallmark, the Phyrexian Insect card can claim its niche within the creature-based strategies, particularly in decks that capitalize on incremental damage and debilitating opponent resources.