Phyrexian Vivisector MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Phyrexian Human |
| Abilities | Scry |
| Released | 2022-09-09 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Dominaria United |
| Set code | DMU |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 100 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Irina Nordsol |
Key Takeaways
- Phyrexian Vivisector affords card advantage through sacrificial mechanics, fostering a deeper game strategy.
- Resource management is sharpened by turning creatures into card draw, propelling forward potent gameplay potential.
- Its instant-speed sacrifice option injects adaptability, skillfully converting potential losses into opportunities.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Phyrexian Vivisector MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria United, 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 Vivisector 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
Whenever a creature you control dies, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
Before he was the Father of Machines, Yawgmoth was a twisted Thran physician, and his legacy of medical atrocities lives on in New Phyrexia.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Phyrexian Vivisector enhances your strategic depth by offering valuable card draw each time you sacrifice a creature. This consistent access to new cards can outpace opponents in the long game, keeping your hand replenished with options.
Resource Acceleration: As you delve deeper into your deck with Phyrexian Vivisector, the sacrifice mechanism bolsters resource management. By transforming creatures into card draw, you’re effectively converting one form of in-game resource into another, setting the stage for powerful plays ahead.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Phyrexian Vivisector at instant speed adds a layer of versatility to your gameplay. Respond to evolving board states with the agility to sacrifice at a moment’s notice, turning potential setbacks into strategic advantages the moment opportunity strikes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While deploying Phyrexian Vivisector, you may find the obligation to discard a card as part of its casting cost to be a steep price. This could potentially put you at a card disadvantage, particularly in tighter games where every card in hand counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The Phyrexian Vivisector’s mana cost necessitates a precise mix of colors that feed into its Phyrexian nature, meaning it requires a dedicated deck build around those mana sources to use effectively. This requirement could restrict its inclusion, especially in multicolored decks that might not support this stringent mana configuration comfortably.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: It comes with a mana cost that is on the higher side when considering its in-game impact. When the battlefield demands efficiency and swiftness, committing a significant amount of mana to bring Phyrexian Vivisector into play might not always align with the pace and strategy ideal for winning the match.
Reasons to Include Phyrexian Vivisector in Your Collection
Versatility: The Phyrexian Vivisector is a dynamic tool that can adapt to multiple deck archetypes. Its ability to manipulate life totals adds depth to your strategy, making it a valuable addition to decks focusing on life total as a resource.
Combo Potential: This card excels in its capability to synergize with proliferate mechanics or strategies that utilize -1/-1 counters. The Vivisector’s unique interactions open up pathways to powerful combinations that can turn the tide of a game.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where resilience and adaptability are key, Phyrexian Vivisector shines. As decks evolve to tackle the ever-changing meta, including such a flexible card can give players the edge needed to outmaneuver their opponents.
How to beat
Phyrexian Vivisector stands as a notable card among the proliferate mechanics that players may encounter in MTG. With the ability to proliferate each turn, it can quickly enhance not only itself but proliferate counters across the entire board. This attribute can escalate the stakes as it deepens the complexity by boosting everything from +1/+1 counters to loyalty counters on planeswalkers.
To counteract the proliferating power of Phyrexian Vivisector, players should prioritize removal spells that can dispatch it before it generates value. Cards such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile can serve as efficient answers. Alternatively, employing instant-speed interaction can help to ensure that Vivisector doesn’t catch you off guard during your opponent’s turn. It’s also crucial to manage the board and keep counter-heavy creatures and permanents to a minimum, which diminishes the Vivisector’s impact. Creature-based strategies may look to include reliable blockers to force unfavorable trades with the Vivisector, minimizing its ability to dictate the battlefield dynamics over multiple turns.
Overall, a combination of prompt removal, strategic creature deployment, and minimizing proliferate targets can greatly improve your chances against a Phyrexian Vivisector-centric strategy, ensuring that your gameplay isn’t compromised by its presence.
Cards like Phyrexian Vivisector
The Phyrexian Vivisector beckons players into the dark and complex world of proliferate mechanics within MTG. This card is a noteworthy comparison to others that share the proliferate ability, such as Flux Channeler. Both cards allow you to add additional counters to your permanents. However, the Phyrexian Vivisector takes center stage with its potential for immediate impact, by enabling the proliferate ability as an enter the battlefield effect, contrary to Flux Channeler which requires you to cast a noncreature spell to trigger the effect.
In parallel, Contagion Clasp is another proliferate tool that can be compared. Like Phyrexian Vivisector, it offers the proliferate option, but it does so as a one-time use artifact unless you can repeatedly pay its activation cost. In contrast, the Vivisector offers the added benefit of a creature on the battlefield which can influence combat. Then there’s Thrummingbird, a creature card providing a proliferate trigger conditionally linked to combat damage to a player. It’s less consistent and more susceptible to blocks compared to the Phyrexian Vivisector, which proliferates upon entry without requiring additional conditions.
Comparing these alternatives emphasizes the tactical versatility and immediate proliferate action that Phyrexian Vivisector introduces to MTG, making it a unique and powerful option for enhancing your board state.
Cards similar to Phyrexian Vivisector by color, type and mana cost
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Phyrexian Vivisector has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |