Plague Engineer MTG Card
2019-06-14 - Number 100
2021-06-18 - Number 14
2002-06-24 - Number 91257
2019-06-05 - Number 45
2019-12-02 - Number 1215
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Phyrexian Carrier |
| Abilities | Deathtouch |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
Deathtouch As Plague Engineer enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type your opponents control get -1/-1.
"The lasting effects are invariably fatal." —Phyrexian progress notes
Cards like Plague Engineer
Plague Engineer, a card revered for its utility in MTG, shares a strategic niche with other cards designed to deal with multiple creatures at once. A notable counterpart is Engineered Plague, which offers a static debuff to creatures of a chosen type. While Engineered Plague doesn’t bring a body to the battlefield, it’s persistent in suppressing enemy forces across all turns. However, Plague Engineer carries this concept further by arriving as a creature that can engage in combat, complementing its continuous effect that weakens adversaries.
Another similar card is the Massacre Wurm. It delivers a punishing blow to opponents for each creature they lose, providing a far greater impact in certain scenarios. Yet, unlike Plague Engineer, which can be nuanced in its role thanks to deathtouch, Massacre Wurm’s higher mana cost makes it less flexible in the early to mid-game. In sheer potency and potential for sweeping enemy boards, Massacre Wurm stands out, but Plague Engineer shines in ongoing control and its surgical ability to target specific creature types on entry and in combat.
Ultimately, Plague Engineer earns its place in MTG not only by its unique role of combining creature removal with tactical creature type suppression but also by offering a creature that can change the tides in creature-heavy matchups, making it a valuable tool for players seeking strategic depth and board control.
Cards similar to Plague Engineer by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Plague Engineer. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | WB | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 64 2024-02-04 | |
 | B/W Mid | Free form | Canadian Highlander for Duals - Underground Sea Guaranteed - Proxies Allowed | |
 | BUG Midrange | Free form | Canadian Highlander for Duals - Underground Sea Guaranteed - Proxies Allowed | |
 | Maverick | Legacy | Maverick | 1 LPL OPEN - SEASON V - Liga Paulista Legacy |
 | WUB | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-01-13 | |
| Mardu Stoneblade | Legacy | Mardu Stoneblade | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-01-13 |
 | Esper Vial | Legacy | 1 LPL OPEN - SEASON V - Liga Paulista Legacy | |
| Esper Stoneblade | Legacy | Esper Stoneblade | Legacy League 2024-01-21 |
 | Cradle Control | Legacy | Cradle Control | Legacy Showcase Challenge 2024-01-21 |
 | Mono-Black Scam | Legacy | Mono-Black Scam | Legacy League 2024-01-16 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Plague Engineer’s unique ability to choose a creature type and give it -1/-1 can decimate swarms of token creatures or deter key creatures from entering the battlefield, subtly shifting the card advantage to your favor without needing to draw extra cards.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, the Plague Engineer can function as a form of acceleration. By potentially weakening or removing your opponent’s creatures, it conserves your resources that would otherwise be spent on dealing with threats, allowing you to allocate them elsewhere more efficiently.
Instant Speed: Although Plague Engineer is a creature card and doesn’t operate at instant speed, its Deathtouch ability and the instant speed interaction it forces from your opponent can give you a strategic advantage during the combat phase, similar to the benefits given by instant speed spells.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Plague Engineer in your deck means you’ll need to consider its impact on hand resources. With no built-in mechanic to recover discarded cards, for players, managing their hand becomes crucial to not be at a disadvantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Plague Engineer comes with a mana cost that includes both black and generic mana, necessitating a dedication to black mana sources within a player’s mana base and potentially restricting deck-building flexibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Plague Engineer offers utility, its three mana cost can be steep in fast-paced games where efficiency is key. Its value against single-creature based strategies can sometimes be overshadowed by lower-costed alternatives that affect the board immediately upon arrival.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Plague Engineer can be adapted to a variety of deck strategies due mainly to its creature type changing ability. It can fit snugly into tribal decks or those requiring specific creature types for synergistic effects.
Combo Potential: When Plague Engineer is on the battlefield, it brings immediate impact by potentially weakening certain creature types, which can be strategically combined with other cards to clear out opponents’ creatures or enhance board control.
Meta-Relevance: With its capability to assign a -1/-1 counter to a chosen creature type, Plague Engineer remains relevant, especially in formats where certain creature types are prevalent or when facing token-heavy strategies.
How to beat
Plague Engineer poses a unique challenge on the battlefield. This creature, known for its ability to disrupt tribal decks, can often seem daunting to go against in Magic: The Gathering. Commanding Deathtouch, it can easily take down larger creatures, but its real power lies in choosing a creature type and giving them all -1/-1. This can decimate token strategies and smaller creatures that rely on swarming strategies. The key to overcoming Plague Engineer is versatility in your creature base.
Consider adding creatures with higher toughness to your deck to withstand the -1/-1 effect. You can also incorporate instant-speed removal or board wipes to deal with the Engineer before it has a profound impact on your board state. Cards such as Fatal Push or Wrath of God can be efficient answers. Flexibility in your deck construction and having a range of responses is crucial. This way, Plague Engineer becomes less of a threat and more of a minor hurdle on your path to victory.
In short, while Plague Engineer can significantly impact certain strategies, a well-rounded deck with answers to a variety of threats can ensure that this card doesn’t dictate the outcome of the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Plague Engineer MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons Art Series, 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 Plague Engineer and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Plague Engineer Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-06-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 91257 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Nicholas Gregory | ||
| 2 | Modern Horizons Art Series | AMH1 | 45 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Nicholas Gregory | ||
| 3 | 2019-06-14 | Modern Horizons | MH1 | 100 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nicholas Gregory | |
| 4 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 1215 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Anato Finnstark | ||
| 5 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 1 Timeshifts | H1R | 14 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Nicholas Gregory |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Plague Engineer has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Plague Engineer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-06-14 | The choice of creature type is made as Plague Engineer enters the battlefield. Players can’t respond to this choice. The -1/-1 effect starts applying immediately. |
| 2019-06-14 | You must choose an existing creature type, such as Sliver or Warrior. Card types such as artifact, and supertypes such as legendary or snow, can’t be chosen. |