Queza, Augur of Agonies MTG Card

Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Cephalid Advisor
Power 3
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Queza provides beneficial card filtering, turning life points into powerful deck insights.
  2. Requires careful hand and graveyard management due to its discarding prerequisites.
  3. A versatile and potent addition to decks focusing on card draw and life tactics.

Text of card

Whenever you draw a card, target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Some try to unravel the tangled skeins of fate. She reweaves them to her own deadly design.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Queza, Augur of Agonies provides a recurring mechanism for card filtering, offering you a distinct edge by allowing you to sift through your deck more efficiently, ensuring that your plays are as impactful as possible.

Resource Acceleration: While this card doesn’t directly generate additional mana, it lets you convert life into valuable card selections, indirectly speeding up your ability to deploy more threats or answers on the board. This unlocks higher potential for strategic planning and execution.

Instant Speed: The dexterity of resolving abilities at instant speed adds a layer of unpredictability for your opponents. Queza allows you to take advantage of end-of-turn opportunities, keeping your plans concealed while assessing the best moment to deploy your strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when playing Queza, Augur of Agonies, is its prerequisite for card discarding to trigger its ability. Players may find this a hard pill to swallow, especially when their hand is already strained for cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Queza’s casting cost demands three specific types of mana (black and green), making it a potentially awkward fit in decks that aren’t firmly committed to those colors. For players running a multicolor deck, this might limit the card’s playability and overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one black and one green, Queza’s ability to peek at the top cards of a library may not be as cost-effective compared to other lower-cost creatures or spells that offer similar strategic advantage. This can be particularly noticeable in fast-paced games where mana efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Queza, Augur of Agonies shows an impressive adaptability that complements an array of deck themes. As a card advantage engine, it seamlessly weaves into control or midrange decks that capitalize on card draw and life point shifts to steer the game.

Combo Potential: Its ability to let you draw cards while your opponents lose life makes it a cornerstone in decks crafted around synergies that manipulate both these aspects. Queza could be the linchpin in a combo that tips the scales in your favor, orchestrating a play where card draw and life loss conspire to devastate your opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With deck archetypes in constant flux, Queza, Augur of Agonies remains germane, particularly in a meta teeming with strategies that hinge on chipping away at the opponent’s life total. In such environments, Queza not only holds its ground but can tilt the balance, offering strategic depth and disruption potential.

How to beat

Queza, Augur of Agonies poses a unique challenge. This MTG card demands strategic planning to overcome its card advantage engine in games. To effectively undermine Queza’s power, players need to limit their life gain and keep their graveyard in check. One efficient way to do this is by using graveyard hate cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Grafdigger’s Cage, shutting down any attempts to exploit death triggers or graveyard synergies.

Another tactic is to use instant speed removals such as Murderous Rider or Heartless Act to dispatch Queza before its ability can accumulate value for your opponent, especially considering the fact that it triggers on each upkeep. Additionally, keep an eye for counterplay opportunities with counterspells when Queza is cast, ensuring it never hits the board in the first place. It’s also wise to hold onto these solutions until your opponent attempts to exploit Queza’s full potential with a crowded graveyard or life gain strategy.

Ultimately, while Queza can be a formidable force in the right deck, a carefully executed strategy focusing on preemptive control and responsive play can neutralize this threat, maintaining the equilibrium of the match in your favor.

Cards like Queza, Augur of Agonies

Queza, Augur of Agonies enters the diverse landscape of utility creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to draw cards is reminiscent of Dark Confidant, a staple in card advantage strategies. Both cards share the common theme of life payment for card draw, yet Queza offers a more controlled dynamic, allowing life payment at the beginning of your upkeep for each card drawn this way, compared to the blind reveal of Dark Confidant.

Another close relative in this family of cards is Phyrexian Arena, a powerful enchantment with an upkeep trigger for card advantage at the cost of one life. Unlike Phyrexian Arena’s passive ability, Queza provides an active choice, letting players decide on the number of cards and life to exchange each turn. Pain Seer also earns a mention here; similar to Dark Confidant but requiring an untap trigger, it can potentially yield less consistent card draw than Queza’s guaranteed albeit costly option each upkeep.

The balance of life total management and card advantage plays a prominent role in evaluating Queza’s place among its peers. Its unique control over card quantity and life investment gives it a distinctive edge in Magic: The Gathering’s vast collection of card advantage tools.

Dark Confidant - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Pain Seer - MTG Card versions
Dark Confidant - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Pain Seer - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Queza, Augur of Agonies MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna and Streets of New Capenna, 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 Queza, Augur of Agonies and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Queza, Augur of Agonies Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 2122015NormalBlackJosh Hass
22022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3262015NormalBlackJulie Dillon
32022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3912015NormalBlackJulie Dillon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Queza, Augur of Agonies has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal