Irresistible Prey MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Irresistible Prey offers strategic depth by forcing opponents to block, creating opportunities for players.
  2. While the card has powerful lure effects, its mana cost and green mana requirement can limit flexibility.
  3. Despite its potency, countermeasures such as instant removals and defensive creatures can mitigate its impact.

Text of card

Target creature must be blocked this turn if able. Draw a card.

The baloth's instincts boiled, its muscles pulled taut, and its razor-spines bristled, as it turned to face—a runt meepling.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Playing the Irresistible Prey card in a match offers you a certain advantage. It ensures that your chosen creature gets the attention it requires from the opponent’s blockers, leading to strategic openings in your opponent’s defenses or eliminating threats your opponent controls.

Resource Acceleration: While this card doesn’t have the traditional connotations of resource acceleration such as ramping or direct card draw, it uses psychological manipulation as a resource tool. You control the battlefield tempo, directing your opponent’s moves, which allows you to speed up your gameplay strategically.

Instant Speed: Irresistible Prey, though a sorcery, creates chances for favorable trades or lets you lure deadly creatures away, akin to the flexibility instant speed cards provide. Though not instantaneous itself, combining it with other instant speed cards or abilities can catch opponents off guard, further enhancing your game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite being a powerful choice for creature lure, Irresistible Prey may fall short when resources are limited. Unlike other Mtg cards, it requires the player to discard another in order to carry out the intended effect. This precondition brings an element of risk and forces the player to consider whether the pay-off will be worth the sacrifice.

Specific Mana Cost: The dependency on the green mana puts a limitation on the versatility of Irresistible Prey. To use this bait, a player must have at least one green mana available. The constraint imposed by the specific mana cost gives players less room for improvisation and strategy change, playing primarily into the hands of those who’ve built green-attuned decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the effects of Irresistible Prey can positively alter the game’s dynamics, the four-mana price for its activation is comparatively high. There are plenty of other options available to players that offer more efficient card draw or resource management without such a hefty mana investment. This aspect can be constraining, especially in high-stake situations where every resource matters.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Irresistible Prey brings a unique playstyle to the table. This card can fit into many decks that thrive on aggressive game plans. An excellent tool to aid strategies that involve forcibly guiding opponent creatures to block preferred targets.

Combo Potential: Irresistible Prey opens up various tactical options when combined with creatures that have on-hit or on-death abilities. It also synergizes effectively with strategies that include cards with effects triggered by combat damage or blocked creatures.

Meta-Relevance: During times when the meta features a proliferation of creature-heavy strategies, having Irresistible Prey in your deck can turn the tide by empowering your control strategies, diminishing the effectiveness of your opponent’s game plan, making it a valuable card.


How to Beat

The Irresistible Prey card, a powerful game-changer in Magic: The Gathering, forces all creatures on the field to block one specified creature, presenting a challenge to players. Despite its seemingly overpowering effect, strategies can be developed to counter it.

This card is akin to Lure, another spell that shifts the focus of attacking creatures. However, Irresistible Prey’s uniqueness lies in its requirement of a single green mana and the advantage of being an instant spell.

To combat this card, players can use instant-speed removal spells or abilities, such as Terminate or Murder. These are efficient solutions as they can eliminate the forced target before the attack phase, drastically minimizing the impact of the Irresistible Prey card.

Another strategic approach would be deploying defensive creatures with powerful abilities. The use of creatures like Wall of Blossoms or Wall of Tears could mitigate the expected damage from the Irresistible Prey’s effects. With these considerations in mind, an experienced player can effectively counter this unique card.

In the final analysis, despite Irresistible Prey’s unique power, with well-informed defensive strategies, one can navigate and conquer its challenge in Magic: The Gathering’s dynamic gameplay.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving deeper into MTG’s intricate play patterns rewards those who adapt and innovate. Irresistible Prey is a card that encourages creative tactics, nudging opponents into predictable actions and enabling you to manipulate the battlefield to your favor. Whether you’re expanding your green deck collection or seeking to refine your control strategy, embracing its potential can add a fresh dynamic to your games. The strategic value of such a card is undeniable, opening up numerous possibilities during combat phases. If you’re keen to explore different angles and tactics that Irresistible Prey can introduce to your MTG experience, we’re here to guide you through its complexities. Enhance your gameplay and collection with our expert insights.


Cards like Irresistible Prey

Irresistible Prey, a unique card in the MTG universe, offers interesting strategic plays. Similar cards include Taunting Elf and Provoke. Both evoke a requirement for opponent creatures to block, akin to Irresistible Prey. Yet, there’s a key difference in their abilities. In both Provoke and Taunting Elf’s case, they determine a singular opponent creature to block, unlike Irresistible Prey, which causes all creatures that are able to block to do so.

Another potentially comparable card is Master of Cruelties. This card also forces an opponent’s creature to block it, but it takes things step further. If Master of Cruelties attacks and isn’t blocked, it reduces the opponent’s life to just a single point. While it doesn’t have the group-wide effect of Irresistible Prey, its potential impact on the game is powerful.

In final evaluation, it’s clear that Irresistible Prey holds a unique position among cards in MTG with its capacity to command all available opponent creatures to block. When comparing to others, it offers a wider sweep of control over the blocking moves of rival creatures.

Taunting Elf - MTG Card versions
Provoke - MTG Card versions
Master of Cruelties - MTG Card versions
Taunting Elf - MTG Card versions
Provoke - MTG Card versions
Master of Cruelties - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Irresistible Prey MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Irresistible Prey and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Irresistible Prey Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 1882003NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
22016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 1832015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 4062015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Irresistible Prey has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Irresistible Prey card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2010-06-15 If the affected creature attacks, the defending player must assign at least one blocker to it during the declare blockers step, unless that player controls no creatures that could block it.
2010-06-15 If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time Irresistible Prey resolves, the spell doesn’t resolve. You won’t draw a card.
2010-06-15 The creature affected by Irresistible Prey doesn’t have to attack that turn.
2010-06-15 You can target a creature you don’t control or that otherwise couldn’t attack that turn.

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