Vona's Hunger MTG Card


Vona's Hunger - Rivals of Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Ascend
Released2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set nameRivals of Ixalan
Set codeRIX
Number90
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byZack Stella

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant-speed sacrifice effect can tip the game by disrupting opponents’ strategies at crucial moments.
  2. Vona’s Hunger demands a strong board presence to utilize its Ascend mechanic for maximum effect.
  3. Valuable in multiplayer settings, this card scales its influence with the number of opponents.

Text of card

Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.) Each opponent sacrifices a creature. If you have the city's blessing, instead each opponent sacrifices half the creatures he or she controls, rounded up.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vona’s Hunger can significantly affect the board state by forcing each opponent to sacrifice a creature. This often results in a net positive exchange, tipping the scales in your favor by potentially removing key pieces from opponents’ strategies.

Resource Acceleration: Although Vona’s Hunger itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, playing it at a strategic moment can disrupt opponents’ mana creatures or other utility creatures, slowing their tempo and giving you a relative acceleration in resources.

Instant Speed: As an instant-speed spell, Vona’s Hunger offers the flexibility to be cast at the most opportune time, whether it’s during an opponent’s attack phase, end step, or in response to another spell or ability being activated. This versatility allows for tactical plays that could swing the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vona’s Hunger requires you to control a commanding presence on the battlefield for maximum effect. This can be a considerable disadvantage during the early game or when you’re behind on board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: With Vona’s Hunger’s specific cost of one black and two generic mana, its inclusion in your deck demands a dedicated mana base. Players not running a primarily black deck might have trouble reliably casting this card when it’s most needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ascend component can provide significant control over your opponent’s creatures, the initial investment of three mana without immediate board impact can be costly. There are alternatives available that may affect the board at a lesser mana expenditure and might be preferred in a tight mana curve.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Vona’s Hunger is a dynamic addition to any collection, easily sliding into Commander and other formats that capitalize on life payment mechanics and instant-speed interaction. Its ability to affect each opponent makes it a worthwhile card in multiplayer games, where its impact scales with the number of players.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that manipulate the number of permanents players control, synergizing with effects that create tokens or recur creatures from the graveyard. The Ascend keyword provides an additional layer of strategy, offering a reliable way to achieve the City’s Blessing for heightened board control.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-heavy decks are common, Vona’s Hunger can act as a clutch piece of removal. Its asymmetric effect means you can maintain board presence while disrupting opponents, making it particularly potent in metas dominated by creature-based strategies.


How to beat

Vona’s Hunger can prove to be a tricky challenge on the battlefield, forcing players into tough decisions as it commands each opponent to sacrifice a creature. To navigate around Vona’s Hunger’s potency, consider populating your deck with low-cost creature tokens that can be easily sacrificed without significant loss. Another method involves using creatures that trigger benefits when they’re sent to the graveyard, turning Vona’s Hunger’s drawback into your advantage.

Indestructible creatures also serve as a reliable countermeasure, as they can withstand the sacrifice effect. Spells that grant you hexproof temporarily ensure that Vona’s Hunger effects bypass you entirely, neutralizing its impact. Lastly, being proactive in removing your opponent’s sources of permanent ascent can hinder their ability to trigger Vona’s Hunger at its full strength, mitigating the pressure it can exert on your strategy.

In conclusion, while Vona’s Hunger has the potential to disrupt your board greatly, there are numerous strategies that can mitigate its effectiveness. By integrating these methods into your deck, you can protect yourself against the strategic advantage this powerful card grants your adversaries.


BurnMana Recommendations

Vona’s Hunger poses a fascinating challenge for MTG players aiming to sharpen their strategic skills. Its potential to shift the tide of multi-opponent matches marks it as an essential piece in any deck that values control and disruption. With the right strategy, it can be your ace in the hole, fundamentally altering the board to your benefit at instant speed. If you’re looking to enhance your game with this dynamic spell, we can provide deeper insights and robust strategies to maximize its effectiveness. Delve further into the world of MTG with us and discover how to best wield Vona’s Hunger in your deck.


Understanding Vona’s Hunger and Its Competition

In the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering, Vona’s Hunger unfolds as a unique instant that forces each opponent to sacrifice a creature. It stands shoulder to shoulder with other influential sacrifice spells, but carries a distinctive edge known as the Ascend mechanic. Achieving the City’s Blessing turns Vona’s Hunger into a devastating force, especially in multiplayer games, where it can command opponents to sacrifice half of their creatures, rounded up.

Cards like Vona's Hunger

Vona’s Hunger carves a niche for itself amongst cards with comparable effects. Take Diabolic Edict, for example; it’s a swift answer as an instant, compelling a single opponent to sacrifice a creature. Where it diverges from Vona’s Hunger is in its scaling potential. On the flip side, Crux of Fate offers a broader sweep, able to decimate all creatures of a chosen type, but it does so at a slower pace as a sorcery and without the precision control that Vona’s Hunger exhibits when it comes to targeted enemy sacrifices.

Barter in Blood is another peer in this sphere, enforcing all players to sacrifice two creatures. However, it lacks the split-second timing Vona’s Hunger possesses, given its sorcery speed. With its unique combination of instant speed, scalability, and tactical advantage, Vona’s Hunger distinctly integrates into strategies that aim to disrupt opponents at critical game junctures, making it a potent tool in a player’s arsenal.

Diabolic Edict - MTG Card versions
Crux of Fate - MTG Card versions
Barter in Blood - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Edict - Tempest (TMP)
Crux of Fate - Fate Reforged (FRF)
Barter in Blood - Mirrodin (MRD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vona's Hunger MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Vona's Hunger and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vona's Hunger has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-01-19 A permanent is any object on the battlefield, including tokens and lands. Spells and emblems aren’t permanents.
2018-01-19 If you cast a spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing until it resolves. Players may respond to that spell by trying to change whether you get the city’s blessing.
2018-01-19 If you control ten permanents but don’t control a permanent or resolving spell with ascend, you don’t get the city’s blessing. For example, if you control ten permanents, lose control of one, then cast Golden Demise, you won’t have the city’s blessing and the spell will affect creatures you control.
2018-01-19 If your tenth permanent enters the battlefield and then a permanent leaves the battlefield immediately afterwards (most likely due to the “Legend Rule” or due to being a creature with 0 toughness), you get the city’s blessing before it leaves the battlefield.
2018-01-19 Once you have the city’s blessing, you have it for the rest of the game, even if you lose control of some or all of your permanents. The city’s blessing isn’t a permanent itself and can’t be removed by any effect.
2018-01-19 When Vona’s Hunger resolves, first the player whose turn it is (if that player is an opponent) chooses which creature or creatures they will sacrifice, then each other opponent in turn order does the same, then all chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time. Players will know choices made by earlier players when making their choices.

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