Necrogen Censer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact
Released	2010-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Scars of Mirrodin
Set code	SOM
Number	184
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Pete Venters

Key Takeaways

Necrogen Censer converts resources into card options during critical game phases.
It enables more actions per turn, giving a potential advantage over opponents.
The card requires a discard and specific mana, weighing on its utility.

Text of card

Necrogen Censer enters the battlefield with two charge counters on it. , Remove a charge counter from Necrogen Censer: Target player loses 2 life.

Moriok necromancers actively spread necrogen, encouraging the transformation from Mirran to nim.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Necrogen Censer offers a different kind of card utility by providing incremental advantage. With the ability to remove charge counters and draw cards, it allows players to convert resources into options, making it a strategic tool in the later stages of the game when more fuel is needed.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating mana, Necrogen Censer can effectively accelerate game resources. By using the card, players potentially gain access to more actions per turn, as they can unlock new cards from their deck faster than their opponent.

Instant Speed: While Necrogen Censer’s ability isn’t at instant speed, its impact can simulate instant speed advantages. Players can activate the card’s ability at end of turn, right before their own turn begins, ensuring they have the most information possible to make strategic decisions without revealing their plans prematurely.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Necrogen Censer requires a discard from its controller’s hand to fuel its activated ability, creating a potential setback by depleting hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact comes with an activation cost that demands one black mana, which could be restrictive for non-black or multicolored decks, possibly impacting deck building strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment of three mana to cast Necrogen Censer, in conjunction with its charge-up mechanic, may seem steep compared to other cards that provide immediate or more cost-effective benefits.

Reasons to Include Necrogen Censer in Your Collection

Versatility: Necrogen Censer offers flexibility to a variety of deck builds, particularly those that are fine-tuned for artifact synergies or strategies that demand incremental life payment for strategic advantages.

Combo Potential: This artifact card has significant combo potential, allowing players to manipulate life totals for various benefits, and can be an integral part of an engine in combo-centric decks.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility in affecting life totals, Necrogen Censer could serve well in metas where life-gain and life-loss strategies have prominence, making it a potentially useful sideboard card or even main-deck inclusion in the right circumstances.

How to Beat Necrogen Censer

Necrogen Censer emerges as a unique artifact within MTG’s vast card library. Its ability to deplete an opponent’s life total can rapidly shift the tide of a match. To counter this, it’s crucial to adopt certain strategies. Understanding the pace at which Necrogen Censer operates is key. As it accrues charge counters, players should maintain a close eye on their own life points and consider employing removal spells for artifacts, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, to effectively dismantle this threat.

Life gain tactics are also a wise choice against the incremental life loss induced by Necrogen Censer. Incorporating cards like Essence Warden or Authority of the Consuls can help negate the life-draining effect by keeping your life total stable. Additionally, it’s beneficial to apply pressure and force the Necrogen Censer user to allocate resources elsewhere, tapering their ability to leverage the card’s full potential. Aggressive strategies and creature-heavy decks can be instrumental in diverting attention from the looming presence of Necrogen Censer on the battlefield.

Focusing on these defensive and offensive aspects ensures a robust strategy when facing the card. With the right approach, Necrogen Censer can be rendered less menacing, allowing MTG players to reclaim control of the game’s momentum.

Cards like Necrogen Censer

Necrogen Censer presents a unique approach to resource management in MTG, standing in contrast to similar artifacts. It shares a common theme with the likes of Pristine Talisman, an artifact that not only adds colorless mana but also grants the user life with each activation. Yet Necrogen Censer forgoes the life gain for an impactful alternative – bestowing players with additional poison counters to use against opponents, an element absent in Pristine Talisman’s design.

Entering the fray of comparison is Grafted Exoskeleton, another artifact that, while not directly mana-producing, similarly spreads poison counters. It does so through equipped creatures, offering a more combat-oriented route compared to Necrogen Censer’s direct method. Additionally, the comparison brings in Ichorclaw Myr, a creature that while it doesn’t provide the same utility as Necrogen Censer, remains within the poison counter strategy, exemplifying another facet of this tactical approach within MTG.

In essence, while Necrogen Censer may not have the raw mana-lending efficiency or versatility as others, it stands out by virtue of its potent, targeted strategy utilizing poison counters, marking its place as a strategic consideration for players looking to add a poisonous touch to their decks.

Cards similar to Necrogen Censer by color, type and mana cost

Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Necrogen Censer MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, 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 Necrogen Censer and other MTG cards: