Guilty Conscience MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2003-05-26
Set symbol
Set name	Scourge
Set code	SCG
Number	17
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Christopher Moeller

Key Takeaways

Guilty Conscience offers card advantage by potentially handling threats single-handedly.
Instant speed ability lets it act unexpectedly during combat to your benefit.
While powerful, it requires a creature on board and may limit deck diversity.

Text of card

Whenever enchanted creature deals damage, Guilty Conscience deals that much damage to enchanted creature.

Those who most feel guilt don't need to, while those who most need to feel guilt never do. —Order proverb

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Guilty Conscience can potentially remove a key threat from the board without investing multiple cards, thus preventing card disadvantage and maintaining parity or even gaining an edge during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: By potentially eliminating a costly creature your opponent controls, Guilty Conscience can indirectly accelerate your resources, as you may not need to dedicate further resources to handle that particular threat.

Instant Speed: Even though Guilty Conscience is an enchantment, its triggered ability can sometimes work almost like an instant, reacting to the damage dealt, possibly leading to an unexpected removal of a troubling creature your opponent controls during combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing the Guilty Conscience card obliges you to have another creature to pair it with, which might force a discard if your board presence is lacking. Having to manage additional creatures to leverage the card’s effect can be a strategic hindrance, especially when trying to maintain a lean hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Guilty Conscience has an exclusively white mana cost, meaning it may not fit seamlessly into multicolored or non-white decks. This limitation can impact deck building and reduce the versatility of this card in diverse MTG play styles.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potentially powerful effect, when you compare Guilty Conscience with other enchantments or cards with similar abilities, the mana cost may seem steep. For just one white mana, it requires careful consideration regarding its place and value in your deck, especially in formats where mana efficiency can determine the outcome of a game.

Reasons to Include Guilty Conscience in Your Collection

Versatility: Guilty Conscience is not just an ordinary enchantment. Its ability to attach to any creature makes it a flexible tool for both offense and defense, providing creative control options in a variety of decks and matchups.

Combo Potential: This card is notorious for its ability to create infinite damage combos with creatures like Stuffy Doll or Spitemare. Utilizing Guilty Conscience’s triggered ability can lead to unexpected and game-ending synergies, thrilling for players who enjoy a combination of strategy and surprise.

Meta-Relevance: In games where dealing with formidable creatures is a must, Guilty Conscience shines by turning potential threats into double-edged swords. Its relevance in the meta can shift with the popularity of creature-heavy decks and combo strategies, making it a card to watch and wield with precision.

How to beat

Guilty Conscience is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tides of a match by creating an infinite loop with creatures that have the ability to deal damage to themselves. Understanding how to interrupt this potential combo is crucial for any player facing this threat. Since Guilty Conscience targets a single creature, removal spells are your first line of defense. Having instant-speed removal such as Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can eliminate the enchanted creature before the loop begins.

Another strategy is to focus on countering the enchantment itself. Holding onto counter spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can be game-changing when your opponent attempts to cast Guilty Conscience or any synergistic piece. Don’t overlook the power of enchantment removal as well; cards like Naturalize or Disenchant are effective tools to directly remove Guilty Conscience from the battlefield. Moreover, creature abilities that grant hexproof or shroud can prevent Guilty Conscience from latching onto its target in the first place.

Ultimately, staying vigilant and prioritizing the removal of threatening combos or keeping counterspells at the ready are essential tactics when Guilty Conscience is in play. By disrupting the potential loop, your chances of maintaining control over the game increase significantly.

Cards like Guilty Conscience

Guilty Conscience is an intriguing enchantment in Magic the Gathering that brings unique dynamics to a player’s strategy. It’s often compared to cards like Pacifism, as both aim to neutralize threats without removing them. Guilty Conscience stands out by causing the enchanted creature to deal damage to itself equal to the damage it deals, effectively turning any damage output into self-harm. Unlike Pacifism, which simply prevents a creature from attacking or blocking, Guilty Conscience can result in the creature’s demise, but it necessitates the creature being able to deal damage to trigger the effect.

Examining a deeper layer, we find cards like Stuffy Doll enter the scene, which shares a delightful synergy with Guilty Conscience due to their reciprocal damage-dealing abilities, which can set off a lethal loop under the right circumstances. This combo showcases the unique strategic depth that using Guilty Conscience can offer. Conversely, another enchantment, Darksteel Mutation, captures the essence of incapacitation but transforms a creature into an indestructible Insect with no abilities and hence, does not complement the self-destructive angle that Guilty Conscience provides.

Guilty Conscience, with its nuanced design, is a card that offers crafty ways to leverage creature abilities for surprising control and even quick wins, proving its place in Magic the Gathering as a card with a capacity for impactful plays when used with the right combination of strategies and cards.

Cards similar to Guilty Conscience by color, type and mana cost

Mask of Law and Grace - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Guilty Conscience MTG card by a specific set like Scourge, 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 Guilty Conscience and other MTG cards: