Hollowsage MTG Card


Hollowsage - Shadowmoor
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Wizard
Released2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameShadowmoor
Set codeSHM
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number69
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byLucio Parrillo

Key Takeaways

  1. Hollowsage enables players to gain card advantage, pressuring opponents to discard during untap phases.
  2. Triggering at instant speed, it offers synergy with spells and effects that untap creatures unexpectedly.
  3. It requires careful resource management due to its discard requirement and specific mana cost.

Text of card

Whenever Hollowsage becomes untapped, you may have target player discard a card.

Dreams of dark nights to come are said to stir in the minds of scheming hollowsages.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hollowsage enables players to potentially benefit from card advantage each turn. Whenever you untap Hollowsage, you may have target player discard a card, effectively diminishing your opponent’s hand while retaining your own card count.

Resource Acceleration: While not providing direct mana acceleration, Hollowsage contributes to resource acceleration by pressuring opponents to use up their resources more rapidly to avoid the steady depletion of their hand, thereby skewing the resource balance in your favor over time.

Instant Speed: Due to Hollowsage’s triggered ability at untap, this interacts favorably with instant speed spells and effects that can untap creatures, allowing you to activate its ability outside of the usual untap phase, catching an opponent unaware and forcing a discard at potentially crucial moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hollowsage forces players to discard a card whenever it becomes untapped. This can be detrimental when your hand is already diminished, effectively pressuring you to manage resources exceedingly cautiously to maintain control over the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and blue mana, Hollowsage has a mana cost that necessitates a dedicated dual-color deck. This limits its flexibility, rendering it unsuitable for a variety of mono-color decks or those that do not include both of these mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a total of four mana, including two specific color types, Hollowsage’s cost might be considered steep for the utility it provides. In many scenarios, there are alternatives that can provoke card discarding or provide tactical advantages without such a significant mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hollowsage fits seamlessly into a variety of black-aligned decks by harnessing its ability to make each player discard a card. This aligns perfectly with strategies that profit from both opponents losing resources and from your own graveyard interactions.

Combo Potential: Within decks that capitalize on discard mechanics or tap/untap shenanigans, Hollowsage can serve as a cornerstone. It’s especially potent in tandem with cards that allow you to tap it without engaging in combat, maximizing its trigger each turn.

Meta-Relevance: If the game’s current trends lean towards decks loaded with hand disruption tactics or reanimator strategies, Hollowsage provides essential utility. It can disrupt opponent’s plans while fueling your graveyard for recursive threats or delve costs.


How to beat Hollowsage

Hollowsage is a unique creature card with an ability that ties its effectiveness to having untapped creatures during your upkeep. To effectively counter this MTG card, it’s essential to adjust your strategy by either ensuring Hollowsage doesn’t remain on the battlefield or mitigating the impact of its ability. Removal spells, like Doom Blade or Path to Exile, can dispatch Hollowsage efficiently before its untap ability becomes an issue.

Another tactic involves utilizing cheap, instant-speed removal or flash creatures to maintain pressure during your opponent’s turn. This way, you’re keeping your hand secret and minimizing the advantage Hollowsage provides to your opponent. Alternatively, playing with cards that benefit from being discarded or have Madness abilities can actually turn Hollowsage’s ability into an advantage for you. In the end, knowing the intricacies of your deck and having a plan to address creatures like Hollowsage can keep you one step ahead in your MTG matches.


Cards like Hollowsage

Hollowsage stands as an intriguing creature within Magic: The Gathering’s pool of black cards that interact with players’ hands. Much like cards such as Painful Quandary or Hypnotic Specter, Hollowsage can significantly hinder an opponent’s game plan. However, unlike those cards, Hollowsage requires a specific trigger—having no cards in hand while untapping—which can synergize with abilities that force players to draw or discard.

Guul Draz Specter is another card that encourages your opponents to have an empty hand but does so by becoming more potent when attacking a player with no cards in hand. On the flip side, whereas Guul Draz Specter presents an offensive threat, Hollowsage can potentially disrupt all opponents equally and isn’t reliant on aggressive strategies. Comparably, Liliana’s Caress deals damage with each discard, but it lacks the ability to influence the board state as Hollowsage can by dictating opponents’ hand sizes.

Assessing Hollowsage within the context of its peers shows it to be a niche yet potent choice for decks that exploit and manipulate hand sizes. While not as directly aggressive as some alternatives, it offers a unique angle of disrupting your opponents that could complement various MTG deck strategies.

Painful Quandary - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Guul Draz Specter - MTG Card versions
Liliana's Caress - MTG Card versions
Painful Quandary - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Hypnotic Specter - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Guul Draz Specter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Liliana's Caress - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Hollowsage by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Deathgazer - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Faceless Butcher - MTG Card versions
Crowd of Cinders - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Deathgazer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Faceless Butcher - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Crowd of Cinders - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hollowsage MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Hollowsage and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hollowsage has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-05-01 If Hollowsage becomes untapped during your untap step, the ability will trigger. However, since no player gets priority during the untap step, it waits to be put on the stack until your upkeep starts. At that time, all your “beginning of upkeep” triggers will also trigger. You can put them and Hollowsage’s trigger on the stack in any order.

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