Savage Hunger MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Cycling,Enchant |
| Released | 2008-10-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Shards of Alara |
| Set code | ALA |
| Number | 147 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Trevor Claxton |
Key Takeaways
- Grants creatures immediate power and trample, escalating board threats and forcing opponents’ hands.
- Instant-speed casting adds depth, allowing for combat surprises that can pivot gameplay dramatically.
- Demands specific mana and discarding, which may constrain strategic flexibility and deck options.
Text of card
Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 and has trample. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Savage Hunger grants you an immediate creature boost and trample ability, potentially turning any creature into a significant threat on the board. This not only gives you tactical advantage but can also pressure your opponent into using their resources prematurely, leading to long-term card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Including Savage Hunger in your deck can strategically accelerate your resources by enabling your creatures to break through blockers more effectively. This may lead to quicker damage to your opponents and a speedier route to victory, making it a valuable asset for aggressive strategies.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Savage Hunger at instant speed adds a layer of versatility, allowing you to surprise your opponent during combat. This unexpected enhancement can shift the balance during critical turns, leading to favorable trades or unexpected wins.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One drawback of Savage Hunger is the need to discard a card to unleash its full potential. This could put players at a disadvantage, particularly when their hand is nearly empty or when every card counts towards a carefully curated strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Another limitation is the card’s appetite for a specific blend of mana. Requiring both green and red mana, it narrows the decks where this card can be optimally played, confining it largely to Gruul or multicolored decks that can accommodate such costs without disrupting the mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Savage Hunger provides a significant boost to creature power and trample ability, its mana cost is on the higher side when compared to other options in the format. Players looking for similar effects might find more mana-efficient alternatives that could be cast sooner, thereby impacting the board earlier in the game.
Reasons to Include Savage Hunger in Your Collection
Versatility: Savage Hunger adds a boost to any deck looking to capitalize on aggressive strategies. It gives creatures both trample and a power increase, making it a solid choice for various creature-based decks.
Combo Potential: This card has synergy with strategies that benefit from enchantment play or those that focus on +1/+1 counters. Utilize it to crank up the pressure on your opponent by overwhelming them with enhanced creatures.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by smaller creatures or less removal, the trample and power boost from Savage Hunger can decisively shift the balance in your favor, making it a prudent addition to your arsenal against specific competitive environments.
How to beat
Savage Hunger as an MTG card provides a pivotal enhancement in gameplay, somewhat analogous to the role of combat tricks or enhancers in a player’s arsenal. This card is distinct because it offers the creature it enchants both trample and a glimpse of scaling power with each attack. To overcome this particular card, the strategy isn’t solely about removal—although that definitely helps—but also mitigation.
Control tactics like counter spells can pre-emptively deal with Savage Hunger before it even hits the board. For those already facing down a creature boosted by Savage Hunger, classic removal spells work wonders to reset the board state. Additionally, evasion techniques or numerous blockers can help minimize the impact of trample, diluting the Savage Hunger’s effectiveness in direct combat scenarios.
Therefore, the key to besting Savage Hunger lies in preparedness. Deck construction that includes flexible responses to enchantments and a variety of tactics to handle enhanced creatures will stand up best against the challenges posed by this card. Understand that while Savage Hunger can tip the scales, it is not unbeatable with a thoughtfully tailored strategy.
Cards like Savage Hunger
Savage Hunger stands as an inviting option in the realm of creature enchantments in MTG. It draws a parallel to cards like Rancor, which provides a notable attack boost and trample to any creature, but differs in its ability to stick around after the creature is gone. While Savage Hunger focuses on delivering a sizeable power bump and trample to a creature, it cages its effect to just that one creature without the recurrence Rancor offers.
Then we glance at Flamespeaker’s Will; it also bestows an attack advantage but is limited by its singularity – it can only affect creatures with heroic. Savage Hunger has an edge with its broader applicability, capable of empowering any creature. Another comparable enchantment is Madcap Skills, which confers a substantial attack enhancement and makes the creature less blockable. But again, Savage Hunger brings something extra to the tabletop with its inclusion in the Escape mechanic, allowing players to recast it from the graveyard, giving it longevity in longer battles.
Balancing the aspects of these enchantments shows that Savage Hunger strikes a fine chord in the creature buff category of MTG. Its trample grant and Escape potential make it a versatile card that can turn the tides of combat in various situations.
Cards similar to Savage Hunger by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Savage Hunger MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Savage Hunger and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Savage Hunger has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Savage Hunger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
