Sicken MTG Card

Sicken provides strategic card advantage and board control at instant speed, crucial during combat phases. Requires discarding and specific mana, posing potential deck building and resource management challenges. Despite such costs, instant interaction and debuffing capability make Sicken a tactical asset in matches.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Cycling,Enchant
Released	1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Saga
Set code	USG
Number	156
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Heather Hudson

Text of card

Enchanted creature gets -1/-1. Cycling (You may pay and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

Urza dared to attack Phyrexia. Slowly, it retaliated.

Cards like Sicken

Sicken occupies a unique space in the selection of aura spells within Magic: The Gathering. This card shares similarities with other auras that also debuff creatures like Dead Weight. Where Sicken necessitates an immediate -1/-1 effect on the chosen creature, Dead Weight offers a persisting -2/-2, potentially more crippling over the long term. Nonetheless, Sicken allows for an instant-speed response, giving players the flexibility to disrupt their opponent’s strategies on the fly.

Contrastingly, Crippling Blight is another aura that fits into this comparison. While it permanently weakens a creature with a -1/-1 effect much like Sicken, it additionally prevents the creature from blocking. This added dimension could turn the tides of combat in your favor. However, Sicken still holds its advantage with its instant-speed capability, making it a prime choice for unexpected plays.

In terms of choosing the optimal weakening aura for your deck, Sicken indeed holds its ground. It offers instant speed interaction with the battlefield, providing a tactical edge in many situations. As such, for players looking for a decisive and quick answer to an opposing creature, Sicken could be the enchantment of choice amongst its peer cards.

Cards similar to Sicken by color, type and mana cost

Volrath's Motion Sensor - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Bloodchief Ascension - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sicken provides the player not only with the ability to decrease an opponent’s creature power but also an opportunity to draw into more potential solutions, adding a layer of strategic depth to the gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly produce resources, Sicken can potentially save mana by making expensive enemy creatures less of a threat and delaying the need for more costly removal spells.

Instant Speed: Its capability to be played at instant speed gives players the flexibility to reactively diminish an opponent creature’s effectiveness, especially during combat or in response to buff spells, maintaining tempo and control at crucial game moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sicken may cause you to part ways with a valuable card upon casting. Each casting mandates that you discard, potentially dwindling your hand and impacting your subsequent play options, particularly if your reserves are already running thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Sicken’s casting cost necessitates black mana, anchoring it within decks that run on this color. For players piloting multicolored decks or those not leaning heavily into black, slotting Sicken in might prove challenging and affect deck fluidity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Demanding two mana for its effect, Sicken might be viewed as costly for what it delivers. Players could find other cards that provide creature debuffs or removal effects at a more economical mana investment, potentially offering more utility and versatility for the same or lower cost.

Reasons to Include Sicken in Your Collection

Versatility: Sicken is a card that can easily slot into black decks that prioritize controlling the board. Its ability to debuff an opposing creature makes it a useful tool for dealing with threats without using more expensive removal spells.

Combo Potential: This card, while seemingly straightforward, holds the potential for tactical plays when combined with cards that benefit from activated abilities like -1/-1 counters, or when setting up a creature for a kill spell that requires a toughness threshold.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-changing dynamics of MTG play, Sicken can prove its worth in a meta with a high density of aggro decks, where decreasing the power and toughness of aggressive creatures is critical to surviving the early onslaught and stabilizing the board.

How to Beat

Sicken is an intriguing instant spell in the realm of MTG that temporarily weakens a target creature. When you’re facing a creature bolstered by Sicken, there’s a subtle art to gaining the upper hand. One effective method is to employ removal spells, like Murder or Path to Exile, thereby eliminating the threat completely while your opponent’s guards are down. Considering Sicken’s temporary nature, instant speed removal provides a swift and clean solution to the dilemma.

Other tactics to outmaneuver Sicken include using hexproof to shield your creatures from becoming targets of the debuff. If Sicken has already hit, countering it with a pump spell or equipment that boosts your creature’s power and toughness can also reverse the situation, helping you mitigate its effect. Finally, leveraging the card’s single-turn limit, you can strategically plan your blocks or hold back attacks, effectively nullifying the impact of Sicken by waiting it out.

At its core, overcoming a card like Sicken boils down to anticipation and well-timed responses. Whether through direct removal, protective measures, or strategic play, there’s a multitude of avenues available to players looking to combat the temporary set-back imposed by this spell.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sicken MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Sicken and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sicken has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sicken 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.