Slayer of the Wicked MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Slayer of the Wicked provides an inherent card advantage by allowing you to remove an opposing creature upon entering the battlefield. This key interaction can disrupt your opponent’s game plan and leave you with a solid board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Although Slayer of the Wicked doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, it effectively conserves your resources by dealing with threats without the need for dedicated removal spells. This means you can allocate your mana elsewhere, maintaining pressure or developing your board.

Instant Speed: While Slayer of the Wicked is not an instant itself, it has a strong synergy with flash mechanics or instant-speed tricks that can alter combat outcomes. The threat of activating such synergies can cause opponents to play conservatively, giving you a tactical edge.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While “Slayer of the Wicked” doesn’t have a discard mechanic itself, its playability can be constrained when your hand is empty. Without options in hand, you miss the opportunity to maximise your turns and the full potential of your deck’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a specific mana cost that requires both white and generic mana, which may challenge deck flexibility. Players running a multicolored deck or those short on white mana sources at a crucial turn might find it difficult to summon “Slayer of the Wicked” when most needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana — one white and two generic — “Slayer of the Wicked” can be considered costly for its creature removal ability, especially when compared with other lower-cost removal spells. In the fast-paced games of MTG, allocating three mana to a single creature that must enter the battlefield for its effect can be a hindrance against decks focused on speed and efficiency.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Slayer of the Wicked boasts the ability to be slotted into a variety of decks due to its creature removal upon entering the battlefield. This makes it a suitable fit for decks that aim to control the board while developing their own presence.

Combo Potential: When this card hits the field, its ability to destroy a Vampire, Werewolf, or Zombie can work in sync with other cards that benefit when creatures die or when targeted removal is used. This can lead to powerful play sequences and board advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with these specific creature types, the utility of Slayer of the Wicked increases significantly. It’s particularly useful in sideboards when facing decks that capitalize on these tribes, making it a strategic tool in tournament play.

How to beat

Slayer of the Wicked is a creature card that comes with its own removal utility, making it a valuable play in Magic: The Gathering. Just by entering the battlefield, it targets a Vampire, Werewolf, or Zombie and destroys it. This direct and purposeful ability places it in a category of cards offering both creature presence and field control. But how can you effectively navigate this threat when it’s on your opponent’s side?

Counterspells like Mana Leak or Negate offer a straightforward answer—preventing the Slayer from ever entering the battlefield in the first place. Should it land on the field, enchantment-based removals such as Pacifism can disable the Slayer without triggering its ability, effectively neutralizing the threat while avoiding further creature loss. Alternatively, instant removal spells like Doom Blade can swiftly dispatch the Slayer in response to its ability, turning the table before it wreaks havoc among your forces. Playing around Slayer of the Wicked involves thoughtful timing and prioritizing control over the board. This card’s utility makes it a noteworthy consideration in deck building, especially where it can maximize its potential by targeting prevalent creature types in the current meta.