Spare from Evil MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Spare from Evil doesn’t directly provide card draw, it can effectively negate numerous threats from your opponent with one card, preserving the creatures you have on the board. This defensive maneuver can offer an indirect card advantage by outlasting an opponent’s aggressive strategies.

Resource Acceleration: While Spare from Evil doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense of adding mana, it can be a pivotal play that prevents the need to cast other spells for defense. This potentially saves resources for subsequent turns, allowing a player to accelerate their board presence more effectively.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Spare from Evil gives players the flexibility to wait until the most impactful moment during combat to cast it. This surprise element can turn the tide of a game, as it can be deployed in response to an opponent’s attack, potentially leading to unfavorable blocks or preserving your life total when needed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spare from Evil does not directly impose a discard requirement upon casting, but playing it in a deck means you might have to discard other potentially more versatile cards when making hand or deck space for this specialized protection spell.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires white mana to cast, which could restrict it to decks that run Plains or have access to mana fixing to accommodate white spells. Players running multicolor decks might find it challenging to include this card without a reliable source of white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana, including one white, Spare from Evil might be deemed costly for its effect when compared to other protection spells. Players could potentially find more impactful cards with similar or lower mana costs to protect their creatures from combat damage.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Spare from Evil can be a key card in decks that focus on a defensive strategy while setting up for a winning turn. It’s particularly adaptable in decks that have a significant number of human creatures.

Combo Potential: This card is excellent in combinations with cards that capitalize on protection effects, potentially clearing the way for an unblockable assault or aligning with cards that trigger upon creatures successfully dealing combat damage to a player.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-heavy decks prevail, Spare from Evil can serve as an efficient tool to protect your board and maintain a strong defensive posture, keeping you safe from opponent’s attacks, and altering the pace of the game in your favor.

How to beat

Spare from Evil is a unique card that offers temporary protection for human creatures in MTG, often turning the tide in an evenly matched battlefield. Its power to render non-human creatures unable to block can clear the path for a powerful onslaught. However, this ability is not without its countermeasures. A well-timed removal spell or board wipe can bypass the protection granted by Spare from Evil, as these do not directly involve blocking. Cards with abilities that deal damage to creatures irrespective of blocking, such as “Blasphemous Act” or “Anger of the Gods”, can efficiently remove human creatures shielded by the card.

Additionally, employing combat tricks or pump spells can bolster your non-human creatures’ power, potentially enabling them to survive the combat phase and retaliate in the next turn. Strategically, holding back resources until after your opponent plays Spare from Evil can be key. This allows you to conserve your answers, such as “Settle the Wreckage” or “Rout”, for the most impactful moment. The key in defeating this spell lies in timing, strategic planning, and having a diverse set of responses in your deck that can adapt to the protection mechanics it offers.