Spirit of Malevolence MTG Card

Provides card advantage and impacts life totals favorably with its leave-the-battlefield trigger. Enhances mana curve efficiency for faster gameplay while offering synergy with instant speed spells. Demands strategic deck building to optimize its potential and mitigate its constraints.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Spirit
Released	2020-07-03
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2021
Set code	M21
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	331
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Josu Hernaiz

Text of card

When Spirit of Malevolence dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Great evil weighs on the soul.

Cards like Spirit of Malevolence

Spirit of Malevolence offers a unique proposition within the realm of creature spells in MTG. This card shares some common ground with other two-cost creatures, such as Black Cat or Shambling Goblin, which also trigger a small impact upon leaving the battlefield. However, what sets Spirit of Malevolence apart is its immediate impact on both players’ life totals, providing a slight life swing in your favor.

Looking at Dutiful Attendant, we observe a creature that, much like our Spirit, impacts the game upon death. Instead of tweaking life totals, it returns another creature from the graveyard to your hand, offering a different strategic advantage. Then there’s the Carrier Thrall, which on demise furnishes you with a 1/1 token, rather than affecting life totals direct, yet still contributes to board presence.

While evaluating these creature cards side by side, Spirit of Malevolence stands out for its capacity to provide an immediate effect on the life race, which can be especially pertinent in tight game scenarios. It finds its niche in decks that capitalize on death triggers or life manipulation strategies in MTG.

Cards similar to Spirit of Malevolence by color, type and mana cost

Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Spirit of Malevolence offers a tactical play by providing two benefits with a single card. Upon leaving the battlefield, it makes an opponent lose 1 life and you gain 1 life, effectively swinging life totals by 2 in your favor. This two-fold effect can be a subtle yet impactful advantage during the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: Although Spirit of Malevolence doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in terms of mana, its low casting cost can contribute to a smoother and more efficient mana curve. This supports a faster deployment of other important spells and creatures, keeping the tempo in your favor.

Instant Speed: While this creature does not have an instant speed ability itself, its synergy with instant speed spells that revolve around sacrificing creatures or triggering death-related effects makes it a versatile choice during various phases of play. Having the Spirit of Malevolence on the field can deter opponents from attacking or blocking unfavorably due to its triggered ability, giving you control over combat dynamics at instant speed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One significant drawback of Spirit of Malevolence is the necessity to have another card to discard, potentially depleting your hand. This can be particularly detrimental during late-game scenarios when every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature requires a precise combination of one black and one generic mana, which can be restrictive and not always convenient, especially for multicolored decks that might run smoother with more flexible mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a 1/1 creature, investing two mana may not always be the most economical play. Considering other creatures and spells at similar mana costs, players might find that Spirit of Malevolence doesn’t provide enough board presence or impact to justify its inclusion over alternatives.

Reasons to Include Spirit of Malevolence in Your Collection

Versatility: The Spirit of Malevolence card offers flexibility in deck design with its modest mana cost and instant impact on the board. It can be effortlessly woven into black-based decks seeking incremental life point tactics.

Combo Potential: This creature card pairs well with sacrifice strategies or death-triggered abilities, giving it a home in decks that capitalize on such synergies to control the field or feed more extensive combo engines.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks that hinge on maintaining a high life total or that contain numerous low-toughness creatures, the Spirit of Malevolence can become an efficient tool, subtly swaying the life totals and board presence in your favor.

How to beat

The Spirit of Malevolence is a unique creature card in the world of MTG, offering a blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. Its power lies in its death-triggered ability, which can be a turning point in games by shifting life totals just enough to nudge the scales in favor of the user. However, there are strategies to outmaneuver this spectral foe. Board control spells can keep it off the battlefield without triggering its effect. Cards with exile abilities bypass the death-trigger entirely, nullifying the life total alteration. Efficient removal spells cast in response to its summoning can also be a strategic option to ensure that the game remains in your control.

Moreover, having graveyard interaction cards in your deck can be a clever preemptive countermeasure. Such cards can remove Spirit of Malevolence or similar threats from the game before they have the opportunity to trigger death effects. Another tactic involves using cards that can neutralize abilities or offering robust sideboard options to minimize the impact of death triggers across matches.

When faced with Spirit of Malevolence, it’s crucial to remain aware of its presence and have a plan to circumvent its influence, emphasizing the importance of removal and ability countering in your deck build to maintain an edge in your MTG matchups.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spirit of Malevolence MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2021, 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 Spirit of Malevolence and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spirit of Malevolence has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-06-23	If your life total is brought to 0 or less at the same time that Spirit of Malevolence is dealt lethal damage, you lose the game before its ability goes on the stack.
2020-06-23	In a Two-Headed Giant game, Spirit of Malevolence's ability causes the opposing team to lose 2 life and you to gain 1 life.