Dakmor Plague MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. It strips opponents of resources, creating a strategic advantage by hindering their gameplay progression.
  2. Instant speed casting offers surprise plays, disrupting opponents during their own turns.
  3. Demands card discard from the user, which can backfire if not properly managed in one’s strategy.

Text of card

Dakmor Plague deals 3 damage to each creature and player. (This includes your creatures and you.)

The tiniest cough can be deadlier than the fiercest dragon.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dakmor Plague can be a relentless force in depleting your opponent’s hand, often damaging their resources and strategic options. This ability is pivotal in games where maintaining a lead in card volume could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Resource Acceleration: While Dakmor Plague itself doesn’t directly generate mana or ramp, the consequent depletion of your opponent’s hand can indirectly lead to a form of resource acceleration by stalling their development and letting you pull ahead in the game.

Instant Speed: The power of playing cards at instant speed should never be underestimated. Being able to cast Dakmor Plague in response to an opponent’s action allows for strategic flexibility and the element of surprise, making it a formidable tool in any player’s arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dakmor Plague requires players to discard a card to unlock its potential. This can be particularly problematic when hand size is critical or when the hand consists of key cards vital to your strategy. Discarding can put you at a disadvantage if you’re unable to offset the card loss with additional draw or recursion abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: With its need for black mana, this card is tailored for black or black-inclusive decks. This specificity narrows the range of decks it can easily slot into and can be a hindrance in multi-color decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost of Dakmor Plague might be deemed steep considering the effect it provides. There exist numerous alternatives in the vast pool of MTG cards that could bring similar or greater impact to the game for the same or a lower mana investment, making it less appealing for players aiming for maximum efficiency.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dakmor Plague can serve multiple roles within black-centered or control decks, capable of disrupting your opponents’ hands while also offering a potential finisher in long-drawn games. Its ability to affect each player makes it a flexible tool in many game scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that exploit the discard mechanic, synergizing with cards that trigger upon discards or benefit from your opponents having fewer options. In essence, Dakmor Plague fits neatly into strategies primed to utilize discard as a resource.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where players rely heavily on carefully curated hands, Dakmor Plague disrupts those strategies. It keeps the meta in check by challenging decks that need specific combinations of cards to execute their win conditions, making it a relevant choice for competitive play.


How to beat

Dakmor Plague may appear daunting with its potential to induce widespread havoc across the battlefield. However, there are sound strategies to nullify its impact. The key lies in proactively managing your hand and board state to minimize what Dakmor Plague can leverage. For instance, maintaining a lean battlefield can reduce the card’s devastating effect by lessening the damage inflicted per creature. On the other hand, the value of hand disruption should not be overlooked. Utilizing thoughtsieze-like effects to extract it from your opponent’s hand before it can be cast can be a game-changer. Furthermore, cards that offer graveyard recursion also serve as a robust countermeasure, allowing you to reclaim what was lost and continue to apply pressure. By anticipating Dakmor Plague and employing these counterstrategies, you can maintain control and diminish the dread it usually brings to the table.

Maintaining versatility in your deck building can also cushion the blow from such potent disruption. Versatile removal or creature protection spells, like countermagic or instant-speed indestructibility, can catch an opponent off-guard and mitigate the loss of board presence. Lastly, learning to pivot your tactics in the face of such threats can turn the tide, leveraging your resources and resilience to overcome the seemingly insurmountable plague.


Cards like Dakmor Plague

Dakmor Plague comes into the Magic: The Gathering scene as a virulent spell focused on widespread damage. It’s akin to other mass removal spells like Pestilence which deals damage to each creature and each player. Where Dakmor Plague carves out its distinct niche is its sweeping damage that specifically targets opponents, preserving your own board state. Pestilence, meanwhile, requires a more cautious approach, as it can hurt your own creatures as well.

Another card with resemblances is Pyroclasm. Both spells deal damage to a host of creatures. Yet, Dakmor Plague’s higher damage output compared to Pyroclasm’s two points of damage is notable. Pyroclasm is more mana-efficient for smaller threats, but Dakmor Plague is better suited for ridding the board of larger menaces.

Lastly, we might consider Infest as a parallel, which also deals -2/-2 to all creatures like Pyroclasm, yet here, the subtle shift to a stat reduction rather than direct damage could be pivotal in evading certain types of creature immunities. Casting Dakmor Plague strategically can outmatch Infest, thanks to its ability to eliminate even those creatures with damage prevention.

Examining these cards side-by-side, Dakmor Plague holds a firm position in MTG for players looking to command the battlefield by decimating their opponent’s creature presence with one fell swoop.

Pestilence - MTG Card versions
Pyroclasm - MTG Card versions
Infest - MTG Card versions
Pestilence - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Pyroclasm - Ice Age (ICE)
Infest - Onslaught (ONS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dakmor Plague MTG card by a specific set like Portal Second Age and Starter 1999, 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 Dakmor Plague and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dakmor Plague Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1998-06-24 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Jeff Miracola.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-06-24Portal Second AgeP02 691997normalblackJeff Miracola
21999-07-01Starter 1999S99 721997normalwhiteJeff Miracola
32011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 731997normalblackJeff Miracola

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dakmor Plague has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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