Strangling Soot MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 132
2013-03-15 - Number 65
2021-03-19 - Number 140
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Flashback |
Text of card
Destroy target creature with toughness 3 or less. Flashback (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)
"What good is your blade without your breath?" —Greht, Gathan warlord
Cards like Strangling Soot
Strangling Soot brings to the battlefield a potent blend of creature removal and card recursion within Magic: The Gathering. It’s aligned in purpose with other spells, such as Terminate, which also guarantees the elimination of a creature. Yet, Strangling Soot has the flexible upside of being cast from the graveyard through its flashback cost, offering a second use that Terminate lacks.
Examining another analogous card, Go for the Throat is instantly observed as an efficient creature removal tool. It provides the same targeted removal for less mana, but without the reusable advantage. Conversely, we have Flame Slash, a spell that excels in dealing with creatures for just a single red mana, a cost-effective alternative; however, it offers no late-game recursion and is limited to sorcery speed, unlike the versatility Strangling Soot presents.
Considering these comparisons, Strangling Soot embraces a unique position among removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. With its duality of immediate impact and enduring presence, it ensures players can maintain control over the board in multiple stages of the game.
Cards similar to Strangling Soot by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Strangling Soot not only dispatches a target creature with toughness three or less, it also offers a built-in opportunity for reuse with its flashback ability. This provides significant card advantage, as you get to utilize the same card for impact twice within a game.
Resource Acceleration: While Strangling Soot itself doesn’t generate mana, clearing the board of potential threats can indirectly accelerate your resources. By removing a key creature, you may prevent an opponent from executing combos or strategies that could disrupt your mana development or board presence.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Strangling Soot at instant speed allows for tactical plays. It can be used to surprise an opponent during their attack, upsetting their battle calculations or as a reaction to other instant-speed interactions, keeping you one step ahead in the duel.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Players often assess Strangling Soot’s value critically due to its discard requirement. Using it means you’re potentially losing a card in hand, which can set you back, particularly in games where resource retention is key.
Specific Mana Cost: Strangling Soot’s black color commitment can restrict its inclusion in decks. With both black mana necessary for its casting, this card might not fit in multicolored strategies that struggle with mana consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s considered on the higher side for removal spells, Strangling Soot faces stiff competition in its category. For the same or less mana, players might opt for alternatives that offer instant-speed interaction or additional benefits without the need for a discard.
Reasons to Include Strangling Soot in Your Collection
Versatility: Strangling Soot offers a dual advantage as a removal option and a card with flashback. This makes it a valuable tool in decks that need to manage threats on the battlefield repeatedly.
Combo Potential: With its ability to return to the game from the graveyard, Strangling Soot can synergize with strategies that capitalize on casting from alternative zones, thus integrating well with recursive gameplay.
Meta-Relevance: In formats where small creatures are prevalent, having Strangling Soot can significantly disrupt an opponent’s early game momentum and provide you with sustained board control over time.
How to Beat
Strangling Soot is an intriguing black instant card that offers players the ability to destroy a creature with three or less toughness and then potentially return the card from the graveyard to their hand with its flashback ability. To effectively counteract Strangling Soot, one should focus on creatures that exceed this toughness threshold or utilize spells that grant indestructibility temporarily or permanently. Maintaining creatures with a robust constitution ensures they fall outside the Soot’s grasp.
Moreover, leveraging counterspell strategies can disrupt an opponent’s plans to cast Strangling Soot or use its flashback from the graveyard. Countering the initial spell denies the later value gained from the flashback, forcing your opponent to reassess their strategy. Additionally, cards that exile from the graveyard disrupt the value loop that Strangling Soot aims to create.
Recognizing the imminent threat of removal that Strangling Soot poses can guide one to play creatures strategically, applying pressure where the instant has less impact. By maximizing the timing of your key plays and maintaining a diverse range of threats, you can undercut Strangling Soot’s potency and maintain a formidable board presence.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Strangling Soot MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt, 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 Strangling Soot and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Strangling Soot Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Jim Murray.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 132 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Murray | |
| 2 | 2013-03-15 | Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt | DDK | 65 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Murray | |
| 3 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 140 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jim Murray |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Strangling Soot has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Strangling Soot card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-19 | A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way. |
| 2021-03-19 | If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it’s legal to do so before any other player can take any actions. |
| 2021-03-19 | To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was. |
| 2021-03-19 | You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast. |
| 2021-03-19 | You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card’s type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery. |
| 2021-03-19 | “Flashback -ost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying -ost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.” |