Lash of Malice MTG Card

Lash of Malice - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Number	74
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Slawomir Maniak

Key Takeaways

Enhances strategic plays with its instant speed, allowing reactive use on your opponent’s creatures or your own.
Has potential combo uses, increasing creature power or activating death triggers for gaining an upper hand.
Despite versality, it demands careful deck management, considering mana base and potential card disadvantage.

Text of card

Target creature gets +2/-2 until end of turn.

"The strongest shadow spells come from disdain for someone else, not frustration with yourself." —Embrose, Silverquill dean

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Lash of Malice card can potentially remove an opponent’s key creature, leading to a one-for-one trade that keeps your hand equipped with responses while depleting the adversary’s resources.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly providing mana or tokens, Lash of Malice’s low cost aids in resource acceleration by keeping mana available for other spells or abilities, ensuring efficient use of turns.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Lash of Malice provides the flexibility to react to threats at a moment’s notice, augmenting your strategic options during your opponent’s turn without compromising your own battlefield development.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lash of Malice does not directly require the discard of a card as an additional cost. However, it’s important for players to be aware of the potential card disadvantage when using single-target removal spells. Using Lash of Malice means one less card in hand, which can be a setback if you’re not removing a key threat or making a significant impact on the board.

Specific Mana Cost: Lash of Malice necessitates one black mana, which can be restrictive in multicolored decks that may not always have the right mana available. It’s especially challenging in decks where black is not the primary color and the mana base can’t reliably produce the required black mana early in the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Lash of Malice only costs one black mana, in the broader context of MTG, there are spells that provide more versatile removal or additional benefits for the same or just slightly higher mana cost. Players might opt for those alternatives in a deck-building situation, considering the balance between cost and effect.

Reasons to Include Lash of Malice in Your Collection

Versatility: Lash of Malice serves as a multi-purpose spell that can be used to either enhance your creatures’ power or eliminate opposing threats. Its low mana cost makes it an easy fit in a variety of decks, particularly those looking for quick and inexpensive ways to interact with the board.

Combo Potential: The instant boost in power this spell provides opens opportunities to combine with cards that benefit from sudden strength increases or death triggers. It’s the key in strategies that revolve around enhancing creatures for a decisive turn or creating advantageous sacrifices.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to quickly deal with early-game creatures, Lash of Malice holds relevance in metagames populated by aggressive strategies. As the game evolves, having efficient one-mana removal or pump spells ensures that your deck can contend with rapid threats and creature-based decks.

How to beat Lash of Malice

Lash of Malice holds a distinctive spot among the instant spells within Magic: The Gathering. This black spell, requiring a mere two mana, offers a swift boost or destruction – it gives a creature +2/-2 until end of turn. This dual nature makes it versatile, capable of turning a modest blocker into a surprise threat or removing an opponent’s key creature from the game. But every spell has its antidote, an optimal strategy to outmaneuver its effects.

One method of countering Lash of Malice’s potential impact is by utilizing cards with indomitable resilience such as those with the keyword “indestructible” or creatures that exceed the 2 toughness threshold. Enabling hexproof or employing counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can intercept and neutralize it before it unfolds its malign influence. Moreover, because it is a spell dependent on targets, having cards that can swiftly bolster a creature’s toughness during combat, like Giant Growth or Stonework Packbeast, can negate the malicious intent of Lash of Malice and potentially swing the combat phase in your favor.

When planning your game strategy, taking into account the timing and versatility of Lash of Malice can shape how you build your deck and react during play. Acknowledge its power, but remember, with the right mixture of awareness and preparation, one can adeptly navigate past its threatening lash to secure victory.

Cards like Lash of Malice

Delving into the realm of instant black spells, Lash of Malice holds its own with its swift and impactful nature. It bears similarity to cards like Dead Weight, a classic that also provides a -2/-2 modification. However, where Dead Weight is an enchantment that lingers, shaping the battlefield passively, Lash of Malice offers a more immediate solution, reacting in the heat of battle to remove a threat or enhance your own creatures’ strength temporarily.

Another comparable card is Disfigure, which also delivers a quick -2/-2 stat change. Disfigure is strictly used to weaken creatures, while Lash of Malice has the flexibility to be used offensively or defensively. Lastly, Grasp of Darkness is worth mentioning. This spell doubles the power of the effect with -4/-4, yet it requires two black mana, potentially limiting its use for decks with more stringent mana bases. Lash of Malice’s single black mana cost offers greater flexibility across various deck builds.

Evaluating them side by side, Lash of Malice presents itself as a versatile tool for players who seek an edge through instantaneous, flexible power swings in the fast-paced dynamics of Magic: The Gathering matches.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lash of Malice MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Lash of Malice and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lash of Malice 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