Suffocating Fumes MTG Card

Card advantage through cycling helps players maintain hand strength while disrupting opponents. Cycling at instant speed offers tactical flexibility and surprise element in games. Instant speed utility impacts combat and can outmaneuver opposing strategies effectively.
Suffocating Fumes - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Cycling
Released2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set nameIkoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set codeIKO
Number100
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byAnastasia Ovchinnikova

Text of card

Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 until end of turn. Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

"Yesterday it was flying tigers and crumbling bridges. Who knows what today will bring?" —Dol, Lavabrink quartermaster

Cards like Suffocating Fumes

Suffocating Fumes provides an interesting twist in the realm of creature control in Magic: The Gathering. As a card similar to Infest, Suffocating Fumes also has the ability to weaken creatures across the board. Infest decreases the power and toughness of each creature by -2/-2, which is more significant than the -1/-1 debuff that Suffocating Fumes bestows. However, the key advantage of Suffocating Fumes lies in its cycling ability, allowing for enhanced deck flexibility and fluidity during gameplay.

In relation to Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering, Suffocating Fumes trades lethality for utility. While Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering can potentially destroy a more prominent threat and reanimate a powerful creature, it requires a legendary creature or planeswalker and five mana. This positions Suffocating Fumes as a more subtle and accessible option for disrupting swarm strategies and token decks at instant speed, and at a lower cost.

Ultimately, the strategic inclusion of Suffocating Fumes in a Magic: The Gathering deck can serve players looking for a more adaptable response to a crowd of creatures, demonstrating its value within the array of creature control spells while offering the bonus of potential card replacement through cycling.

Infest - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth's Vile Offering - MTG Card versions
Infest - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth's Vile Offering - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Suffocating Fumes. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Dimir FaeriesDimir Faeries PauperDimir FaeriesTOP 8 | Lega Pauper Mediavalle e Garfagnana 2023/24 - Road to Paupergeddon Pisa
WBGWBG PauperPauper Challenge 64 2024-05-19
WUBWUB PauperPauper Challenge 64 2024-05-19
BRGBRG PauperPauper Challenge 64 2024-05-19
Dimir ControlDimir Control PauperDimir ControlPauper League 2024-05-16
Mardu SynthesizerMardu Synthesizer PauperMardu SynthesizerPauper League 2024-05-16
BGBG PauperPauper League 2024-05-16

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Whether you’re struggling against a swarm of creature tokens or simply need to clear the board, Suffocating Fumes can tip the balance in your favor. When cycled, this card offers the chance to not only disrupt the opponent’s strategy but also allows you to draw a card, aiding in maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Suffocating Fumes doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, the cycling ability provides flexibility. This enables you to dig through your deck to find the necessary resources or threats required for your game strategy, ensuring that your mana is never wasted and always works toward your ultimate victory.

Instant Speed: Suffocating Fumes can be cycled at instant speed, providing a subtle yet powerful tactical advantage. You are free to pass the turn with mana available, only to cycle Suffocating Fumes in response to an opponent’s actions. This helps keep your opponent guessing and allows you to make the most informed decisions based on their moves.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other combat tricks or removal spells, Suffocating Fumes does not require a discard, but it might be less preferable in situations where you’d benefit from cycling other cards.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires black mana for casting, which may not align with decks that operate on a multicolor strategy or those that have a colorless or green focus.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana, this card’s cost-to-effect ratio might be considered high when you’re looking for immediate impact on the board, especially since it provides a -1/-1 until end of turn rather than a permanent solution.

Reasons to Include Suffocating Fumes in Your Collection

Versatility: Suffocating Fumes is a useful card due to its ability to be cast both as a cycle for deck thinning or as a utility spell that can weaken an opponent’s board presence. Its inclusion can support decks aiming to control the tempo of the game.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combination with strategies that capitalize on -1/-1 counters or benefit from reducing the strength of enemy creatures. It can serve as a setup for board wipes or as a way to gain advantage in creature matchups.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame with a high density of token strategies or aggro decks that rely on swarming the field with small creatures, Suffocating Fumes can act as an efficient countermeasure. It can significantly disrupt these strategies and tilt the board in your favor.

How to Beat Suffocating Fumes

The card Suffocating Fumes in Magic: The Gathering presents a unique challenge with its ability to debuff your creatures by giving them -1/-1 until end of turn. This can often catch players off guard, especially those who rely on a swarm of small creatures to secure victory. At first glance, this instant card can seem like a control player’s best friend, tipping the scales during a crucial combat phase or wiping the board of weenies.

To mitigate the impact of Suffocating Fumes, it’s critical to diversify the toughness of your creatures. Including creatures with a higher toughness in your deck can minimize the casualties when this card is played. Additionally, instant-speed spells that can buff your creatures in response can serve as a countermeasure. Another strategy involves holding back some creatures in your hand, thus avoiding overextending on the board, making Suffocating Fumes less devastating.

Beyond individual tactics, decks that feature graveyard retrieval or utilize spells and abilities that can counteract -1/-1 effects also prove resilient against such disruption. By anticipating and preparing for cards like Suffocating Fumes, you can ensure your strategy remains unhindered and that your creatures live to fight another turn.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Suffocating Fumes MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Suffocating Fumes and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Suffocating Fumes has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-04-17 Suffocating Fumes affects only creatures your opponents control at the time it resolves. Creatures they begin to control later in the turn won’t get -1/-1.