Tar Fiend MTG Card

Forces opponents to discard cards, aligning with hand disruption strategies in MTG. Synergizes with creature sac outlets, enhancing its impact within various deck builds. Requires careful mana management and may hinder tempo in fast-paced decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Elemental
Abilities	Devour
Released	2008-10-03
Set symbol
Set name	Shards of Alara
Set code	ALA
Power	4
Toughness	4
Number	89
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony S. Waters

Text of card

Devour 2 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.) When Tar Fiend comes into play, target player discards a card for each creature it devoured.

Cards like Tar Fiend

Tar Fiend is an intriguing creature card that delves into sacrificing mechanics within Magic: The Gathering. It shares this thematic ground with Avatar of Woe, both cards capitalizing on the power of sacrifice. What makes Tar Fiend distinct is its Devour ability, allowing it to consume multiple creatures upon entry for a significant boost in size and an opponent’s discard, whereas Avatar of Woe is more focused on creature destruction.

Another card worthy of comparison is Brion Stoutarm, which also revolves around the idea of sacrifice. Brion offers an immediate impact by allowing the user to fling a creature at the opponent for direct damage equivalent to the creature’s power. Unlike Tar Fiend’s growing threat, Brion provides instant gratification in the form of life loss and life gain.

Analyzing these similar cards, Tar Fiend stands out in the realm of MTG due to its potential for a massive, game-swinging presence. Notably, it both diminishes an opponent’s hand and fortifies your board state, a duality that can shift the tides of a match if timed well.

Cards similar to Tar Fiend by color, type and mana cost

Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions

Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When delving into the strategic depths of MTG, Tar Fiend emerges as a compelling choice for players aiming to disrupt their opponent’s hand. By sacrificing creatures when it enters the battlefield, it forces the opponent to discard a number of cards equal to the sacrificed creatures’ power, potentially stripping away their strategies and paving your way to victory.

Resource Acceleration: Tar Fiend’s ability aligns with the concept of resource acceleration. Though not directly generating additional resources, it effectively leverages the existing ones (your creatures) to tilt the balance in your favor. By utilizing creatures that have served their purpose or are bound for destruction, Tar Fiend transforms them into a new resource: your opponent’s card loss.

Instant Speed: While Tar Fiend itself does not operate at instant speed, it synergizes well with effects that do. Casting creatures with flash to then sacrifice for Tar Fiend’s ability can keep opponents on their toes, making it challenging for them to predict and prepare for your moves. Moreover, by interacting favorably with instant speed sacrifice outlets or effects that trigger on creature death, Tar Fiend can integrate smoothly into strategies that capitalize on timing and surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tar Fiend’s devour ability may force you to discard your own creatures which can significantly deplete your board presence, particularly if you’re unable to make profitable exchanges or lack creatures to sacrifice.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring black and generic mana, Tar Fiend’s casting cost can be a stumbling block in multi-colored decks, potentially slowing down your strategy if the necessary mana isn’t readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is notably high, Tar Fiend might not be the most mana-efficient choice for a creature of its abilities, making it a potentially cumbersome inclusion in faster-paced decks that require lower-costing creatures.

Reasons to Include Tar Fiend in Your Collection

Versatility: Tar Fiend offers a broad application as it can slide into various deck archetypes that leverage sacrificing creatures for value. Its ability to force an opponent to discard numerous cards makes it a unique inclusion in decks that seek to disrupt the opponent’s hand.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in strategies that revolve around tokens and graveyard interactions. The potential to combine it with cards that create creature tokens or benefit from discarding effects can lead to powerful synergies and unexpected win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In environments dominated by hand-crafted strategies, Tar Fiend’s discard effect can be particularly crippling. Its relevance increases in metas where controlling the opponent’s resources is a key pathway to victory, making it a strategic piece in such a puzzle.

How to beat

Tar Fiend is a notable creature card from Magic The Gathering that brings a menace to the battlefield with its devour ability, intensifying its power with each creature sacrificed upon entry. When playing against Tar Fiend, the key to victory involves hindering its feeding frenzy. This means keeping your creature count low to reduce its growth potential, or employing removal spells like Path to Exile or Fatal Push, to efficiently eliminate it before it becomes a larger threat. It’s also wise to manage your opponent’s graveyard since reanimation strategies could bring this behemoth back into play.

Incorporating graveyard exile cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void helps keep Tar Fiend at bay by cutting off its return. Alternatively, counterspells like Negate or Mana Leak can prevent Tar Fiend from hitting the table in the first place. Remember, dealing with Tar Fiend is about anticipation and readiness, ensuring that you have the correct responses when the time comes to face this devouring giant.

Strategically, adjusting your deck to include these defensive measures can mean the difference between succumbing to the power of Tar Fiend or outlasting your opponent by rendering their key card ineffective.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tar Fiend MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Tar Fiend and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tar Fiend has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	If multiple creatures with devour are entering the battlefield under your control at the same time, you may use each one’s devour ability. A creature you already control can be devoured by only one of them, however. (In other words, you can’t sacrifice the same creature to satisfy multiple devour abilities.) All creatures devoured this way are sacrificed at the same time.
2008-10-01	If you cast this as a spell, you choose how many and which creatures to devour as part of the resolution of that spell. (It can’t be countered at this point.) The same is true of a spell or ability that lets you put a creature with devour onto the battlefield.
2008-10-01	You may choose not to sacrifice any creatures for the Devour ability.
2008-10-01	You may sacrifice only creatures that are already on the battlefield. If a creature with devour and another creature are entering the battlefield under your control at the same time, the creature with devour can’t devour that other creature. The creature with devour also can’t devour itself.