The Hive MTG Card
1993-08-05 - Number 272
1993-10-04 - Number 273
1993-12-01 - Number 273
1993-12-10 - Number 273
1993-12-10 - Number 273
1994-04-01 - Number 277
1994-04-01 - Number 277
1994-06-21 - Number 277
1995-04-01 - Number 351
1995-04-01 - Number 351
1997-03-24 - Number 402
1999-04-21 - Number 289
2007-07-13 - Number 324★
2007-07-13 - Number 324
2022-11-28 - Number 540
2022-11-28 - Number 243
| Card sets | Released in 16 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Text of card
o5: Creates one Giant Wasp, a 1/1 flying creature. Represent Wasps with tokens, making sure to indicate when each Wasp is tapped. Wasps can't attack during the turn created. Treat Wasps like artifact creatures in every way, except that they are removed from the game entirely if they ever leave play. If the Hive is destroyed, the Wasps must still be killed individually.
Cards like The Hive
The Hive is an iconic artifact card in Magic: The Gathering, well-known among players for its ability to produce 1/1 Insect artifact creature tokens. This card echoes the mechanics of other token-generating cards, such as Trading Post, though with different creature types and additional utility. Unlike The Hive, Trading Post offers more flexibility with its four different abilities, providing various forms of resource advantage but at the cost of specific resource sacrifices.
Mobilization is another card that bears resemblance, focusing instead on soldier token creation. While The Hive generates token creatures without any color, Mobilization produces white tokens and can also empower soldiers across the board, providing a beneficial synergy with other soldier cards.
Looking for something with a lower activation cost? Breeding Pit might come to mind with its production of Thrull tokens at the beginning of your upkeep. It comes with an upkeep cost that requires life payment, which alters the dynamic of resource management. Taking these comparative nuances into account, The Hive stands as a noteworthy card for its straightforward token generation, appealing to players who favor artifact creature strategies in their decks.
Cards similar to The Hive by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Hive offers the ability to consistently generate a stream of 1/1 Insect artifact creature tokens without depleting resources from your hand, allowing you to build up your board presence and overwhelm opponents with an ever-increasing army.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping your mana, the tokens created by The Hive can be utilized for chump blocking or as sacrificial assets for various in-game effects, potentially conserving life points and other resources for a more strategic play.
Instant Speed: The Hive allows you to create Insect tokens at instant speed, thus enabling surprise blockers, interaction with end of turn plays, or capitalizing on an opponent’s unpreparedness, providing a tactical edge during critical phases of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Deploying The Hive into battle demands sacrifices beyond mere mana. To bring forth its insectile legion, you must first part with a precious card from your hand, a strategy that can weaken your position if your arsenal is already depleted.
Specific Mana Cost: The Hive’s summoning chant calls for a particular weave of magic, consisting of three arbitrary mana plus one strictly colorless. This precise incantation binds it inexorably to decks capable of generating the required mana, potentially excluding it from more color-centric strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its initial investment weighed against its later benefits, The Hive’s value is in question when the battlefield is rife with alternatives. Requiring a steep five mana to make its presence known—and even more to unleash its swarm—it stands in the shadow of cards that promise more immediate or impactful advantages for less.
Reasons to Include The Hive Mtg Card in Your Collection
Versatility: The Hive offers a unique flexibility to deck builders. Its ability to produce creature tokens can bolster your defenses or provide necessary offense in a variety of game states, thus fitting seamlessly into multiple deck archetypes that require a steady board presence.
Combo Potential: As an artifact that generates tokens, The Hive synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on artifact manipulation or creature token generation. This can lead to powerful combinations with cards that benefit from such mechanics, enhancing strategic depth and surprise factor in gameplay.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to create recurrent blockers, The Hive can be a compelling addition to your collection if the current competitive scene is swarmed with aggressive decks. It provides a recurring asset that can consistently interfere with opponents’ strategies, making it a solid card in specific metagame landscapes.
How to beat
The Hive is an iconic artifact that’s made a name for itself within the MTG realm. This card has the ability to churn out 1/1 Insect artifact creature tokens, potentially overwhelming your opponents with a swarm of creatures over time. At the core of its strategy is the continuous investment of mana to create these tokens, which can steadily tip the balance of the game in favor of the player controlling The Hive.
To circumvent the threat posed by The Hive, one must focus on strategies that can handle repeated creature production. Removal spells that can target artifacts, like Disenchant or Naturalize, offer a direct solution to dismantle the artifact before it turns into an unstoppable force. Board wipes like Day of Judgment or Wrath of God, ensure that even if the creatures are produced, they can be cleared swiftly, minimizing the impact they can have on board presence. Furthermore, adopting a faster, more aggressive play strategy could also outpace The Hive, rendering the gradual token production too slow to be effective in the race to victory.
Ultimately, recognizing The Hive’s potential and preparing your deck to counter it can negate the advantage this card may provide. By including artifact destruction or board-controlling elements, you can maintain the upper hand against decks leveraging The Hive’s persistent threat.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase The Hive MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 The Hive 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The The Hive Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
Show/hide all sets| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-05 | Limited Edition Alpha | LEA | 272 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 2 | 1993-10-04 | Limited Edition Beta | LEB | 273 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 3 | 1993-12-01 | Unlimited Edition | 2ED | 273 | 1993 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 4 | 1993-12-10 | Intl. Collectors' Edition | CEI | 273 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 5 | 1993-12-10 | Collectors' Edition | CED | 273 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 6 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 277 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 7 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 277 | 1993 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 8 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 277 | 1993 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 9 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 351 | 1993 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 10 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 351 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 11 | 1997-03-24 | Fifth Edition | 5ED | 402 | 1997 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 12 | 1999-04-21 | Classic Sixth Edition | 6ED | 289 | 1997 | Normal | White | Sandra Everingham | |
| 13 | 2007-07-13 | Tenth Edition | 10E | 324★ | 2003 | Normal | Black | Ron Spencer | |
| 14 | 2007-07-13 | Tenth Edition | 10E | 324 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Ron Spencer | |
| 15 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 540 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 16 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 243 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Sandra Everingham |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where The Hive has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |