The Howling Abomination MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Beast Warrior |
| Abilities | Haste |
| Released | 2019-12-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Secret Lair Drop |
| Set code | SLD |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 431 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | David Rapoza |
Key Takeaways
- Its card draw ability ensures a steady stream of resources, bolstering hand advantage over opponents.
- The creature promotes strategic depth with its synergy with instant speed spells, maintaining flexibility.
- Despite the benefits, discarding to trigger its effect and specific mana cost limits its deck compatibility.
Text of card
Haste The Howling Abomination has trample as long as you've cast three or more spells this turn. Whenever The Howling Abomination becomes the target of a spell, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn and deals 2 damage to each opponent.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Howling Abomination ensures that every attack phase could turn into an opportunity to draw cards. This means consistent potential for card advantage, pivotal in outmaneuvering your opponent and sustaining pressure throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: Though not directly providing mana or treasure tokens, The Howling Abomination’s ability to potentially draw you into additional resources cannot be understated. By accessing more of your deck, you increase the chances of drawing into ramp spells or other resource acceleration mechanisms.
Instant Speed: While The Howling Abomination itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its triggered ability and synergy with instant speed spells create dynamic gameplay. It allows you to play spells on your opponent’s turn while still reaping benefits from the Abomination’s triggered ability during your attack phase, maintaining tempo and strategic flexibility.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Howling Abomination demands you discard a card to trigger its effect. This necessity can backfire when you’re holding crucial cards you’d rather keep, potentially disrupting your game plan.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting this creature requires a precise mana arrangement, including generic and colored mana. Constraining deck construction, it may not fit seamlessly into a multicolored deck strategy where mana flexibility is key.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that might be considered on the upper end for its abilities, The Howling Abomination competes with other cards in the same slot. Players often weigh the cost against other creatures or spells that could offer immediate impact or a more favorable stat-to-cost ratio.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Howling Abomination offers a flexible role in many deck builds, easily sliding into strategies focused on graveyard play or those that demand a robust body on the battlefield to deter opponents.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with mechanics that milk value from discarding or sacrificing creatures, opening doors to powerful engine setups and synergistic plays that can turn the tide of the game.
Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of MTG’s competitive scene, a card like The Howling Abomination can be particularly valuable in meta environments where disrupting hand advantage is key to outmaneuvering opponents.
How to beat The Howling Abomination
The Howling Abomination presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This daunting creature card can quickly become a thorn in the side of many MTG players with its combination of size and impactful effects. Handling this monstrous entity requires a sound strategy and an understanding of its mechanics. A key tactic is to manage your removal spells effectively, using cards that can bypass the Abomination’s potential resistance or regenerate abilities.
Counterspells also serve as a preemptive measure to ensure that this card never hits the field. If it does, enlisting creatures with death touch or setting up combat tricks may provide an opportunity to take it down without too much sacrifice on your part. Board wipes can serve as a reset button, but timing is critical as you’ll want to minimize the advantage your opponent gains from the Abomination’s triggers. Lastly, playing around The Howling Abomination involves careful consideration of your own life total, as it could influence the pace and risks you’re willing to take during the match.
Successfully overcoming The Howling Abomination requires attention to detail and strategic planning, making each victory against it all the more satisfying for skilled players.
Cards like The Howling Abomination
The Howling Abomination weaves a fascinating tapestry in the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its echo from the abyss rises in comparable might to cards like Balduvian Horde, both featuring a formidable combination of power and agility. But The Howling Abomination forges its own dark path with an insatiable hunger for discards, compelling a card to be forfeited from one’s hand each time it attacks. Unlike its Balduvian counterpart, The Howling Abomination necessitates a constant fodder of resources to maintain its onslaught, marking a stark divergence in strategy.
Delving further into the depths, we find Abyssal Specter, a creature of haunting semblance. It shares the discard-inducing assault but offers it as an accolade upon inflicting combat damage. The subtle shift in conditions between these two cards opens a chasm of strategic potential that extends beyond the realm of mere power. Finally, we summon the Shade’s Form, highlighting how it lashes out beyond the grave, returning to play linked to another creature, a trait unhinged from the self-reliant nature of The Howling Abomination.
Thus, against the shadowy backdrop of MTG’s vast library, The Howling Abomination asserts its presence, a nightmarish sentinel that stands not merely as a force of annihilation but as a sentinel compelling strategic depth and resource balance.
Cards similar to The Howling Abomination by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase The Howling Abomination MTG card by a specific set like Secret Lair Drop, 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 Howling Abomination and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where The Howling Abomination has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |