Haunted Plate Mail MTG Card

Magic 2014 (M14)
2013-07-19 - Number 212

Magic 2015 (M15)
2014-07-18 - Number 218

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number M14-212

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact — Equipment
Abilities	Equip

Key Takeaways

A powerhouse in defense and offense, Haunted Plate Mail serves dual roles efficiently.
Its ability to switch to a creature at instant speed provides surprise tactics.
Lack of color synergy or discard mechanics can limit its utility in some decks.

Text of card

Equipped creature gets +4/+4.: Until end of turn, Haunted Plate Mail becomes a 4/4 Spirit artifact creature that's no longer an Equipment. Activate this ability only if you control no creatures. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Haunted Plate Mail provides value on multiple fronts within a match. It not only acts as a strong defensive equipment but can also become a creature itself, meaning that you effectively have access to an additional board presence without needing to expend another card.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Haunted Plate Mail isn’t directly related to mana acceleration, its versatility in serving as both a powerful equipment and a self-animated threat means your other resources can be allocated more freely. This efficient use of cards allows you to speed up the pace at which you deploy other threats or answers.

Instant Speed: This card’s ability to transform from equipment to creature at the speed of an instant makes it a particularly cunning trick up your sleeve. You can choose to animate the Plate Mail at the end of your opponent’s turn to surprise them with an attacker they may not have accounted for or defensively during their combat to thwart their assault.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Haunted Plate Mail doesn’t impose a discard condition on its own, but in an environment where discarding can be an advantage for reanimation strategies or graveyard synergy, its absence of this feature could be seen as a missed opportunity for additional utility.

Specific Mana Cost: Although the Haunted Plate Mail has a straightforward mana cost of four generic mana, it doesn’t tap into the color-specific mana pools that could synergize with specialized deck themes or benefit from cost-reducing effects that target colored spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the fast-paced modern gameplay of MTG, allocating four mana to equip a creature with Haunted Plate Mail might not be as cost-effective compared to other equipments or creatures that provide immediate impact on the board for the same or lower investment.

Reasons to Include Haunted Plate Mail in Your Collection

Versatility: Haunted Plate Mail offers a unique flexibility to adapt to various game situations. As a non-creature artifact, it can easily slide into artifact-centric decks or those looking to increase their defensive capabilities without adding more creatures to the board.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that exploit artifact synergies or those that can manipulate the graveyard. Its ability to become a creature can spring surprises on opponents while enabling interesting interactions with other cards that care about artifacts or creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board wipes and creature removal are prevalent, having an equipment that can turn into a substantial creature threat ensures your deck remains versatile against control strategies. With artifact decks often showing up in the meta, Haunted Plate Mail can be a resilient and adaptable choice for many players.

How to beat

Haunted Plate Mail is a unique artifact equipment card that boasts the ability to turn into a powerful creature. When you’re up against this card, the key is to prepare removals or counterspells that can handle both creatures and artifacts. Artifact removal like Naturalize allows you to effectively dismantle this threat before it becomes a 4/4 horror. Alternatively, countering the equip action with a spell like Negate blocks the power boost it might give other creatures.

Disenchant shines as a versatile solution against Haunted Plate Mail, as it can target both the equipment and any auras enhancing it. This sort of pinpoint removal is essential for keeping the Plate Mail from overwhelming the board. Moreover, instant speed removal is ideal because it also works against the transformation aspect of the card, allowing you to destroy it before it starts attacking or blocking.

Ultimately, while Haunted Plate Mail can be formidable, its key vulnerability lies in its status as an artifact. Targeted artifact removal or a strategically timed counterspell can neutralize the threat, keeping your strategy on track and your life total secure.

Cards like Haunted Plate Mail

Haunted Plate Mail stands out in the realm of equipment artifacts in MTG. Among similar cards, we have the iconic Darksteel Plate, which grants indestructible to the equipped creature. Unlike Haunted Plate Mail, Darksteel Plate doesn’t require a creatureless board to become a creature itself, but it doesn’t boost the creature’s power and toughness as Haunted Plate Mail does with its solid +4/+4 bonus.

Another comparable card is Strata Scythe, which can potentially give even greater power boosts depending on the number of lands sharing a type with the equipped creature. However, Strata Scythe lacks the versatility of Haunted Plate Mail’s ability to become a creature. Then there’s the Loxodon Warhammer, offering not only a power and toughness increase but also trample and lifelink, giving a different kind of strategic edge combat-wise.

Each piece of equipment has its place in MTG, serving decks with various strategies. Haunted Plate Mail is particularly valuable for its dual functionality, serving well in decks that occasionally lack creatures, and providing a resilient threat that can also bolster other creatures when needed.

Cards similar to Haunted Plate Mail by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Haunted Plate Mail MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2014 and Magic 2015, 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 Haunted Plate Mail and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Haunted Plate Mail Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2013-07-19 and 2014-07-18. Illustrated by Izzy.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2013-07-19	Magic 2014	M14	212	2003	Normal	Black	Izzy
2	2014-07-18	Magic 2015	M15	218	2015	Normal	Black	Izzy
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	M14-212	2003	Normal	Black	Izzy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Haunted Plate Mail has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-07-18	Although you must control no creatures to activate the “animation” ability, having a creature somehow come under your control in response to that ability won’t stop it from resolving.
2014-07-18	It’s possible to activate the first activated ability of Haunted Plate Mail in response to activating the first ability of another Haunted Plate Mail and have them both become creatures until end of turn.
2014-07-18	You can activate the equip ability of Haunted Plate Mail while it isn’t an Equipment, but the ability will have no effect. Haunted Plate Mail won’t become attached to any creature.