Aspect of Manticore MTG Card

Aspect of Manticore - Theros Beyond Death

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant, Flash
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Number	127
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tomasz Jedruszek

Key Takeaways

Grants first strike and power boost, optimizing creature combat and creating potential game-swinging moments.
Combos with battlefield entry and graveyard strategies, enriching red-based tactical play.
Competitive in fast-paced metagames, providing versatility and influence over combat outcomes.

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Enchant creature When Aspect of Manticore enters the battlefield, enchanted creature gains first strike until end of turn. Enchanted creature gets +2/+0.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aspect of Manticore offers an enchantment bonus when it enters the battlefield, providing a player with an additional layer of utility for their creatures. By equipping creatures with this enchantment, players can potentially turn the tide, making it not just a creature buff but a strategic advantage during critical game phases.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly impacting mana resources, Aspect of Manticore presents a unique form of resource acceleration by allowing your creatures to be more formidable in battle. This escalation in board presence can streamline your path to victory, acting as a budget-friendly method to expedite the conclusion of a match.

Instant Speed: Aspect of Manticore’s instantaneous nature gives players the flexibility to cast at the most opportune moment, often surprising an opponent during combat. This surprise factor can sway encounters in your favor, demonstrating that the timing of card play can be just as crucial as the card’s abilities themselves.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aspect of Manticore demands a card from your hand to be discarded upon casting. For players defending against hand disruption or battling to keep up with card advantage, this can place you at a notable deficit, potentially losing a key component of your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The enchantment requires red mana, which pigeonholes it into red-centric or compatible multicolor decks, potentially locking you out of inclusion in a wide variety of other deck archetypes where its effects may be desirable but its color requirement unwelcome.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana, two of which must be red, this card’s enactment is not as economical as some alternatives. When pacing is critical, the mana investment can be a hindrance, as the game offers several other options in the three-mana slot that could provide a more impactful presence on the battlefield or greater flexibility in your overall strategy.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aspect of Manticore offers flexibility in red-based decks, providing a quick and tactical combat trick that bolsters creatures in the heat of battle. This spell’s ability to grant a creature a temporary boost, as well as first strike, makes it suitable for a variety of situations, be it aggressive assaults or decisive defensive plays.

Combo Potential: This enchantment can synergize with strategies that capitalize on entering the battlefield effects or those that utilize spells in the graveyard. By combining Aspect of Manticore with cards that exploit first strike or benefit from enchantment sacrifices, players can unlock new layers of strategic depth in their gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where quick, decisive strikes can turn the tide of battle, Aspect of Manticore holds its ground. Especially relevant in a metagame that values tempo, this card can significantly impact a creature’s combat potential, tipping the scales in your favor during pivotal moments.

How to beat

Aspect of the Manticore is a unique enchantment aura in Magic: The Gathering that can quickly change the momentum of a game by giving a creature first strike and a temporary boost in power. To counter this card, players should consider keeping removal spells in hand that can target either the enchanted creature or the aura itself. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize are efficient at removing Aspect of the Manticore from the battlefield, thus negating its buff effect.

Timing is crucial when dealing with the surprise first strike ability. Instant-speed removal like Shock or Fatal Push can be played in response to the enchantment cast, eliminating the threat before combat damage is dealt. Additionally, keeping creatures with deathtouch or those that can block multiple creatures efficiently, like Guardians of Meletis or Typhoid Rats, can deter opponents from attacking, even with the Aspect of the Manticore’s temporary power boost.

By strategically managing resources and choosing the right moment to act against the Aspect of the Manticore, players can maintain control of the game and minimize the impact of this potent MTG enchantment aura on their strategy.

Cards like Aspect of Manticore

Aspect of Manticore is a card that offers a unique blend of effects, providing enchantment benefits along with a temporary power boost. A card like Brute Strength is a simpler cousin, delivering a +3/+1 increase in power and toughness but minus the added perk of first strike that Aspect of Manticore confers. Another comparable card, Sure Strike, also grants first strike but does so with a greater power boost of +3/+0 and only for a single turn.

Looking at the broader pool of enhancement spells, Titanic Growth stands out by beefing up a creature by +4/+4 but again lacks the tactical advantage of first strike which can be crucial during combat. Unlike Aspect of Manticore, however, Titanic Growth is a one-time shot of power without the lasting enchantment aspect. On a different note, Infuriate also grants a power spike, at a lower cost, yet it doesn’t permanently alter the creature’s abilities or offer first strike beyond the turn it’s cast.

When evaluating all these options, Aspect of Manticore holds a firm position as a versatile card, balancing combat superiority with a blend of immediate and lasting effects, making it a noteworthy choice in creature-based strategies within MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aspect of Manticore MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Aspect of Manticore and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aspect of Manticore has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-01-24	If Aspect of Manticore leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield triggered ability resolves, the creature it last enchanted before it left gains first strike until end of turn.