Unnatural Endurance MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Despite not drawing cards directly, Unnatural Endurance can be a pivotal tool in preserving card economy. By protecting a creature on the battlefield, it effectively negates the loss of a card to removal or combat, ensuring you maintain board presence without dipping further into your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Unnatural Endurance’s low casting cost factors into resource acceleration by allowing players to deploy other spells in the same turn. This can lead to a significant tempo boost, offering the dual advantage of creature protection and enabling impactful plays without needing to expend additional turns or resources.

Instant Speed: The card’s instant speed grants flexibility in play, providing the opportunity to surprise an opponent during combat or in response to an enemy spell. This adaptability ensures that your strategies can be implemented on-the-fly and that threats can be managed more effectively during the course of a game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Unnatural Endurance offers a cost-effective way to give a creature +2/+0 and the ability to return to the battlefield when it dies, it falls short when it requires a card to be discarded if it’s cast from the graveyard, thus potentially depleting valuable hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Unnatural Endurance asks for one black mana, which narrows its application to decks that can reliably produce that color of mana, potentially excluding it from various multicolor or colorless strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not expensive, there are instances where the color-specific cost is a limitation, particularly when compared to other combat tricks or restorative spells in the same mana range that may offer more utility or have lower overall costs to activate.

Reasons to Include Unnatural Endurance in Your Collection

Versatility: Unnatural Endurance allows for unexpected combat tricks, making it a great inclusion in decks that require a little extra punch to survive battles. Its ability to give a creature +2/+0 and save it from destruction adds significant flexibility during tight situations.

Combo Potential: As an instant that provides both a buff and regeneration on a creature, it pairs well with strategies focusing on creature-based synergies. It’s a fantastic tool for decks that aim to keep key creatures in play, capitalizing on effects that trigger upon creatures dying or dealing damage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where removal spells and board wipes are prevalent, Unnatural Endurance provides an inexpensive way to maintain your board presence. It’s relevant in matches where shielding your key creatures for a crucial turn can make the difference between victory and defeat.

How to beat Unnatural Endurance

Unnatural Endurance is a card that can surprise opponents in Magic: The Gathering by offering an unexpected edge in combat. This black instant allows a creature not just to survive an encounter it might have otherwise lost but also to potentially take down an adversary with its +2/+0 boost. Navigating around this combat trick is key. Anticipate the play by keeping track of your opponent’s untapped black mana and the cards in their hand. Successful strategies involve using removal spells after the Unnatural Endurance has been played, thus nullifying its benefit, or employing creatures with first strike to avoid the combat phase altogether.

Encountering a deck that harnesses Unnatural Endurance means preparing for sudden shifts in power during battle. Managing resources to always have an answer ready and using spells that can neutralize threats preemptively, such as exile or sacrifice effects, can undermine the advantages that Unnatural Endurance brings to the table. It’s also pertinent to monitor the battlefield and discern when it’s best to hold back, conserving your forces rather than walking into a trap laid with the intent of an Unnatural Endurance-powered surprise. Playing around this instant efficiently requires careful consideration, making it a fascinating challenge in the MTG arena.