Unwilling Ingredient MTG Card

Unwilling Ingredient provides future card advantage and efficient graveyard resource use. The creature’s instant-speed sacrifice optimizes timing and flexibility in play. Low mana cost and versatility make it a practical addition to various strategies.
Unwilling Ingredient - Strixhaven: School of Mages
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Frog
Abilities Menace
Released2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set nameStrixhaven: School of Mages
Set codeSTX
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number90
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDavid Auden Nash

Text of card

Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.) , Exile Unwilling Ingredient from your graveyard: You draw a card and you lose 1 life.

"Don't look at me like that. It was either this or being eaten by a groff." —Dina, Witherbloom mage-student

Cards like Unwilling Ingredient

Unwilling Ingredient emerges as an intriguing creature card within Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of other low-cost creatures that carve their niche in deck strategies. Sharing the same mana cost, cards like Fume Spitter also offer utility through their sacrificial capabilities. Yet, Unwilling Ingredient distinguishes itself with its menace trait and a later game card advantage utility – allowing a player to draw a card at the expense of exiling it from the graveyard.

Exploring comparisons further, we encounter Sultai Emissary. Both cards share similarities in offering future card benefit post-death but differ in mechanics. While Unwilling Ingredient has the draw potential, Sultai Emissary delves into the power of manifesting, potentially providing a stronger board presence. Then we have Viscera Seer, which also orchestrates its fate for strategic advantage, by offering scry upon sacrifice. This can set up future plays though it doesn’t offer the direct card replacement that Unwilling Ingredient does.

Analyzing these cards side by side, Unwilling Ingredient manages to hold its ground as a valuable asset, especially for decks harnessing graveyard strategies and those seeking that extra edge in the late game through card draw capabilities.

Fume Spitter - MTG Card versions
Sultai Emissary - MTG Card versions
Viscera Seer - MTG Card versions
Fume Spitter - MTG Card versions
Sultai Emissary - MTG Card versions
Viscera Seer - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you cast Unwilling Ingredient, the ability to later draw a card from your graveyard not only utilizes resources efficiently but also ensures that every bit of your deck contributes to maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Even though Unwilling Ingredient doesn’t directly produce additional mana or tokens, its low casting cost aids in pacing your strategy. Moreover, by filling your graveyard, it can potentially synergize with mechanics that thrive on a well-stocked graveyard, essentially accelerating your resources in a more strategic aspect.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Unwilling Ingredient can be sacrificed at instant speed, making it a flexible tool during gameplay. This attribute allows you to respond to an opponent’s actions or end of turn scenarios, optimizing the timing of its sacrifice and subsequent card draw.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unwilling Ingredient demands that you discard another card to activate its ability. This can be detrimental if you’re running short on options and need to maintain a full hand to effectively respond to your opponent’s moves.

Specific Mana Cost: To deploy Unwilling Ingredient, your deck needs to draw upon black mana sources. This can be restrictive as it demands a particular mana setup and potentially hinders deck-building flexibility for multi-color variations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating mana efficiency, Unwilling Ingredient might not stack up favorably against other creatures in the same cost bracket. This makes it less appealing in competitive play where each mana point can determine the tide of the match.

Reasons to Include Unwilling Ingredient in Your Collection

Versatility: Unwilling Ingredient can easily slide into various deck types given its low mana cost and creature type. Its ability to offer card draw upon death makes it a useful asset across multiple strategies, ensuring your hand stays replenished.

Combo Potential: The card’s ability to be exiled from the graveyard to draw a card provides synergy with mechanics that manipulate or benefit from graveyard activities, adding layers of strategy to exploit within your gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: With games increasingly focusing on graveyard interactions and efficient mana usage, Unwilling Ingredient holds its ground as a tactical play. Its inclusion could offer a subtle yet impactful advantage in such environments.

How to beat

Unwilling Ingredient finds its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a low-cost creature with a useful afterlife. When this card hits the graveyard, it offers its controller an opportunity to draw a card at a later time, providing a subtle but valuable card advantage. To combat this pesky creature, tactics are centered around denying its trigger.

Exiling effects are your best bet against Unwilling Ingredient. By removing it from the game entirely, you prevent the draw ability from ever becoming a factor. Cards with exile effects, such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, can manage this task efficiently, though these should be reserved for more substantial threats typically. Another method is to utilize graveyard hate strategies, with cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, transforming Unwilling Ingredient into nothing more than a minor roadblock.

Disruption is also key. Applying pressure can force an opponent to use their mana and resources elsewhere, making the mage-mark 1/1 less of a priority. Focusing on your game plan while understanding how Unwilling Ingredient fits into the opponent’s strategy will inform the timing and method of interaction, ultimately leading to a well-rounded approach to beat this card.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unwilling Ingredient MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Unwilling Ingredient and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Unwilling Ingredient has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal