Urborg Syphon-Mage MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 139
2010-06-18 - Number 27
2014-12-05 - Number 40
2021-03-19 - Number 148
2023-01-13 - Number 106
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Spellshaper |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
, , Discard a card: Each other player loses 2 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.
"I have become a gourmet of sorts. Each soul has its own distinctive flavor. The art is in inviting the right company to the feast."
Cards like Urborg Syphon-Mage
Urborg Syphon-Mage brings a unique twist to creature-based life drain effects in Magic: The Gathering. It stands in comparison to cards like Vampire Nighthawk, a creature card that not only offers a life drain feature but also brings flying and deathtouch to the table. While Vampire Nighthawk is a self-contained package that affects life totals passively through combat, Urborg Syphon-Mage requires active participation and mana investment to trigger its life-draining ability.
Another card worth considering in relation to Urborg Syphon-Mage is Blood Artist, which also manipulates life totals. Blood Artist does so whenever a creature dies, providing a passive, condition-based effect as opposed to the direct, controlled ability of Urborg Syphon-Mage. In addition, Blood Artist’s impact can be felt across the board, affecting all creatures’ deaths, making it potentially more wide-reaching in game scenarios involving numerous creatures.
In sum, while each card has its merits, Urborg Syphon-Mage appeals to players who prefer strategic activations and immediate life total impacts, situating it as a commanding presence in decks built around life manipulation and control in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Urborg Syphon-Mage by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Urborg Syphon-Mage becomes pivotal in decks that focus on maintaining hand superiority. Its ability can cause your opponents to discard, subtly shifting the scales in your favor while contributing to your own card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: This card acts as a catalyst for resource acceleration in black-aligned decks that capitalize on discard mechanisms. By causing each player to discard, you enable abilities that trigger upon discarding or when a card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, potentially unlocking mana resources or other effects much quicker.
Instant Speed: Urborg Syphon-Mage’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, offering flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn. This can be a game-changer in the right circumstances, potentially clearing the way for your next strategic move or upsetting your opponent’s plans at a crucial moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Urborg Syphon-Mage’s ability necessitates the discarding of a card, which can potentially deplete your hand and reduce your options, particularly if you’re already struggling to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost requires one black mana, which could restrict the card’s integration into multicolored decks or those that don’t have a heavy black mana base, ultimately reducing its versatility across various builds.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana and an activation cost that also taps the creature, the card can be seen as mana-intensive compared to other creatures or abilities that offer a similar or greater level of effectiveness without the same demands on your mana pool, potentially slowing your game tempo.
Reasons to Include Urborg Syphon-Mage in Your Collection
Versatility: Urborg Syphon-Mage serves as a useful tool in decks that aim to whittle down opponents’ life totals while offering valuable card draw mechanics. This means it can be a versatile inclusion in discard-themed or black control decks.
Combo Potential: Thanks to its ability to force each player to discard a card, the Mage can be exploited in strategies that thrive on discard effects, such as reanimation decks or those built around madness and threshold.
Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where resource denial is a successful strategy, Urborg Syphon-Mage gains relevance. Its ability to disrupt opponents’ hands makes it a suitable choice for competitive play within such metagames.
How to beat
Urborg Syphon-Mage is a card that can repeatedly cause life loss while keeping your hand refreshed. In confronting this threat, it is crucial to prevent its activated ability from becoming a recurring nuisance. One strategy is to restrict the Syphon-Mage’s ability activation by deploying creatures or spells that can tap or incapacitate it without directly destroying it, ensuring it’s unable to execute its draining ability.
Another method to challenge Urborg Syphon-Mage is by making use of graveyard interaction mechanics. Consider utilizing cards that exile or shuffle the opponent’s graveyard back into their library; this reduces the potential card advantage granted by the Syphon-Mage’s ability. Similarly, to counteract the life loss, cards that provide you with life gain opportunities can help offset the life-draining hits and keep you comfortably in the game.
Overall, focusing on denying the ability of the Urborg Syphon-Mage to dominate the field, via control spells or proactive creature play, can be key to overcoming its influence in the game. By combining prompt threat response with a robust defense through life gain, players can effectively counteract Urborg Syphon-Mage’s strategy and maintain an upper hand.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Urborg Syphon-Mage MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Archenemy, 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 Urborg Syphon-Mage and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Urborg Syphon-Mage Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Greg Staples.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 139 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Greg Staples | |
| 2 | 2010-06-18 | Archenemy | ARC | 27 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Greg Staples | |
| 3 | 2014-12-05 | Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana | GVL | 40 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Greg Staples | |
| 4 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 148 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Greg Staples | |
| 5 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 106 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Greg Staples |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Urborg Syphon-Mage has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |