Venomous Fangs MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
| Released | 1998-10-12 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Urza's Saga |
| Set code | USG |
| Number | 280 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Lawrence Snelly |
Key Takeaways
- Venomous Fangs grants deathtouch, enhancing creature control and providing significant card advantage.
- Can induce resource acceleration and board control, forcing opponents to alter their strategies.
- Instant speed ability, allowing for combat surprise and significant battle tactics shift.
Text of card
Whenever enchanted creature successfully deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
All the pain of the shattered forest contained in a single drop.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Venomous Fangs ensure a constant flow of creature control, as it lets you incapacitate opposing creatures by deathtouch. Each creature affected by Venomous Fangs can serve as a deterrent, potentially taking out a major threat with minimal resource investment. This can lead to significant card advantage as one venomous creature can theoretically neutralize multiple threats over several turns.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or treasure, Venomous Fangs can accelerate your board presence. The ability to turn any creature into a deadly threat may force opponents to play more cautiously, effectively slowing down their game plan and giving you the upper hand in building resources without immediate pressure.
Instant Speed: The ability to imbue a creature with deathtouch at instant speed can drastically alter the state of combat in your favor. It allows you the flexibility to surprise your opponent during their turn, significantly shifting the dynamics of impending combat and forcing them to reconsider their strategy mid-attack.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Venomous Fangs requires you to discard another card to activate its ability. This can be detrimental when your hand is already dwindling, and you must make tough decisions on what resources to deplete.
Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a blend of one green mana and two of any type to cast. This can be challenging for players running multicolored decks that may not always have the right mana available when they need it.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Venomous Fangs might be seen as a considerable investment compared to other cards in its category. Players could find themselves in situations where using the mana for alternative spells or creatures could provide better board presence or utility.
Reasons to Include Venomous Fangs in Your Collection
Versatility: Venomous Fangs offers a broad utility as it can be incorporated into decks that harness creature abilities. It empowers creatures with deathtouch, turning any damage they deal into instant removal, which is handy across multiple combat scenarios.
Combo Potential: With the right creature lineup, Venomous Fangs can turn an unassuming board state into a deadly trap. It synergizes well with cards that create numerous tokens or creatures that have tap abilities to deal damage, making it a key piece in potent combo strategies.
Meta-Relevance: As creature-based strategies are constant in the MTG environment, Venomous Fangs maintains relevance. It can easily disrupt your opponent’s tactics, especially in metas where combat interaction plays a significant role. A smart addition to any collection expecting to face creature-heavy decks.
How to Beat Venomous Fangs
Venomous Fangs is a unique aura in MTG that equips a creature with deathtouch, potentially turning even the smallest creature into a lethal threat. To navigate around the dangers of this card, one effective strategy is to use removal spells or abilities that don’t involve combat, such as ‘Murder’ or ‘Path to Exile’, which eliminate the creature without triggering deathtouch.
Another approach is to employ creatures with first strike or double strike, which will deal damage before the enchanted creature has a chance to retaliate. This neutralizes the deathtouch effect since the opposing creature will be destroyed before it can fight back. Also, consider enchantment removal such as ‘Disenchant’ to directly address the aura, rendering the creature harmless once more.
When facing Venomous Fangs, it’s also crucial to adjust your strategy by minimizing unnecessary risks. Avoid attacking with valuable creatures that could fall victim to a deathtouch trap and opt for a defensive stance until you can safely manage the threat. By employing these tactics thoughtfully, Venomous Fangs becomes a manageable obstacle instead of a game-ending menace.
Cards like Venomous Fangs
Venomous Fangs offers a unique approach to creature enhancement within the realms of Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to grant deathtouch is similar to that of Basilisk Collar, yet the Fangs focus solely on the offensive trait without the lifelink bonus. Basilisk Collar’s equip feature also differs, providing more versatility across various creatures.
Touch of Moonglove is another card with a deathtouch-related effect, giving a creature deathtouch until end of turn when cast. It’s an instant with additional damage upon death, contrasting Venomous Fangs’ permanent enchantment nature. Then, there’s Deadly Allure, which can bestow deathtouch as well as force a creature to block, offering more control over combat but at a one-time use.
Indeed, while Venomous Fangs may not offer the comprehensive benefits or instant speed of others, the enduring effect it provides to fortified creatures ensures a critical edge in battle. As we survey its comparatives, the consistent threat of deathtouch from Venomous Fangs carves its niche among MTG creature augmentations.
Cards similar to Venomous Fangs by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Venomous Fangs MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Venomous Fangs and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Venomous Fangs has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Venomous Fangs card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | If the damaged creature takes both lethal damage and is destroyed by this effect, you have to regenerate the creature twice to keep it alive. |
