Witch Engine MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 169

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number USG-169

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Horror
Abilities	Swampwalk
Power	4
Toughness	4

Key Takeaways

Witch Engine can greatly increase your card advantage by offering the potential to draw additional valuable options.
It requires careful management due to its discard activation cost and strict black mana casting requirement.
Witch Engine’s distinct mana-ramp competency can notably enhance combo and mana-heavy deck strategies.

Text of card

Swampwalk (If defending player controls a swamp, this creature is unblockable.) oc T: Add o Bo Bo Bo B to your mana pool. Target opponent gains control of Witch Engine. (Play this ability as an instant.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Witch Engine, you gain a distinct edge by not only adding a potent creature to the battlefield but also by having the ability to potentially draw into more valuable cards. This can turn the tides by giving you more options and answers in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Witch Engine’s ability to untap lands offers a significant boost in ramping up your resources. This plays a pivotal role, enabling you to cast high-cost spells earlier than usual, or activating abilities that could change the game state in your favor.

Instant Speed: While Witch Engine itself does not have instant speed, its synergies with instant speed spells are noteworthy. This creature can untap lands at a critical moment, giving you the flexibility to cast spells during your opponent’s turn or respond with countermeasures unexpectedly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Witch Engine demands a card discard upon activation. This can severely impact your hand, leaving you with fewer options and potentially impairing your overall strategy during a game. Discarding a card is a substantial cost, and in many scenarios, such a tradeoff can be detrimental unless you’re leveraging a graveyard-based strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires four black mana to cast. This stringent mana requirement means it fits into fewer decks and requires a heavy commitment to black mana in your deck design. Decks with a more diverse color base may find integrating Witch Engine challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of six mana in total, Witch Engine comes at a steep price. While it provides an increase to your mana pool, there are more cost-efficient creatures or mana accelerators available that may not provide as much mana but come into play much earlier or offer additional benefits—making Witch Engine a less attractive option in a mana curve.

Reasons to Include Witch Engine in Your Collection

Versatility: Witch Engine offers a unique mana-boost at the touch of a button, which means it can slide into decks that thrive on having ample resources. Its ability to provide a boost in mana can be the deciding factor in casting game-changing spells.

Combo Potential: With its capacity to untap during your opponent’s turn, Witch Engine has untapped potential for intricate combos. Its synergy with cards that profit from untapping creatures, or those that utilize creatures for alternative costs, can be a strategic goldmine for the creative deck builder.

Meta-Relevance: In a gaming environment where mana acceleration is key, Witch Engine could very well be a tipping point. Adaptability in response to opponent’s moves makes it a noteworthy component of a well-rounded strategy, especially in metas that are not extremely fast-paced.

How to beat

Witch Engine is a unique creature card that presents a distinctive challenge on the battlefield. With its capacity to provide an abundance of black mana, opponents are often faced with a sudden surge in their adversary’s resource pool. Nevertheless, disrupting the benefits that Witch Engine offers can pivot the game in your favor. Targeted removal spells such as Path to Exile or Murder can effectively eliminate Witch Engine before its ability becomes a significant threat.

An alternative strategy is to focus on counterplay with cards like Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker, which can neutralize its abilities, nullifying the risk of a mana advantage. Utilizing instant-speed interaction ensures that Witch Engine does not become a tool for your opponent to cast high-cost spells or overwhelming threats. Mana disruption, through effects like Damping Sphere, can also limit the usefulness of the mana generated by Witch Engine, particularly in decks aiming to cascade this mana into big plays.

Ultimately, early elimination or strategic hindrance of Witch Engine’s abilities are critical. By anticipating the potential for accelerated gameplay that Witch Engine affords and preparing an effective countermeasure, a player can maintain control, prevent resource disparity, and systematically dismantle an opponent’s strategy.

Cards like Witch Engine

The allure of Witch Engine in the realm of Magic: The Gathering lies in its mana ramp potential, akin to cards like Basalt Monolith. Both allow a significant amount of mana to be accessed, but Witch Engine brings a unique twist by granting your opponent control of it if it ever becomes blocked. In contrast, Basalt Monolith doesn’t have this drawback but doesn’t provide mana on a recurring basis without an additional cost to untap it.

Thundering Chariot is another card to consider when looking at alternatives. It offers a different advantage, as it allows you to untap another target creature or land, which can be strategically beneficial but lacks the mana acceleration of Witch Engine. When analyzing Dreamstone Hedron, we find a direct mana source and card drawing option, yet it lacks the immediate board presence provided by a creature like Witch Engine. Each card presents its own strategic benefits and risks, factoring into deck design choices based on the desired playstyle and goals.

In summary, Witch Engine offers an intriguing blend of risk and reward within MTG’s mana acceleration options, creating dynamic interactions not seen with more straightforward alternatives like Basalt Monolith or Dreamstone Hedron.

Cards similar to Witch Engine by color, type and mana cost

Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions

Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Witch Engine MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and The List, 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 Witch Engine and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Witch Engine Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 1998-10-12. Illustrated by Kev Walker.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1998-10-12	Urza's Saga	USG		169	1997	Normal	Black	Kev Walker
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		USG-169	1997	Normal	Black	Kev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Witch Engine has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-04-01	Because the ability is targeted, it is not a mana ability. It can only be activated when you have priority, and goes on the stack like other non-mana abilities.