Villainous Wealth MTG Card

Delivers card advantage by utilizing opponents’ libraries, granting a significant resource swing your way. Demands extensive mana commitment but offers substantial rewards for Sultai decks in late-game scenarios. Strategic plays, such as counterspells and mana disruption, can effectively negate Villainous Wealth’s threat.
Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Target opponent exiles the top X cards of their library. You may cast any number of spells with mana value X or less from among them without paying their mana costs.

Cards like Villainous Wealth

Villainous Wealth is an exceptional card within Magic: The Gathering that turns the tide with its unique mana sink ability. It draws comparisons to other cards like Expropriate, which also focuses on manipulating opponents’ cards. However, Villainous Wealth brings a distinct advantage with its scalability, allowing players to cast an array of spells from an opponent’s library depending on the mana invested.

Genesis Wave serves as another comparable card, offering an explosive play by summoning permanents onto the battlefield. Though both work on a grand scale, Villainous Wealth targets an opponent’s deck instead of the player’s own, potentially causing a more disruptive impact on the game. And then there’s Mind’s Dilation, a card that shares a similar concept of exploiting an opponent’s deck but does so in a more incremental and conditional way.

Assessing the potential of these cards shows Villainous Wealth as a powerful choice for players looking to utilize their resources to control the game with surprise elements from across the table, making it a standout in conflicts of dominance and strategy in Magic: The Gathering.

Expropriate - MTG Card versions
Genesis Wave - MTG Card versions
Mind's Dilation - MTG Card versions
Expropriate - MTG Card versions
Genesis Wave - MTG Card versions
Mind's Dilation - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Villainous Wealth turns the tide by enabling you to play multiple cards from your opponent’s library, effectively increasing your available resources while depleting theirs.

Resource Acceleration: This powerful card scales with your mana base. The more mana you generate, the greater the potential payout, making it a late-game powerhouse for outpacing opponents.

Instant Speed: While Villainous Wealth operates at sorcery speed, its impact mimics the swift reversal of fortunes typically seen in instant-speed plays, significantly disrupting the opponent’s game plan in one fell swoop.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: As a player aiming to maximize the effectiveness of Villainous Wealth, you must be aware of the potential downside as it doesn’t require discarding but can lead to card disadvantage if you don’t hit valuable targets from your opponent’s deck.

Specific Mana Cost: The unique mana requirements of Villainous Wealth necessitate a tri-color commitment (black, green, and blue), which can restrict deck-building options and may be challenging to achieve consistently without a carefully curated mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a hefty base cost, Villainous Wealth can be a gamble. It demands an extensive mana investment before it becomes active, and in the fast-paced gaming landscape, you might find that other strategies could leverage your resources more efficiently.

Reasons to Include Villainous Wealth in Your Collection

Versatility: Villainous Wealth offers flexibility in game play, easily slotting into Sultai-themed decks that emphasize on resource manipulation. Its adaptability in different situations is a boon for players who appreciate dynamic strategies.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in environments where it can pair with ramp spells or cards enabling untap abilities. With the right setup, it can turn the tide of a game by casting multiple spells from your opponent’s library for free.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on control decks or where opponents tend to build up significant card advantages, Villainous Wealth can serve as a powerful equalizer, potentially utilizing the strength of opponents’ decks against them.

How to beat Villainous Wealth

Villainous Wealth is a distinctive card that allows players to cast multiple spells from their opponent’s deck. Unlike other threats in Magic: The Gathering, tackling Villainous Wealth requires strategic planning. Countering the spell is the most straightforward tactic; cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent it from resolving, neutralizing the potential for a huge swing in board presence and resources. Additionally, since Villainous Wealth relies on a large mana investment, disrupting the opponent’s mana base with land destruction or using cards like Damping Sphere can effectively reduce the impact of this powerful sorcery.

Graveyard hate is also an effective countermeasure. With cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, any spells exiled with Villainous Wealth are removed from the game, rendering the card’s effect null. Players can also leverage permission-based strategies to control the game and ensure Villainous Wealth never becomes a factor. Which brings us to yet another defense – hand disruption. Cards such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can extract Villainous Wealth from an opponent’s hand before they have the chance to cast it, giving you a preemptive edge.

Managing resources wisely and maintaining a strong defense is crucial against this game-changing card. In Magic: The Gathering, vigilance and a well-constructed deck can make the difference between falling prey to or overcoming the deceptively enticing lure of Villainous Wealth.

BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the realm of MTG leads to discoveries of cards like Villainous Wealth, a game-changer demanding comprehensive strategy and precise deck construction. For those Sultai-schemers among you, or spell-slingers looking to harness the power of an opponent’s library, this card is a noteworthy addition to your arsenal. Yet, with its pros and cons laid bare, using it effectively is the key. Avail yourself of our insight as we delve deeper into tactics, deck synergy, and even overcoming this formidable card. Stay ahead of the meta and learn to wield Villainous Wealth to devastating effect with our optimized guidance.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Villainous Wealth MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Khans of Tarkir Promos, 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 Villainous Wealth and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Villainous Wealth Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2024-04-19. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 211y2015NormalBlackJosu Solano
22014-09-26Khans of Tarkir PromosPKTK 211s2015NormalBlackErica Yang
32014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 2112015NormalBlackErica Yang
42014-09-26Khans of Tarkir PromosPKTK 211p2015NormalBlackErica Yang
52020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2332015NormalBlackErica Yang
62022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 5502015NormalBlackErica Yang
72022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 2922015NormalBlackErica Yang
82024-04-19Breaking NewsOTP 582015NormalBorderlessMagnus Jansson
92024-04-19Outlaws of Thunder Junction CommanderOTC 2492015NormalBlackErica Yang

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Villainous Wealth has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2014-09-20 Any cards you don’t cast this way will remain in exile.
2014-09-20 Because you’re already casting the cards using an alternative cost (by casting them without paying their mana costs), you can’t pay any other alternative costs for the cards, including casting them face down using the morph ability. You can pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the cards have any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
2014-09-20 If a card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value for X when casting it.
2014-09-20 You cast the cards one at a time as Villainous Wealth is resolving, choosing modes, targets, and so on. The last card you cast will be the first one to resolve. Ignore timing restrictions based on the cards’ types. Other timing restrictions, such as “Cast
-his card] only during combat,” must be followed.