Virulent Swipe MTG Card
2010-04-23 - Number 131
2017-11-17 - Number 113
2019-11-07 - Number 815
2020-09-26 - Number IMA-113
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Rebound |
Text of card
Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Cards like Virulent Swipe
Virulent Swipe is a unique instant spell in Magic: The Gathering that provides a mix of offensive boost and defensive potential. It shares the concept of buffing creatures with Giant Growth, a classic card that grants a significant increase in power and toughness. However, Virulent Swipe offers a slightly different advantage by giving just +2/+0 and deathtouch for one turn at a lower cost while also featuring rebound, which allows the magic to reoccur without additional cost in the next turn.
Another comparable spell is Brute Force, which also costs one red mana and gives a creature a +3/+3 boost until end of turn, focusing on brute strength without the deathtouch provided by Virulent Swipe. In a deck that values precision attacks or creature removal, Virulent Swipe’s deathtouch becomes significantly more valuable than the strength offered by Brute Force or Giant Growth.
Assessing these alongside Virulent Swipe, each card can shine in different strategies and deck types. While Giant Growth and Brute Force favor a more straightforward approach to increasing creature power, Virulent Swipe excels in a more tactical setting where the repeated use and added deathtouch effect can turn the tides of combat to the player’s favor.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Virulent Swipe provides a boost in combat scenarios and can be reused thanks to its Rebound ability, offering players a way to potentially benefit twice from a single card.
Resource Acceleration: Though Virulent Swipe itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low mana cost can preserve your mana pool for other spells and strategies within the same turn, optimizing your mana efficiency.
Instant Speed: One of Virulent Swipe’s strengths is its instant speed, giving you the flexibility to surprise an opponent during combat, either in your turn or theirs, and potentially sway the battle in your favor without telegraphing your plans beforehand.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Virulent Swipe offers a significant boost with deathtouch, it comes with a rebound mechanic that can be tricky to navigate. If you’re unable to cast it from exile during the next turn, it leads to an inadvertent card discard, which in some situations might not be favorable for your hand.
Specific Mana Cost: Virulent Swipe’s mana cost is exclusively black, making it a specialized tool for black decks or those which heavily invest in black mana. This requirement can restrict your deck-building options, especially if you’re looking to include this card in a multi-color deck with a tight mana curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While one black mana might seem reasonable on the surface, in the competitive sphere, where every mana point counts, there could be alternatives that offer similar effects without the rebound stipulation or with additional benefits. When optimizing for efficient mana usage, Virulent Swipe might be edged out by other low-cost, high-impact instant spells.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Virulent Swipe is a compact powerhouse that can slot into an array of aggressive decks, particularly those built around infect or prowess mechanics. Its low mana cost and rebound effect allow for multiple uses, either to boost a single creature or spread the value across different turns.
Combo Potential: This card excels in combinations, especially with creatures that benefit from repeated triggers. Each cast of Virulent Swipe could significantly increase the damage potential, especially when timed with other combat tricks or infect abilities to potentially close out a game.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where quick, impactful plays are key, Virulent Swipe shines. It’s particularly potent against decks that can’t mount a fast enough defense, making it a sneaky and efficient tool to have in the face of a wide variety of opposing strategies.
How to beat
Virulent Swipe is a deceptively powerful card that can swing combat in your opponent’s favor. Its ability to give a creature +2/+0 and deathtouch for a single black mana makes it a potent combat trick. To combat this, smart play and precise timing are essential. Consider holding back removal spells until your opponent commits to using Virulent Swipe in combat. This can waste their resources and leave their creature vulnerable.
Another tactic is to mitigate its impact through cards that prevent targeted spells or grant indestructible to your creatures. Watch out for when your opponent has untapped mana and a single black card in hand—this could be a signal that Virulent Swipe is at play. Lastly, playing around it by not attacking into open black mana can save your creatures and pressure your opponent to use their mana inefficiently. Tactical plays, combined with situational awareness, are key to surviving this deadly instant.
To summarize, countering the impact of Virulent Swipe involves careful observation, strategic use of removal, and incorporating cards that protect or buff your own creatures. These measures can neutralize the threat of Virulent Swipe and maintain the balance on the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Virulent Swipe MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Iconic Masters, 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 Virulent Swipe 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
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Printings
The Virulent Swipe Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Raymond Swanland.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010-04-23 | Rise of the Eldrazi | ROE | 131 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 2 | 2017-11-17 | Iconic Masters | IMA | 113 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 815 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | IMA-113 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Virulent Swipe has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Virulent Swipe card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-06-15 | At the beginning of your upkeep, all delayed triggered abilities created by rebound effects trigger. You may handle them in any order. If you want to cast a card this way, you do so as part of the resolution of its delayed triggered ability. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type (if it’s a sorcery) are ignored. Other restrictions are not (such as the one from Rule of Law). |
| 2010-06-15 | If a replacement effect would cause a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand to be put somewhere else instead of your graveyard (such as Leyline of the Void might), you choose whether to apply the rebound effect or the other effect as the spell resolves. |
| 2010-06-15 | If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand doesn’t resolve for any reason (due being countered by a spell like Cancel, or because all of its targets are illegal), rebound has no effect. The spell is simply put into your graveyard. You won’t get to cast it again next turn. |
| 2010-06-15 | If you are unable to cast a card from exile this way, or you choose not to, nothing happens when the delayed triggered ability resolves. The card remains exiled for the rest of the game, and you won’t get another chance to cast the card. The same is true if the ability is countered (due to Stifle, perhaps). |
| 2010-06-15 | If you cast a card from exile this way, it will go to your graveyard when it resolves, fails to resolve, or is countered. It won’t go back to exile. |
| 2010-06-15 | If you cast a spell with rebound from anywhere other than your hand (such as from your graveyard due to Sins of the Past, from your library due to cascade, or from your opponent’s hand due to Sen Triplets), rebound won’t have any effect. If you do cast it from your hand, rebound will work regardless of whether you paid its mana cost (for example, if you cast it from your hand due to Maelstrom Archangel). |
| 2010-06-15 | If you cast a spell with rebound from your hand and it resolves, it isn’t put into your graveyard. Rather, it’s exiled directly from the stack. Effects that care about cards being put into your graveyard won’t do anything. |
| 2010-06-15 | Rebound will have no effect on copies of spells because you don’t cast them from your hand. |