Visions of Brutality MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Devoid,Enchant |
| Released | 2016-01-22 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Oath of the Gatewatch |
| Set code | OGW |
| Number | 81 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jama Jurabaev |
Text of card
Devoid (This card has no color.) Enchant creature Enchanted creature can't block. Whenever enchanted creature deals damage, its controller loses that much life.
Cards like Visions of Brutality
Visions of Brutality is a unique enchantment that transforms an opponent’s creature into a double-edged sword in MTG. It’s akin to cards such as Pacifism, which also neutralizes creatures by preventing them from attacking or blocking. However, Visions of Brutality goes a step further by punishing the creature’s controller, dealing damage equal to the creature’s power whenever it attacks.
Another similar enchantment is Dead Weight, which simply weakens a creature by reducing its power and toughness. Visions of Brutality, by contrast, leaves the power intact but has the added effect of turning that power against the enemy. Then, there is Stab Wound, which not only decreases a creature’s power but also chips away at the opponent’s life total each turn. Unlike Visions of Brutality, Stab Wound slowly whittles down the opponent’s life, irrespective of the creature’s actions.
Evaluating these options, Visions of Brutality holds a special niche. While it doesn’t outright destroy or disable a creature, it adds a strategic layer of pressure, making it an intriguing choice for decks that thrive on punishing opponents for using their creatures, thereby adding depth to MTG gameplay.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Visions of Brutality doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it turns an opponent’s creature into a liability, potentially forcing them to use additional resources to mitigate the downside or to remove their own creature. This indirect route can result in a subtle card advantage as your opponent struggles to deal with the enchanted creature’s drawback.
Resource Acceleration: Though not a resource accelerator in the traditional sense, Visions of Brutality can impede your opponent’s development by compelling them to spend mana on dealing with or replacing the affected creature. This diversion of their resources can buy you time to accelerate your own board state and gain an upper hand.
Instant Speed: Although Visions of Brutality is an aura that requires sorcery speed for casting, its impact on the board can be immediately felt. Since the enchanted creature deals damage to its controller rather than you, it discourages attacks, effectively granting you an instant-speed reprieve and disrupting your opponent’s aggressive strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Though Visions of Brutality does not specifically require discarding as a part of its effect, any card that locks you into a single line of play can be disadvantageous. If your strategy changes or the board state shifts unfavorably, having this card in hand instead of more flexible options might hinder your gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires specific mana — one black and one generic — to cast. This constraint means it will find a home primarily in decks that can reliably produce black mana, potentially limiting its versatility across different decks and strategies within the MTG universe.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana, Visions of Brutality’s ongoing effect to prevent a creature from healing its controller may seem cost-effective. However, when you consider other removal or control options available at similar or lower costs, it could be deemed less efficient. In competitive play, where every mana point counts, there may be more impactful and immediate ways to utilize your mana resources.
Reasons to Include Visions of Brutality in Your Collection
Versatility: Visions of Brutality presents an adaptable removal option, suitable for aggressive strategies that aim to limit the opponent’s creature utilities. It can be incorporated into various deck types that want to pressure the life total of opponents or render key creatures ineffective in combat.
Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with effects that force an opponent’s creature to attack or block, essentially converting the creature into a repeated source of damage to its controller. The damage dealt can accumulate quickly, pairing well with strategies that capitalize on opponent’s life loss.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment teeming with creature-heavy decks, Visions of Brutality disrupts opposing plans by transforming formidable creatures into liabilities. Its place in the meta is secured as long as creatures remain a cornerstone of popular strategies, offering a route to victory through indirect yet consistent damage.
How to beat
Visions of Brutality is a unique aura in Magic: The Gathering that turns the tables on creature combat. When it is enchanted on an opponent’s creature, it effectively makes that creature’s attacks come at a substantial cost to its controller. This card essentially punishes opponents for both attacking and not attacking by dealing damage equal to the damage dealt by the creature to their controller.
To outmaneuver Visions of Brutality, removal spells are the most straightforward solution. Destroying the enchantment with cards such as Naturalize or Disenchant immediately frees the trapped creature from its painful embrace. Alternatively, one can avoid damage by simply not engaging the enchanted creature in combat. Employing creatures with defender abilities or those that can block without dying can help navigate around the effects of Visions of Brutality. Lastly, using sacrifice outlets to voluntarily send the enchanted creature to your graveyard can also eliminate the ongoing threat without incurring additional loss of life.
While this card can create a no-win situation for your opponent, strategic deck construction and timely plays will help maintain the upper hand. Proactively prepare for enchantments like Visions of Brutality, and they will lose much of their intimidating power in gameplay.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Visions of Brutality MTG card by a specific set like Oath of the Gatewatch, 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 Visions of Brutality 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Visions of Brutality has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |