Krovikan Plague MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1996-06-10
Set symbol
Set name	Alliances
Set code	ALL
Number	54
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Liz Danforth

Key Takeaways

Grants control over adversaries, turning their creature strength into a disadvantage, enhancing attrition-based strategies.
Requires cautious resource management due to card discarding, making it a strategic but high-risk choice.
Height of relevance in creature-dense metagames, shaping it as a reliable sideboard card or mainstay counter.

Text of card

Play on a non-wall creature you control. Draw a card at the beginning of the upkeep of the turn after Krovikan Plague comes into play. : Tap enchanted creature to have Krovikan Plague deal 1 damage to target creature or player. Put a -0/-1 counter on enchanted creature.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Krovikan Plague offers versatility by not only functioning as a repeatable source of card utility but also has the potential to disrupt opponent plays by forcing them to discard when the enchanted creature dies.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana, it can accelerate your resource advantage by effectively negating the resources your opponent commits to their creatures, setting them back while you push forward.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Krovikan Plague at instant speed enables strategic flexibility, allowing you to respond swiftly to threats during your opponent’s turn and potentially changing the course of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When you’re looking to cast Krovikan Plague, one of the notable drawbacks is the need to discard a card from your hand. In games where every card counts, this cost can set you back, especially if your hand is already running thin on options.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment requires a specialized mana commitment, specifically one black and two generic mana. This necessity might restrict its inclusion to decks that can consistently produce the required black mana, potentially reducing its versatility in multi-colored or colorless decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Krovikan Plague offers a repeatable effect, its starting investment of three mana can be steep for its impact on the board. Many players find that there are alternative cards which provide immediate and more substantial effects for a similar or lower mana cost, making it a less attractive option in competitive play.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Krovikan Plague is a remarkable addition to any collection because of its ability to impact multiple aspects of gameplay. As an enchantment with the capacity to weaken creatures and disrupt opponent plans, it seamlessly integrates into control decks or any strategy aiming for attrition.

Combo Potential: For the strategist looking for nuanced interaction, Krovikan Plague works well with cards that capitalize on creature tapping or those that benefit from opponents’ creatures being nullified. This opens up space for combos that can decisively take advantage of stalled adversary boards.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame dense with creature-based strategies, Krovikan Plague steps up as a pivotal sideboard card. It is particularly effective against decks that rely on vital creature abilities, helping to maintain control of the game flow and keeping opposing threats in check.

How to beat

Krovikan Plague may not be a card you come across every day in an MTG match, but knowing how to counter it can shift the tide of the game in your favor. This enchantment card allows its controller to pay mana to counter an activated ability unless its controller pays a designated amount of mana. This seemingly small detail can disrupt your strategy and make it more difficult to leverage your own card abilities effectively.

To outsmart Krovikan Plague, consider using cards with passive abilities that don’t need to be activated, thus bypassing the Plague’s control. Additionally, ramping up your mana resources can diminish the impact of the Plague, as you can afford to pay the extra cost imposed by the enchantment without sacrificing the pace of your gameplay. Cards like Disenchant that directly target and destroy enchantments can also serve as straightforward and cost-effective answers, nipping the problem in the bud before it spreads and complicates the match further.

Overall, while Krovikan Plague has the potential to stifle your strategy, ample preparation and the inclusion of specific countermeasures in your deck can ensure you maintain control over the flow of the game and emerge victorious despite this pestilential enchantment’s presence.

Cards like Krovikan Plague

Krovikan Plague is an enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that offers a nuanced approach to gameplay. It’s akin to cards such as Pestilence, which allows players to deal damage to each creature and player as long as there is a creature on the battlefield. While Pestilence can be a more immediate threat, Krovikan Plague requires a creature to be declared as an attacker before its ability can be utilized, offering a different strategic timing. Additionally, Krovikan Plague can be used to grant creatures -1/-1 until end of turn, which is not a duplicate effect in Pestilence.

Comparing further, we have Engineered Plague, which serves as a static effect to weaken certain creature types, reducing each creature of the chosen type’s power and toughness. Krovikan Plague, meanwhile, gives players ongoing control and flexibility, affecting only one creature at a time and incorporating card draw. This makes Krovikan Plague versatile, as it combines disruption with a card advantage mechanism. The utility of this card extends as it introduces subtle board control along with an incremental advantage over opponents’ resources.

Ultimately, Krovikan Plague stands out in its category by offering both a defensive tool and a means to slowly tip the scales in favor of the player who employs it thoughtfully. It presents a unique blend of control and advantage that is valuable in the right deck.

Cards similar to Krovikan Plague by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Krovikan Plague MTG card by a specific set like Alliances, 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 Krovikan Plague and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Krovikan Plague has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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