Pack's Disdain MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Number	73
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Pete Venters

Key Takeaways

Counterspell with added benefit of hand insight, but requires card discard.
Instant speed allows for flexible responses, yet demands specific black mana.
High mana cost can be offset by the card’s strategic advantages in play.

Text of card

Choose a creature type. Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each permanent of the chosen type you control.

Like the sun to a flower, the adoring gaze of the tribe is sustenance to an elf. To be shunned is to wither.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Pack’s Disdain, you have the upper hand in controlling the flow of the game by potentially negating an opponent’s spell or ability while also peeking into their hand, increasing your strategic advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Pack’s Disdain doesn’t directly generate mana or accelerate resources, it does help in maintaining resources by preventing costly threats before they can have an impact on the board.

Instant Speed: Its instant speed nature means you can efficiently manage your turns, making it possible to disrupt opponents’ actions during their turn. This flexibility can be pivotal in maintaining control over the game’s pace and maximizing your response options.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Pack’s Disdain necessitates discarding a card, which can deplete your hand quickly. This trade-off can be detrimental, particularly when you’re strategizing to maintain card advantage against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost is strictly black mana, constraining its playability to decks that are heavy in black or have a robust mana base that can accommodate such specific requirements. This narrows the card’s potential for versatility, affecting its inclusion in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider the card’s abilities in the context of its mana cost, it may seem less appealing. Other options are available that provide similar effects at a lower cost, making Pack’s Disdain a less-than-optimal choice for players looking to maximize efficiency.

Reasons to Include Pack’s Disdain in Your Collection

Versatility: Pack’s Disdain offers a robust defensive option for decks aiming to protect crucial creatures or to maintain a presence on the board against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card works well with strategies that benefit from having a high creature count or type-specific permanents, enabling high-impact plays by saving key pieces from removal.

Meta-Relevance: As creature-focused decks continue to be a mainstay in various formats, having Pack’s Disdain ensures that you have a response to creature-targeted interactions, making it a highly relevant choice for competitive play.

How to beat

Pack’s Disdain is another intriguing tool for MTG players who prefer to hold sway over the board with cunning counterspells. As a player facing this card, it’s important to recognize that its efficiency scales with the number of creatures you control. The more menacing your side of the battlefield appears, the more potent Pack’s Disdain becomes in thwarting your moves by countering key spells for less mana.

To outmaneuver an opponent utilizing Pack’s Disdain, consider pacing the deployment of your creatures. By strategically playing fewer creatures, you diminish the spell’s cost-effectiveness. Adaptive strategies may include leveraging instant-speed spells and abilities that can bypass the constraints of Pack’s Disdain’s creature-count requirement. Similarly, deploying spells that cannot be countered or using abilities that protect your spells from being countered can neutralize the advantage Pack’s Disdain offers.

Ultimately, understanding and anticipating an opponent’s potential plays, especially when they have mana untapped and could cast Pack’s Disdain, is key. Play around their open mana, force them to waste it, or bait out the counterspell with less impactful spells to ensure your important plays resolve successfully, undermining the power Pack’s Disdain could have over your game plan.

Cards like Pack's Disdain

Pack’s Disdain is an intriguing card within the realm of counterspells in Magic: The Gathering. Players often draw parallels with cards like Spell Pierce and Negate – both are standard in repelling noncreature spells. Pack’s Disdain adds a unique flavor to this mix by leaning on the power of tribal decks. When compared with Spell Pierce, Pack’s Disdain can potentially offer a stronger counter without the additional mana cost, provided it’s backed by a substantial clan presence on the board.

Moving to another counterpart, Mana Leak stands tall with its ability to counter any spell unless its caster pays three extra mana. While the versatility is undeniable, Pack’s Disdain brings a tailored advantage in creature-heavy decks that Mana Leak cannot replicate. There’s also Unsubstantiate to consider – a versatile card that can counter spells by returning them to their owner’s hand, but it lacks the potential to scale in power with your board state like Pack’s Disdain can.

After scrutinizing the specific functions and situational advantages of these counterspells, Pack’s Disdain finds its niche by empowering tribal strategies and augmenting board presence leverage in MTG. Its ability to scale with your creature count indeed carves out a unique spot among its contemporaries.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pack's Disdain MTG card by a specific set like Morningtide, 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 Pack's Disdain and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pack's Disdain 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 Pack's Disdain 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	Note that this spell counts the number of permanents you control of the chosen type, not just the number of creatures you control. It will also take your tribal permanents into account.
2008-04-01	You choose a target for this spell as you cast it, but you don’t choose a creature type until the spell resolves.