Dance, Pathetic Marionette MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Scheme |
| Released | 2010-06-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Archenemy Schemes |
| Set code | OARC |
| Number | 6★ |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Scheme |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Steve Prescott |
Key Takeaways
- Dance, Pathetic Marionette offers multi-card advantage, impacting the game by reviving artifacts and enchantments.
- Its instant speed allows for surprise plays, significantly altering the battlefield dynamics at critical moments.
- Despite its mana restrictions and cost, it provides unique deck-building opportunities and can dictate the game’s tempo.
Text of card
When you set this scheme in motion, each opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. Choose one of the revealed creature cards and put it onto the battlefield under your control. Put all other cards revealed this way into their owners' graveyards.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dance, Pathetic Marionette shines in delivering card advantage by reviving multiple artifacts and enchantments from the graveyard back to the battlefield. Through careful deck construction and strategic gameplay, this card can swing the tides by returning key pieces to play that can outpace the opponent in resources.
Resource Acceleration: By reanimating cost-effective artifacts or ramp enchantments, Dance, Pathetic Marionette can lead to serious resource acceleration. Players can effectively utilize their graveyard as an extension of their hand, bringing back mana-generating permanents to propel them ahead and cast even more powerful spells in quicker succession.
Instant Speed: The adaptability of this card is significantly enhanced by its instant speed. This allows players to wait until the end-game, potentially catching opponents off guard by restoring a combination of powerful artifacts and enchantments during the opponent’s turn or in response to an action. This timing flexibility can be crucial for setting up a favorable board state or disrupting the opponent’s strategy at the perfect moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dance, Pathetic Marionette comes with a discard prerequisite to activate its full potential. This could be a setback during gameplay when your hand is already depleted, and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of this card is tailored for a Rakdos color scheme, demanding both black and red mana. This requirement can be restrictive for players not running these colors in their decks and hinders its flexibility across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Four mana, including two that are color-specific, is quite the investment for what Dance, Pathetic Marionette brings to the table. This cost is noteworthy when considering other cards available at this mana level that may offer more immediate impact or value within your game strategy.
Reasons to Include Dance, Pathetic Marionette in Your Collection
Versatility: Dance, Pathetic Marionette offers a unique twist to gameplay, fitting into strategies that value control over creatures while setting up for powerful late-game moves. This card can be a game-changer in many different deck archetypes, from reanimator to stax.
Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with effects that tap and untap creatures, or with cards that care about the number of spells cast in a turn. It opens up avenues for creating unexpected synergies and disrupting your opponent’s board state.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, having Dance, Pathetic Marionette in your arsenal can turn the tide of battle. Its ability to manipulate and potentially dominate the board can provide a significant advantage.
How to beat
Dance, Pathetic Marionette is a tricky card that can swing the momentum in Magic: The Gathering matches. This card has the potential to create a challenging scenario by taking control of an opponent’s creature. To counteract its effects, it’s important to be prepared with enchantment removal spells. This strategy can disrupt the control it grants and reclaim your creature.
Moreover, instant-speed spells that protect your creatures, like hexproof or indestructibility, can effectively nullify the impact of Dance, Pathetic Marionette. Counterspells, often overlooked in creature-centric decks, can provide an effective line of defense against this enchantment. Access to such disruptive cards in your deck can minimize the disruption caused by your opponents’ attempts to dominate the battlefield with cards similar to Dance, Pathetic Marionette.
Ultimately, maintaining a flexible and responsive approach to your opponent’s plays is crucial. A well-timed removal or counterspell can be decisive in preventing Dance, Pathetic Marionette from derailing your game plan, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and foresight in game strategy.
Cards like Dance, Pathetic Marionette
Dance, Pathetic Marionette is a unique offering in the MTG arsenal that competes with enchantment-based control elements. Similar to the likes of Control Magic, Dance, Pathetic Marionette provides the power to manipulate opposition creatures, albeit with additional layers of complexity. While Control Magic offers a straightforward creature control with a permanent effect, Dance, Pathetic Marionette operates on a trigger basis, requiring a hefty seven mana for its ability and thus inviting more strategic plays.
When considering options like Treachery, which also allows you to gain control of creatures and untap five lands, we see that Dance, Pathetic Marionette lacks such immediate mana restoration benefits, potentially setting it back in tempo. However, Treachery’s upfront cost is significantly lower, highlighting how Dance, Pathetic Marionette prioritizes late-game flourish over immediate impact.
Assessing within the MTG realm, Dance, Pathetic Marionette’s position is cemented as an ambitious play for those looking to turn the tide through decisive creature control, recognizing that its seven-man cost requires careful deck construction and game progression for optimal use.
Cards similar to Dance, Pathetic Marionette by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dance, Pathetic Marionette MTG card by a specific set like Archenemy Schemes, 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 Dance, Pathetic Marionette and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dance, Pathetic Marionette 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 | If an opponent has no creature cards left in their library, that player will wind up revealing their entire library and putting it into their graveyard. You’ll still get to choose a creature card revealed by another player. |
| 2010-06-15 | You’ll put just one creature card onto the battlefield this way. The other revealed creature cards, and all the revealed noncreature cards, will wind up in their owners’ graveyards. |
