Gruesome Slaughter MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Gruesome Slaughter excels in clearing multiple threats at once, offering significant board control to the player.
  2. Leveraging creatures for board control, this card shines in colorless creature-heavy decks with ramp strategies.
  3. Despite its constraints, Gruesome Slaughter can dictate opponents’ plays through its imminent threat.

Text of card

Until end of turn, colorless creatures you control gain ": This creature deals damage equal to its power to target creature."

Though Gideon arrived at Sea Gate too late to prevent the massacre, he still had enough time to lead its survivors to relative safety.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gruesome Slaughter has the capability to remove multiple creatures from the board in a single turn. By dealing damage equal to the power of your colorless creatures to those controlled by your opponents, you may clear out several threats at once, potentially swinging the game in your favor without losing card equity.

Resource Acceleration: While Gruesome Slaughter itself doesn’t inherently accelerate resources, it synergizes well with decks that ramp or produce a lot of colorless creatures quickly. This allows you to leverage those creatures not just for attacks but also for controlling the board, adding a level of flexibility to your resource use.

Instant Speed: Although Gruesome Slaughter operates at sorcery speed, the preparation for its effect is done at instant speed. By carefully playing colorless creatures and holding them back, you have the opportunity to set up a devastating turn, clearing the way for direct attacks or cementing a dominant board position. Timing is crucial, and the threat of activation can dictate your opponent’s plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles with Gruesome Slaughter is that it can necessitate a substantial board presence to maximize value. Without a sufficient number of creatures to utilize its effect, it may sit idly in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Gruesome Slaughter demands a total of six mana, including three colorless. This mana composition can be challenging for multicolored or color-intensive decks to muster promptly or consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost set at six mana, Gruesome Slaughter competes with other impactful spells in the six-mana slot, tempting players to consider alternative cards that either produce immediate impact or offer more versatility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gruesome Slaughter allows any player to turn creatures into direct damage dealers for a turn. This means in decks that have a lot of high-power creatures, it can be a game-ending card. It fits nicely in creature-heavy decks that can also benefit from the surprise factor of switching from combat damage to direct damage.

Combo Potential: This card excels in bypassing conventional combat steps and can combo well with cards that untap creatures, or with effects that boost creature power. It’s a pleasant surprise to utilize creatures in an unconventional way to clear opponents’ boards or finish the game outright.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where board stalls are frequent, Gruesome Slaughter can be a trump card. It provides a way to utilize your creatures in a turn where attacking into opponents’ defenses could be unfavorable or when facing decks with a lot of creatures.


How to beat

Gruesome Slaughter is a potent card in Magic: The Gathering that allows a player to turn creatures’ power into direct damage against creatures or the opposing planeswalker. While this card can tip the scales of a game, understanding its mechanics can help you formulate an effective counter-strategy. One method to outmaneuver Gruesome Slaughter is to maintain a low creature presence. This tactic minimizes the targets for its ability and forces your opponent to gain less value from its casting. Additionally, playing creatures with indestructibility or using spells that grant your creatures temporary protection can nullify Gruesome Slaughter’s impact.

Another strategy is to utilize instant-speed removal spells to destroy or exile key creatures before the Gruesome Slaughter ability resolves. This approach can significantly reduce the amount of damage dealt to your other creatures or planeswalkers. Alternatively, countering the spell outright with a counterspell ensures that the Gruesome Slaughter ability never even hits the board, preserving your field position. Assessing the board state and being prepared with a diverse set of responses will help you stay one step ahead when facing down this destructive spell.


Cards like Gruesome Slaughter

Gruesome Slaughter is an area of effect removal tool in Magic: The Gathering that allows creatures you control to deal damage equal to their power to target creature. This mechanic reminds experienced players of cards like Soul’s Fire and Chandra’s Ignition. Where Gruesome Slaughter is unique is in its non-targeting nature, allowing for a potential board sweep instead of a single-target impact. Soul’s Fire, by contrast, focuses only on one target creature or player which limits its sweeping potential.

Another card that echoes the essence of Gruesome Slaughter is Arcbond. Though it provides a similar potential for widespread damage, Arcbond’s usage is quite different as it turns any damage a creature takes into a board-wide effect. While Arcbond carries the risk of affecting your own creatures, Gruesome Slaughter provides more control over who is dealing damage. This can carve out a strategic advantage in matches by giving you more predictable outcomes.

In evaluating these cards, it’s clear that Gruesome Slaughter serves as a precise tool for shifting the board state in your favor. This MTG card offers an exclusive combination of tactical prowess and potential for massive swinging turns if used with creatures of substantial power.

Soul's Fire - MTG Card versions
Chandra's Ignition - MTG Card versions
Arcbond - MTG Card versions
Soul's Fire - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Chandra's Ignition - Magic Origins (ORI)
Arcbond - Fate Reforged (FRF)

Cards similar to Gruesome Slaughter by color, type and mana cost

Calamity of the Titans - MTG Card versions
Calamity of the Titans - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gruesome Slaughter MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Battle for Zendikar Promos, 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 Gruesome Slaughter and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Gruesome Slaughter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by Aleksi Briclot.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 92015normalblackAleksi Briclot
22015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 9s2015normalblackAleksi Briclot

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gruesome Slaughter has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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