Kaervek, the Spiteful MTG Card
2020-07-03 - Number 358
2020-07-03 - Number 106
2002-06-24 - Number 82014
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Warlock |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Enhances board control with passive debuff, indirectly increasing card advantage through opponent trades.
- Demands a black-centric mana base, which can limit deck diversity and stability in mana flow.
- In the right meta, Kaervek becomes essential, excelling against creature-heavy strategies and tokens.
Text of card
Other creatures get -1/-1.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Kaervek, the Spiteful doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, his ability to weaken all other creatures can lead to beneficial trades or the survival of your creatures, indirectly contributing to card advantage through board presence.
Resource Acceleration: Kaervek’s low casting cost facilitates early play, helping to establish and accelerate your board state faster than your opponent can establish theirs. This early deployment can be pivotal in certain strategies that seek to maintain tempo and pressure.
Instant Speed: Though not played at instant speed, Kaervek’s static ability impacts the game immediately upon hitting the field. This constant effect can serve as a form of disruption against your opponent’s creatures, tying up resources as they attempt to deal with a decreased toughness across their board.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Kaervek, the Spiteful does not specifically require discarding cards, his abilities can inadvertently lead to a diminished hand size. His effect weakens your creatures, which could result in them being more easily removed by opponents, thereby depleting the cards you have in play and indirectly influencing your hand and board state.
Specific Mana Cost: Sporting both black and generic mana in his casting cost, this legendary creature demands a dedicated mana base. Players may find it challenging to maintain a stable mana flow, especially in multicolored decks that strain to support a consistent black mana supply for his deployment.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At four mana, two of which are specifically black, Kaervek’s effectiveness is debatable. For a card that primarily offers a static ability to weaken opponent creatures, players may seek alternatives that provide more immediate and impactful board presence or utility for a similar or lower investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Kaervek, the Spiteful stands out in a variety of deck builds, offering a universal debuff that weakens creatures across the board. This effect can be instrumental when combating opponents’ strategies that rely heavily on creature-based tactics.
Combo Potential: This card’s ability to reduce the power of all other creatures opens up synergies with cards that benefit from decreased combat strength, such as enabling favorable trades or activating death-triggered abilities.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta filled with token strategies or decks that muster numerous creatures, Kaervek, the Spiteful acts as a powerful deterrent, passively diminishing their board presence and potential for aggression.
How to beat
Kaervek, the Spiteful is a unique creature card that challenges players with its ability to weaken opposing creatures. Its passive ability reduces the power of all other creatures, affecting the overall board state significantly. To navigate around Kaervek’s influence, focusing on creature abilities instead of strength can provide an advantage. Cards with impactful enter-the-battlefield effects or abilities that trigger from other game actions can still be effective under Kaervek’s oppressive presence.
Non-creature strategies are also a viable countermeasure. Spells that don’t rely on creature combat, such as direct damage or control elements, can bypass Kaervek’s power reduction. Utilizing removal spells that target Kaervek directly can quickly restore your creatures’ power levels, so keeping an answer in hand is crucial when facing this spiteful adversary.
Overall, the key to beating Kaervek, the Spiteful lies in crafting a versatile deck that doesn’t fold to a single point of failure. Building around multiple axes of attack will ensure your deck remains resilient in the face of such debilitating static abilities and preserves your path to victory.
Cards like Kaervek, the Spiteful
Kaervek, the Spiteful stands out among creatures that passively debuff opponents’ creatures in MTG. His ability to give opposing creatures -1/-1 may remind seasoned players of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, though Elesh Norn’s effect is significantly stronger, affecting both power and toughness to a greater degree. However, Elesh Norn’s higher mana cost and placement in white’s slice of the color pie contrast sharply with Kaervek’s more accessible black mana cost and broader deck compatibility.
Another card worth mentioning in the same breath as Kaervek is Night of Souls’ Betrayal. This enchantment delivers an identical effect, applying a continuous -1/-1 to all creatures your opponents control. Unlike Kaervek, Night of Souls’ Betrayal isn’t tied to a creature body, making it less susceptible to removal. The enchantment’s higher mana cost, and lack of offensive presence Kaervek provides, balance these aspects out.
Considering these comparisons, Kaervek, the Spiteful holds its ground as a valuable card for players aiming to stifle their opponents’ boards. While other cards offer similar abilities, Kaervek’s blend of offensive and defensive capabilities at a moderate cost ensures his place in the pantheon of creature debuffs.
Cards similar to Kaervek, the Spiteful by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kaervek, the Spiteful MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Core Set 2021, 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 Kaervek, the Spiteful 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
Printings
The Kaervek, the Spiteful Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-07-03 and 2020-07-03. Illustrated by Daarken.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 82014 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | ||
| 2 | 2020-07-03 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | 358 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 3 | 2020-07-03 | Core Set 2021 | M21 | 106 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Kaervek, the Spiteful has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kaervek, the Spiteful card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-06-23 | Because damage remains marked on a creature until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to creatures may become lethal if Kaervek enters the battlefield during that turn. |
| 2020-06-23 | If you control more than one Kaervek, each will give each other creature -1/-1. If these effects cause a creature's toughness to become less than or equal to 0 or the amount of damage marked on it, those creatures die at the same time that the “legend rule” remove your excess Kaerveks. |
