Marchesa's Decree MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Marchesa’s Decree grants card advantage by offering extra draws when you become the monarch.
  2. The enchantment discourages attacks, offering defensive support with instant-speed life loss.
  3. Mana cost and required deck commitment can limit its inclusion to certain strategies.

Text of card

When Marchesa's Decree enters the battlefield, you become the monarch. Whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, that creature's controller loses 1 life.

"Those who seize power must have the means to hold it." —Queen Marchesa


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Marchesa’s Decree adds depth to your hand by giving you an extra card during the end phase when you become the monarch. This continual advantage can outpace your opponent as each turn essentially nets you an additional draw.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, Marchesa’s Decree can indirectly accelerate resources. As the monarch, the extra draw each turn can lead to more land drops and spell options, smoothly ramping up your board state as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: Although Marchesa’s Decree is an enchantment, it can trigger its life loss ability at instant speed whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control. This deterrent can leave opponents hesitant to swing in, effectively buying you time to establish your game plan without the pressure of incoming damage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Marchesa’s Decree does not directly require a discard, but it may indirectly pressure the hand. Implementing the card into your strategy can often mean sacrificing valuable hand space for other crucial cards that could be played instead.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Marchesa’s Decree is set at one black and three generic mana, necessitating a solid base of black mana in your deck. This specific cost can restrict the card’s inclusion to primarily black or two-colored decks with a strong black component, potentially excluding it from more diverse multicolored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana, Marchesa’s Decree may come off as costly given its effect. Players could find that it competes for valuable turns with other impactful four-mana spells that could potentially provide more immediate impact on the board state or card advantage.


Reasons to Include Marchesa’s Decree in Your Collection

Versatility: Marchesa’s Decree can be a crucial inclusion in black-based control or political decks. It creates an environment where opponents must weigh the costs of attacking you, potentially deterring aggression and giving you time to fortify your game plan.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies geared towards life-loss or monarchy mechanics. In combination with cards that capitalize on your opponents losing life or creatures dying, this decree amplifies your overall strategy significantly.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-evolving MTG landscape, having Marchesa’s Decree in your arsenal means you’re prepared to counteract aggressive metas. It has the dual ability to protect your reign and subtly chip away at your opponents’ life totals, maintaining a relevant position within various metagame shifts.


How to beat

Marchesa’s Decree is a unique enchantment that can lock down a game in your opponent’s favor. When evaluating strategies to tackle this card, consider its two main abilities: it protects the player by dissuading attacks due to life loss and adds monarch status to the game, providing card advantage. The first step is assessing your removal options. Direct enchantment removal spells such as Disenchant or Naturalize allow you to bypass the Decree’s intimidating presence without engaging in combat.

Another tactic is to focus on becoming the monarch yourself. Engage in combat smartly to claim the crown, which counters the Decree’s card draw edge. Cards like Palace Jailer not only dethrone the current monarch but also offer additional control over the board. Lastly, taking advantage of hexproof or shroud for your creatures can be an effective way to circumnavigate Marchesa’s Decree’s discouraging attack penalty while you strategize on reclaiming the throne or removing the enchantment altogether.

In essence, while Marchesa’s Decree poses a multilayered challenge, it can be overcome by targeted removal, shifting the monarchy, and clever combat decisions. Remember that disrupting your opponent’s defenses and reclaiming the monarchy are keys in turning the tide to your advantage.


BurnMana Recommendations

As avid MTG enthusiasts and strategists, we’re all about optimizing play and exploring new horizons within the game. Marchesa’s Decree shines in its role, offering a unique cocktail of defense and card advantage. Embrace the duality of dissuasion and monarch mechanics to foster a game state that’s as stable as it is menacing. Our detailed insights and analysis help you maneuver through the intricacies of gameplay, nudging you towards strategic supremacy. Dive into our treasure trove of knowledge, and refine your deck’s prowess. Let’s embark on this journey together and unlock the full potential of your MTG experience.


Cards like Marchesa's Decree

Marchesa’s Decree is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like No Mercy, offering a punishment-based deterrent against attacking you. While No Mercy destroys any creature that inflicts damage upon you, Marchesa’s Decree takes a subtler approach, nicking opponents for one life whenever a creature they control attacks you. Though both create a hazardous environment for adversaries, Marchesa’s Decree offers the added boon of giving you the Monarch status, thus opening an avenue for card draw advantages.

Another card worth comparing is Revenge of Ravens. Like Marchesa’s Decree, this enchantment also chips away at opponents’ life totals by imposing a life loss consequence for each creature attacking you. However, it differs as it does not grant Monarch status, and the life impact is slightly greater. Then there’s Blood Reckoning, following a similar pattern of punishing attackers with life loss. It comes with a lower mana cost but foregoes the additional perks of getting extra cards or impacting multiple opponents simultaneously.

For players assessing defensive tactics, Marchesa’s Decree isn’t just about protecting your life total; it’s also about gaining card advantage and being a multi-faceted tool in multiplayer games. This synergy and tactical depth make it a compelling choice for decks running enchantment punishment strategies.

No Mercy - MTG Card versions
Revenge of Ravens - MTG Card versions
Blood Reckoning - MTG Card versions
No Mercy - MTG Card versions
Revenge of Ravens - MTG Card versions
Blood Reckoning - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Marchesa's Decree MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown and Treasure Chest, 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 Marchesa's Decree and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Marchesa's Decree Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-08-26 and 2016-11-16. Illustrated by Chris Rallis.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 442015NormalBlackChris Rallis
22016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 202015NormalBlackChris Rallis

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Marchesa's Decree has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2016-08-23 Abilities that trigger whenever you “become the monarch” trigger only if you aren’t already the monarch. For example, if you are already the monarch as Custodi Lich enters the battlefield, its last ability won’t trigger.
2016-08-23 If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack, and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.
2016-08-23 The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward.

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