Brand of Ill Omen MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Cumulative upkeep,Enchant |
| Released | 1995-06-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Ice Age |
| Set code | ICE |
| Number | 177 |
| Frame | 1993 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Rob Alexander |
Key Takeaways
- Brand of Ill Omen can disrupt your opponent’s strategy by dictating their play sequence.
- Instant speed casting gives a significant tactical advantage during complex board states.
- The card’s discard requirement and mana cost need to be weighed against its potential utility.
Text of card
Cumulative Upkeep: o R Target creature's controller cannot cast summon spells.
"Let those who bear the brand receive no shelter, no kindness, and no comfort from our people." —Lovisa Coldeyes, Balduvian Chieftain
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Brand of Ill Omen gives players leverage by ensuring they have a say in their opponent’s gameplay. In terms of strategy, this card could indirectly lead to card advantage by dictating the pace and choices an opponent makes, effectively limiting their options and hopefully leading to suboptimal plays that can then be capitalized upon.
Resource Acceleration: While Brand of Ill Omen itself does not directly accelerate resource generation, it can indirectly affect resource allocation. Forcing an opponent to play a specific card can disrupt their mana curve and planned resource usage, creating an unexpected advantage for the one who cast Brand of Ill Omen.
Instant Speed: Its ability to be played at instant speed offers a tactical edge, allowing players to execute plans on the fly and adapt quickly to an evolving board state. This flexibility can be pivotal in complicated board situations, where the right timing can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Brand of Ill Omen comes with the stipulation that you must discard a card to utilize its effect. In games where maintaining card advantage is crucial, this requirement could potentially put you at a significant disadvantage, especially if your hand is already running low.
Specific Mana Cost: With its colored mana cost demanding both red and black, Brand of Ill Omen may not slot easily into multicolored decks that don’t support these colors. This limits the versatility of the card and could restrict its inclusion to only specific deck archetypes that can accommodate such mana requirements.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Brand of Ill Omen is considerate, and in instances where the board state or match pacing requires more cost-effective actions, this card may seem less appealing. Players often weigh options where lower mana costs are paired with impactful results, and in comparison, the cost to impact ratio of Brand of Ill Omen may not align with efficient deck strategies.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Brand of Ill Omen is a flexible card that can fit into various deck archetypes. Its ability to disrupt an opponent’s game plan by putting a suspend counter on their permanents makes it a useful tool in both aggressive and control strategies.
Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, particularly with decks that manipulate time counters or take advantage of suspending key enemy pieces. It can be a cornerstone in a build focused on denying your opponents their resources while setting up for a win.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where slow, powerful permanents dominate, Brand of Ill Omen can serve as a preemptive answer, delaying your opponent’s threats and giving you time to establish board control or to execute your own game-winning combination.
How to beat
Brand of Ill Omen introduces an unconventional dynamic to the plane of MTG, where control and foresight can drastically shift the tides of a match. When assessing tactics to overcome this unique red enchantment, understanding the mechanics behind it is crucial. Essentially, it allows its controller to help dictate the spells an opponent can cast, which could potentially disrupt their strategy.
One of the keys to countering Brand of Ill Omen lies in diversifying your deck. Ensure that your array of cards offers a variety in casting costs, to reduce the handicap placed upon your playing field by the Ill Omen’s curse. Additionally, employing low-cost removal spells or abilities that target enchantments can clear your path from this coercive threat. Another effective strategy is to lean on instant-speed spells or abilities that can be activated in response to the enchantment’s trigger, thus preserving your intended game plan. Cards with modal options or alternate casting costs also offer the flexibility to circumvent the constraints posed by Brand of Ill Omen.
Assessing the risk versus reward is imperative when facing this tricky enchantment. With astute deck building and strategic play, such obstacles can easily become stepping stones to victory in the vast landscape of MTG.
Cards like Brand of Ill Omen
Brand of Ill Omen enters the Magic the Gathering scene as an intriguing red enchantment card that lets players seize control of their opponent’s land. This has a resemblance to the mechanics of Annex, another card that shifts land ownership but without the additional cost that Brand of Ill Omen incurs. Brand of Ill Omen also stands out because it can be played using the Ransack mechanic, setting it apart from Annex.
Comparably, we have Confiscate, a blue card that offers more flexibility by targeting any permanent, not just land. While it is more costly mana-wise, the broader target range makes it a formidable option for taking control of the battlefield. Then there’s Volition Reins, which embodies a similar concept to Confiscate but with an energy mechanic that adds an additional layer of complexity and resource management to the game.
Overall, while each card offers its own strategic advantages, Brand of Ill Omen asks players for extra investment for its effect. However, through clever play, the cost can turn into a strategic advantage, allowing MTG enthusiasts to exploit the unique Ransack feature for a possibly game-turning momentum shift.
Cards similar to Brand of Ill Omen by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Brand of Ill Omen MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Brand of Ill Omen 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 Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Brand of Ill Omen has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Brand of Ill Omen 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 | A “creature spell” is any spell with the type Creature, even if it has other types such as Artifact or Enchantment. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature spells. |
