Stunted Growth MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Disruptive ability forces opponents to redraw played cards, affecting their strategic flow and tempo.
  2. Demanding three green sources, it’s best suited for mono-green or green-heavy decks.
  3. Effectively hampering opponents, it’s a control card that can influence the match’s pace significantly.

Text of card

Target player chooses three cards from his or her hand and puts them on top of his or her library in any order. If that player does not have enough cards in hand, his or her entire hand is put on top of his or her library in any order.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stunted Growth places three cards on top of an opponent’s library, effectively setting them back three draws. This disruption can create a significant card advantage for you as the opponent is forced to redraw cards they’ve already played.

Resource Acceleration: While Stunted Growth itself doesn’t accelerate your resources, the tempo loss it inflicts on your opponent can allow you to pull ahead, using this time to develop your board or resources unimpeded.

Instant Speed: Although Stunted Growth is a sorcery, its powerful effect at setting an opponent back can feel as disruptive as an instant-speed interaction. Knowing when to play it is key, often after an opponent has tutored for specific cards or set up their next draws.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stunted Growth’s playability is sometimes hindered as it necessitates discarding a card. In scenarios where your hand is already depleted, this can present a strategic setback, locking you out of potential game-changing moves or forcing you to lose valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: With its particular mana requirement, Stunted Growth demands a significant green mana investment, necessitating three green sources. This specificity can constrain the card’s inclusion to primarily green or green-focused decks, potentially reducing its versatility in multicolored deck builds that can’t reliably meet the mana demand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a cost of four mana, including three green, can be steep for the effect it provides—setting back an opponent’s land development. While impactful, the cost-to-effect ratio is subject to scrutiny when matched against other disruption options that might offer a more immediate or lasting disruption for similar or less investment.


Reasons to Include Stunted Growth in Your Collection

Versatility: Stunted Growth slots neatly into any deck aiming to disrupt the opponent’s tempo. Its ability to set an opponent back by forcing them to put cards back on top of their library makes it a formidable tool in a variety of control and midrange decks.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in lock-down strategies combined with cards that force opponents to draw or deny them their draw step. The disruption to their hand and draw mechanics can be game-changing, working seamlessly with cards that capitalize on your opponent’s misfortune.

Meta-Relevance: In metas that rely heavily on precise sequencing and draw consistency, Stunted Growth can severely hamper strategies that require a critical mass of resources or specific combinations. Its ability to hinder an opponent’s development can be the edge you need to outpace and outmaneuver them in competitive play.


How to Beat

Stunted Growth is a card that can pose quite the challenge in MTG. This spell sows frustration as it sets your opponent back by making them place three cards from their hand on top of their library, effectively losing precious turns and momentum. It can derail strategies, especially those that rely on a specific card sequence to execute their game plan.

To weather the storm that Stunted Growth brings, consider diversifying your play. Incorporate cards that allow you to draw more frequently, thus mitigating the effect of losing access to key parts of your hand. Cards with scrying ability can help you ensure that the cards you redraw are beneficial and not mere land cards you’re forced to replay. Moreover, try to play with a robust hand, maintaining a high number of cards whenever possible, so that the impact of Stunted Growth becomes more a nuisance than a catastrophe.

In essence, the key to conquering the setback of Stunted Growth lies in maintaining a card advantage and utilizing deck-manipulation tactics to regain control. By doing so, you’ll demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, and keep your strategy on track.


Cards like Stunted Growth

Stunted Growth has carved its niche within the realm of green sorceries in Magic: The Gathering. When assessing its counterparts, we come across cards like Plow Under. Both manipulate the opponent’s resources by interfering with their land. However, Stunted Growth offers flexibility by forcing the target player to choose which three cards get placed on top of their library, potentially stifling key draws. In contrast, Plow Under strictly targets lands, shuffling them into the library, having a more specific, but powerful effect on the opponent’s mana base.

Cultivate stands as another common comparison when discussing card manipulation. Unlike the setback imposed by Stunted Growth, Cultivate enables the controller to accelerate their own land development, a stark difference in utility. Ice Storm, though an older card, serves as an archaic variant, targeting a single land for destruction, a less sweeping but instantaneous disruption.

Through these comparisons, it is clear that Stunted Growth holds a position of strength in its ability not just to delay, but also to coerce strategic decisions from an opponent in Magic: The Gathering, highlighting its unique place in matches that hinge on tempo control.

Plow Under - MTG Card versions
Cultivate - MTG Card versions
Ice Storm - MTG Card versions
Plow Under - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cultivate - Magic 2011 (M11)
Ice Storm - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Stunted Growth by color, type and mana cost

Double Play - MTG Card versions
Overrun - MTG Card versions
Spring of Eternal Peace - MTG Card versions
Plow Under - MTG Card versions
Natural Spring - MTG Card versions
Restock - MTG Card versions
Tranquil Path - MTG Card versions
Parallel Evolution - MTG Card versions
Shamanic Revelation - MTG Card versions
Primal Command - MTG Card versions
Animal Magnetism - MTG Card versions
Rebuking Ceremony - MTG Card versions
All Suns' Dawn - MTG Card versions
Rude Awakening - MTG Card versions
Feast of Worms - MTG Card versions
Predatory Focus - MTG Card versions
Cyclical Evolution - MTG Card versions
Incremental Growth - MTG Card versions
Savage Conception - MTG Card versions
Soul's Might - MTG Card versions
Double Play - Unglued (UGL)
Overrun - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Spring of Eternal Peace - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Plow Under - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Natural Spring - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Restock - Magic 2015 (M15)
Tranquil Path - Apocalypse (APC)
Parallel Evolution - The List (PLST)
Shamanic Revelation - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Primal Command - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Animal Magnetism - Commander Masters (CMM)
Rebuking Ceremony - Darksteel (DST)
All Suns' Dawn - The List (PLST)
Rude Awakening - Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. Liliana (GVL)
Feast of Worms - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Predatory Focus - Guildpact (GPT)
Cyclical Evolution - Future Sight (FUT)
Incremental Growth - Welcome Deck 2016 (W16)
Savage Conception - Eventide (EVE)
Soul's Might - Commander Legends (CMR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stunted Growth MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Magic Online 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 Stunted Growth and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stunted Growth Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 2661993normalblackNéNé Thomas
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 436422015normalblackDave Kendall
32002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 624252003normalblackDave Kendall
42008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 1791997normalblackNéNé Thomas

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stunted Growth has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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