Faceless Butcher MTG Card
2002-02-04 - Number 60
2006-10-06 - Number 43
2011-11-18 - Number 3
2023-01-13 - Number 84
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Nightmare Horror |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Faceless Butcher excels in removing critical creatures, altering the board’s balance in your favor.
- Leveraging its exit can hasten your board strategy, despite a higher mana cost.
- Despite constraints, it can capitalize on instant speed synergy for permanent exile plays.
Text of card
When Faceless Butcher comes into play, remove target creature other than Faceless Butcher from the game. When Faceless Butcher leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Faceless Butcher excels in disrupting your opponent’s board by temporarily removing a crucial creature from the game. This strategic play can shift the balance, giving you an edge by impacting your opponent’s field presence.
Resource Acceleration: When Faceless Butcher leaves the battlefield, the exiled creature returns to the owner’s control. This can be turned into an advantage by planning the departure of the Butcher to coincide with your other plays, thereby accelerating your board strategy.
Instant Speed: While Faceless Butcher doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, it supports strategies that do. It can be paired with instant speed removal or sacrifice effects to permanently exile an opposing creature, enhancing your reactive capabilities during the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Faceless Butcher demands a creature to remove upon entry, which can be restrictive if the board is clear or your strategy isn’t aligned with disposable creatures.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost includes black mana, which constrains its inclusion to black-centric or compatible multicolored decks, possibly hampering deck diversity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana—two of which are black—it sits at a higher curve for its temporary removal ability. This can be inefficient compared to lower-cost alternatives that offer permanent solutions or greater flexibility.
Reasons to Include Faceless Butcher in Your Collection
Versatility: The Faceless Butcher offers a flexible solution for any black-themed deck, providing temporary removal of problematic creatures. This ability allows you to adapt to various board states, making it a functional card for multiple situations.
Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with effects that can flicker or sacrifice creatures. By using these synergies, you can permanently exile opponents’ creatures, disrupting their strategy and gaining an edge in the game.
Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to remove creatures from the battlefield, Faceless Butcher can be particularly effective in a meta filled with creature-based strategies. It acts as a valuable tool to counter decks that rely heavily on their key creatures to win.
How to beat
Faceless Butcher presents a unique challenge on the MTG battlefield. This card has the unsettling ability to temporarily exile another creature, which can be quite disruptive to your game strategy. However, a clever approach can turn the tables against this shadowy nemesis.
Firstly, playing instant-speed removal spells that target Faceless Butcher before its enters-the-battlefield effect resolves can ensure your creature returns to play immediately. Cards such as Lightning Bolt or Path to Exile can effectively neutralize the Butcher before it establishes control. Similarly, leveraging counter spells when Faceless Butcher is cast will prevent any potential loss of your creatures altogether. Finally, one can also exploit the Faceless Butcher’s weakness by using sacrificial creatures that benefit you when they leave the battlefield or enter the graveyard, such as Thragtusk or Doomed Traveler.
Understanding the intricacies of how Faceless Butcher interacts with the game state is essential. By executing the right counter-strategies at opportune moments, you can diminish the impact of this menacing card and maintain the upper hand. Keep your removal spells ready and assess the battlefield carefully to successfully navigate around the perils of the Faceless Butcher.
Cards like Faceless Butcher
Faceless Butcher secures its unique spot in the realm of creature control in Magic: The Gathering. It can be aligned with cards such as Fiend Hunter, which also exiles a creature upon entering the battlefield. Yet, what differentiates Faceless Butcher is its shadow ability, allowing it to slip past defenses and strike unblocked. Fiend Hunter, conversely, has no such evasion abilities. Furthermore, when Faceless Butcher leaves the battlefield, the exiled creature returns play, which can be strategically exploited.
Another card to consider is Banisher Priest, following a similar mechanic of exiling creatures during its field presence. It is more restrictive in terms of mana cost, requiring white mana, whereas Faceless Butcher is more flexible with its colorless mana requirement. Nevertheless, Banisher Priest offers a more stable choice for mono-white decks that can benefit from synergy with other white cards.
Overall, Faceless Butcher presents a compelling choice for players seeking temporary control of the board with the added advantage of a potentially unblockable attacker. Its place in MTG is solidified by its versatility and combination of utility and evasion, making it a prime card for certain black decks focused on disruption and tempo.
Cards similar to Faceless Butcher by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Faceless Butcher MTG card by a specific set like Torment and Time Spiral Timeshifted, 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 Faceless Butcher 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 Faceless Butcher Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2002-02-04 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Daren Bader.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-02-04 | Torment | TOR | 60 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Daren Bader | |
| 2 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral Timeshifted | TSB | 43 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Daren Bader | |
| 3 | 2011-11-18 | Premium Deck Series: Graveborn | PD3 | 3 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Daren Bader | |
| 4 | 2023-01-13 | Dominaria Remastered | DMR | 84 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daren Bader |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Faceless Butcher has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Faceless Butcher card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-12-08 | Faceless Butcher’s first ability isn’t optional. If no other players control any creatures and you do, you must choose a creature you control as the target. |
| 2022-12-08 | If Faceless Butcher exiles a second Faceless Butcher, and then a third Faceless Butcher comes along and exiles the first one, the second one will return to the battlefield. If there are no other creatures on the battlefield, the second will exile the third one, returning the first one, and so on. If no one can stop the loop, the game will be a draw. |
| 2022-12-08 | If Faceless Butcher exiles a token creature, the token will cease to exist after being exiled. It won’t return to the battlefield because of the second ability. |
