Faceless Devourer MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 108
2021-03-19 - Number 115
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Nightmare Horror |
| Abilities | Shadow |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Faceless Devourer disrupts opponents’ draws and offers strategic insight into their upcoming plays.
- At instant speed, its disruptive ability can be optimally timed to hinder opponents.
- Despite its mana and discard demands, it broadens deck versatility and potential combos.
Text of card
Shadow (This creature can block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.) When Faceless Devourer comes into play, remove another target creature with shadow from the game. When Faceless Devourer leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Faceless Devourer offers a unique way to gain card advantage. While it doesn’t allow you to draw directly, it excels in exiling the top card of your opponent’s library. This can disrupt their draws and provide you with information about their upcoming plays, tipping the scales in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: By removing potential resources from your opponent, the Faceless Devourer effectively accelerates your relative position. Although it doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, it hampers your opponent’s ability to access their resources, which can be just as beneficial.
Instant Speed: The ability to use the Faceless Devourer’s triggered ability at instant speed adds a layer of versatility to your gameplay. It allows you to wait until the most opportune moment to exile the top card of your opponent’s library, such as during their draw step or after they’ve tutored for a key piece, thus maximizing its disruptive potential.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Faceless Devourer demands a card to be discarded as part of the summoning process. This can lead to tough decisions, especially when your hand is already strained or full of essential cards.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a mix of generic and black mana, the Faceless Devourer may not always align with the mana curve or color scheme of your deck, potentially causing it to be a dead draw in situations where mana flexibility is key.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to play, this card can be somewhat costly when weighed against other creatures of similar power and abilities. Players might find this trade-off unsatisfactory, especially in fast-paced games where lower mana costs could lead to a quicker board presence and advantage.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Faceless Devourer can seamlessly adapt to various deck themes, due to its flexible nature as a morph card. This allows for surprise plays and unpredictable board states, which can often give players a strategic edge.
Combo Potential: This card excels in combinations, especially with mechanics that take advantage of its exile ability. It can disrupt your opponent’s board while setting up for potential synergies with return-from-exile effects within your own deck.
Meta-Relevance: Given its capability to quickly impact the game upon being turned face up, Faceless Devourer holds value in a game dominantly paced by creature-based strategies, making it a formidable inclusion for pacing against contemporary decks.
How to beat
Faceless Devourer is a creature card that invites strategic counterplay in Magic: The Gathering. To effectively combat this threat, understanding its mechanics is crucial. Primarily, it relies on shadow, enabling it to attack virtually unblocked and posing a persistent menace. However, this attribute also limits its ability to block other shadow creatures, presenting a tactical advantage to the opponent.
One method to tackle Faceless Devourer is by utilizing removal spells that can target and dispose of it regardless of its evasion skills. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can efficiently handle this elusive adversary. Alternatively, playing creatures with shadow themselves can create a stalemate or force a shift in your opponent’s strategy. It’s about keeping up the pressure while being mindful of the potential for an unblocked strike. In addition, incorporating cards that can block any creature or have “reach” can negate the card’s evasion, making it an easier obstacle to overcome.
While the Faceless Devourer demands attention due to its ability to slip past defenses, an informed strategy embracing removal, strategic creature play, and evasion countering can ensure its threat is swiftly neutered. Remember, anticipation and preparation can turn the tides of battle in your favor, even against the most slippery of foes.
Cards like Faceless Devourer
Faceless Devourer may not be the most well-known card in Magic: The Gathering, but it’s an intriguing option for decks that focus on exile mechanics. Comparable to cards like Aetherplasm, Faceless Devourer allows players to temporarily remove creatures from the game, only to have them brought back later. Aetherplasm’s ability to swap battlefield positions with a creature card in your hand when it blocks gives it a similar feel of sneaky board manipulation.
Another comparative card is the delayed trigger expertise of Mistmeadow Witch, which exiles another target creature and returns it to the battlefield under its owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step. While it offers a chance of tactical advantage during gameplay, Faceless Devourer’s shadow ability adds an element of surprise and evasion, as fewer decks are prepared to block such creatures. Moreover, Faceless Devourer can self-exile, potentially saving itself from unfavorable confrontations or targeted removals.
In terms of gameplay dynamics, the choice between these cards depends on the strategy employed. Faceless Devourer could serve as an unexpected and evasive threat while offering a unique interaction with exile mechanics, distinguishing it within its category.
Cards similar to Faceless Devourer by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Faceless Devourer MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Time Spiral Remastered, 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 Devourer 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 Devourer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Chippy.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 108 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Chippy | |
| 2 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 115 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chippy |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Faceless Devourer has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Faceless Devourer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-19 | Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist. Once the exiled creature returns, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. |
| 2021-03-19 | If Faceless Devourer leaves the battlefield before its first triggered ability has resolved, its last ability triggers. This ability does nothing when it resolves. Then its first ability resolves and exiles the target creature indefinitely. |
| 2021-03-19 | If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won’t return to the battlefield. |
| 2021-03-19 | If an attacking creature has multiple evasion abilities, such as shadow and flying, a creature can block it only if that creature satisfies all of the appropriate evasion abilities. |
| 2021-03-19 | Multiple instances of shadow on the same creature are redundant. |
| 2021-03-19 | Once a creature has been blocked, that creature remains blocked and will deal and be dealt combat damage even if it gains or loses shadow or if the blocking creature gains or loses shadow. |
| 2021-03-19 | Three Faceless Devourers entering the battlefield at separate times with no other creatures with shadow on the battlefield will result in an infinite loop. The game ends in a draw unless a player somehow interrupts the loop. |
