Victimize MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 15 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Gains card advantage by reanimating two creatures from your graveyard with one spell.
  2. Can accelerate resource usage by avoiding high creature casting costs.
  3. Tactics mimic instant speed, surprising opponents by altering the battlefield state.

Text of card

Choose two target creature cards in your graveyard. Sacrifice a creature. If you do, put the two chosen creatures into play tapped.

The priest cast Xantcha to the ground. "It is defective. We must scrap it."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Victimize offers a unique twist on gaining card advantage by allowing you to return not just one but two creatures from your graveyard to the battlefield. This trade-off can quickly turn the tides of a game by providing a significant presence on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or treasure tokens, Victimize accelerates your resources by bypassing casting costs of powerful creatures. This efficient use of the graveyard as a resource enables you to bring high-cost creatures into play much earlier than you normally could.

Instant Speed: Although Victimize isn’t cast at instant speed, its strategic use during your turn mimics the surprise factor instants offer. Carefully timing the sacrifice and resurrection of creatures can be pivotal, setting up defenses or an overwhelming offensive during the next combat phase.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the caveats of using Victimize is that it asks for some forethought and positional awareness during gameplay. For this spell to work, there must be a creature in the graveyard to begin with. This necessitates either proactive strategizing, potentially playing valuable creatures knowing they may end up as fodder, or waiting for an opportune moment after a loss, which can be unpredictable and not always advantageous.

Specific Mana Cost: Victimize commands a precise mana alignment, specifically two black and one colorless mana. This requirement can make it less flexible, particularly in multicolor decks where mana bases are already stretched thin and the demand for black mana is high due to other impactful black spells competing for the same resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana, which must include double black, Victimize’s cost is a tad steep when considering alternatives. While the ability to bring back two creatures from the graveyard is substantial, the rise of aggressive, low-curve decks means spending an entire turn on setup rather than affecting the board immediately can be a risky gambit. Moreover, in a format brimming with efficient reanimation spells or creatures with recursive abilities, the casting cost of Victimize may appear less attractive.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Victimize is a staple in Commander and other formats where reclaiming valuable creatures from the graveyard is crucial. Its ability to bring back two creatures at the expense of one can easily turn the tides of a game, making it a versatile addition to any black deck focusing on graveyard synergies.

Combo Potential: The ability to return a pair of creatures to the battlefield sets the stage for numerous combos and interactions. With the right components in your graveyard, Victimize can be the key play that assembles a game-winning combo or a powerful set of blockers in a pinch.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of graveyard strategies and the constant challenge to recover after board wipes, Victimize slots in well against various decks. By offering a cost-effective way to recover resources, it remains relevant and a consistent performer in ever-shifting metagames.


How to beat

Victimize is a classic reanimation spell in Magic: The Gathering with a unique twist. It offers players the opportunity to return two creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield at the cost of sacrificing one creature. While this can quickly shift the tide of the game, it can also be countered effectively with the right strategy. To overcome a Victimize play, the key is to disrupt the graveyard before the spell can resolve or neutralize the sacrifice outlet.

Graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze are perfect answers, as they can exile creatures from the graveyard and render Victimize useless. Similarly, instant-speed removal spells like Path to Exile can target and exile the creature chosen to sacrifice, which stops the chain reaction that Victimize could cause. Another approach is to hold up counter magic specifically when you anticipate your opponent is ready to cast Victimize. Efficient play and a strategic deck built with graveyard interaction in mind can ensure that your opponent’s efforts to capitalize on Victimize’s powerful effect are in vain.

Understanding the mechanics behind Victimize and preparing your deck to handle graveyard-based strategies will arm you with the tools necessary to keep your opponent’s graveyard in check and maintain control of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

The depth of MTG is never more apparent than when delving into cards like Victimize, which pivot your game with their graveyard-twisting abilities. Understanding both the advantages and challenges of such cards is key to optimizing your strategy and keeping your gameplay sharp. If you’re keen to explore intricate combos, navigate through various meta shifts, or simply enhance your collection, cards with reanimating prowess like Victimize should not be overlooked. Ready to harness the full potential of your graveyard? We encourage you to further explore the power of resurrection in MTG and elevate your deck to new heights. Embark on the journey with us — your ultimate guide to becoming a formidable player in the MTG arena.


Cards like Victimize

Victimize is an intriguing strategy in the format of graveyard-based card interactions in Magic: The Gathering. This card bears similarities to spells like Unearth, which also targets creatures in the graveyard, offering them a comeback. Victimize, however, requires sacrificing a creature as part of its cost, leading to potential strategic advantage and board presence manipulation. Unlike Unearth, Victimize can return two creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield, doubling the potential impact on the game state.

Another card worth comparing is Animate Dead. This enchantment brings back only one creature, but it attaches itself as an aura, providing ongoing utility and potentially affecting the balance of power. While Animate Dead plays with a permanent on the battlefield, Victimize’s role is a one-time event with a more immediate effect, bringing back multiple creatures in a single turn. Then there’s Zombify, which directly returns a single creature card from the graveyard to the battlefield with no additional costs, unlike Victimize, that demands a sacrifice, thereby offering a more straightforward approach to resurrection.

In summary, when analyzing the nuances and cooperative elements of reanimation spells in MTG, Victimize emerges with a compelling depth, enabling complex and fruitful plays that resonate with players eager to exploit their graveyard for strategic advantage.

Unearth - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
Unearth - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Animate Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Zombify - Odyssey (ODY)

Cards similar to Victimize by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Inquisition - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Inquisition - The Dark (DRK)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Portal (POR)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 2000 (S00)
Grim Tutor - Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Victimize MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga 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 Victimize and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Victimize Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 1661997normalblackVal Mayerik
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 860942015normalblackCraig J Spearing
32014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 1332003normalblackCraig J Spearing
42014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1692015normalblackVal Mayerik
52015-11-13Commander 2015C15 1392015normalblackCraig J Spearing
62016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 1132015normalblackCraig J Spearing
72017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 722015normalblackCraig J Spearing
82020-09-26The ListPLST CMA-722015normalblackCraig J Spearing
92020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 6572015normalblackCraig J Spearing
102020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 1572015normalblackCraig J Spearing
112021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1122015normalblackCraig J Spearing
122022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2612015normalblackCraig J Spearing
132023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 2702015normalblackCraig J Spearing
142023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 1952015normalblackCraig J Spearing
152023-11-17Special GuestsSPG 232015normalborderlessKekai Kotaki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Victimize has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 As Victimize resolves, you must sacrifice a creature if able. You can't change your mind and choose not to sacrifice anything.
2020-11-10 If one of the targeted creature cards is an illegal target (for instance, because it has left your graveyard before Victimize resolves), you'll still sacrifice a creature and put the other card onto the battlefield. If both are illegal targets, Victimize won't resolve. You won't sacrifice a creature.
2020-11-10 The creature you sacrifice isn't chosen until Victimize resolves. You can't return the creature you sacrifice because it will still be on the battlefield at the time targets are chosen.
2020-11-10 You must choose two targets. You can't cast Victimize targeting only one creature card.

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