Onslaught MTG Card


Onslaught - Exodus
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment
Released1998-06-15
Set symbol
Set nameExodus
Set codeEXO
Number92
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPaolo Parente

Key Takeaways

  1. Onslaught provides card advantage, accelerates resources, and can be cast at instant speed, offering strategic flexibility.
  2. Its drawbacks include a discard requirement and a specific, potentially high mana cost, limiting its versatility.
  3. Despite its cons, Onslaught’s combo potential and meta relevance make it a worthy addition to diverse collections.

Text of card

Whenever you successfully cast a creature spell, tap target creature.

The last thing to go through the mogg's mind was its teeth.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Onslaught facilitates a deeper delve into your deck, potentially granting access to pivotal game-changers that can influence the match’s outcome. By enabling more draw opportunities, this card can be a turning point when it comes to maintaining hand superiority.

Resource Acceleration: This MTG card can be a catalyst for fueling your strategic plays quicker. It’s designed to ramp up your resources, thereby powering up your threats on the board at a more expedient pace than your adversary can handle.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Onslaught extends to its timing; using it at instant speed means it’s a surprise card to be reckoned with. Reacting to your opponent’s moves or sidestepping their countermeasures, it can disrupt their strategy while advancing your own.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Onslaught demands that you discard a card, which can pose a significant setback, particularly if your hand is already depleted or if you’re clinging onto key strategic pieces for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s requirement for a precise mana combination could restrict its integration into multicolored decks, making it less flexible and potentially causing it to sit idle in your hand if you’re facing mana-fixing issues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Onslaught carries a hefty mana cost which can be a considerable drawback in fast-paced games where tempo is critical. This may lead to situations where the card is too slow to impact the board state effectively when it matters most.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Onslaught cards are known for their widespread utility across various MTG formats. These cards can be included in a range of decks, from Commander to Legacy, bolstering strategies with tribal synergies or mechanics like morph.

Combo Potential: Several Onslaught cards are integral pieces in combo decks, with cards serving as enablers or finishers in intricate play sequences that can dominate the board and secure victories.

Meta-Relevance: Given Onslaught’s influence on the game, certain cards from this set adapt well to shifting metas, offering players tools to address trends and enhance competitive play in tournaments and casual gatherings alike.


How to Beat Onslaught

Overcoming Onslaught, the MTG card, hinges on tactics that stifle an opponent’s ability to amass creatures or bolster them. It’s key to recognize that Onslaught’s strength lies in enhancing creature numbers and benefits from effects that place multiple creatures on the battlefield. Solid strategies include using sweepers like Wrath of God to reset the board and limit the expanding army Onslaught aims to build.

Cards like Ghostly Prison and Propaganda also serve as effective countermeasures, imposing costs for attacks and hindering aggressive swarm tactics. Additionally, targeted removal keeps key creatures at bay, while counter spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak prevent Onslaught’s pivotal spells from taking effect. Don’t overlook the necessity of prioritizing threats; sometimes, letting smaller creatures hit while waiting to counter or remove the game-changers can save you from the Onslaught.

In essence, focus your answers on management and control. Counteractive plays, timely removals, and strategic board wipes will elevate your game and help you dismantle the power behind the Onslaught MTG card. Victory comes to those who not only build their deck wisely but also play their cards with forethought and precision.


Cards like Onslaught

Onslaught is a unique card that stands out among its Magic: The Gathering peers. Though not quite like a clone of another card, Onslaught shares some characteristics with cards like Wrath of God. Both function as board wipes, clearing creatures from the battlefield efficiently. However, Wrath of God removes all creatures with no exceptions, while Onslaught’s effect is contingent on the flip of a coin and could potentially spare some creatures on the field.

Another card in the family of random destruction is Goblin Game. Rather than deciding the fate of creatures through coin flips, it engages players in a bidding war, hiding objects and sacrificing life points based on those hidden items. While Goblin Game affects players’ life totals directly, Onslaught creates uncertainty on the battlefield itself. Additionally, Onslaught does not have a direct impact on life totals but poses a significant threat to creature-based strategies.

In reviewing these comparisons, it’s evident that Onslaught offers a compelling yet unpredictable element to gameplay, challenging traditional removal spells with its element of chance and potential selective preservation of creatures on the battlefield within MTG.

Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Goblin Game - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Goblin Game - Planeshift (PLS)

Cards similar to Onslaught by color, type and mana cost

Earthbind - MTG Card versions
Firebreathing - MTG Card versions
Burrowing - MTG Card versions
Storm World - MTG Card versions
Eternal Warrior - MTG Card versions
Immolation - MTG Card versions
Imposing Visage - MTG Card versions
Ironclaw Curse - MTG Card versions
Veteran's Voice - MTG Card versions
Mob Mentality - MTG Card versions
Crown of Flames - MTG Card versions
Tahngarth's Rage - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Blade - MTG Card versions
Reflexes - MTG Card versions
Mark of Fury - MTG Card versions
Seal of Fire - MTG Card versions
Laccolith Rig - MTG Card versions
Brutal Suppression - MTG Card versions
Need for Speed - MTG Card versions
Crackling Club - MTG Card versions
Earthbind - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Firebreathing - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Burrowing - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Storm World - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Eternal Warrior - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Immolation - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Imposing Visage - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ironclaw Curse - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Veteran's Voice - Alliances (ALL)
Mob Mentality - Visions (VIS)
Crown of Flames - Invasion (INV)
Tahngarth's Rage - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Blade - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Reflexes - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Mark of Fury - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seal of Fire - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Laccolith Rig - Nemesis (NEM)
Brutal Suppression - Prophecy (PCY)
Need for Speed - Odyssey (ODY)
Crackling Club - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Onslaught MTG card by a specific set like Exodus, 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 Onslaught and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Onslaught has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 Can target an already tapped creature.
2004-10-04 The ability is not optional. If you have the only targetable creatures, you have to tap one of your own.
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.

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