Swallow the Hero Whole MTG Card

Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2013-10-19
Set symbol
Set name	Face the Hydra
Set code	TFTH
Number	13
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott Chou

Key Takeaways

It offers unique card advantage by altering board state instead of drawing cards.
Instant speed allows strategic plays, disrupting opponents at critical moments.
Demands careful deck building with its specific blue and green mana requirements.

Text of card

Each player exiles a creature they control. Until the Hydra's next turn, when a Head leaves the battlefield, return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owners' control.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Swallow the Hero Whole provides a unique form of card advantage by potentially removing an adversary’s key creature from the battle. It shifts the balance in your favor not by drawing cards but by affecting board state advantageously.

Resource Acceleration: When you bounce off your own creature, you can replay it for its enter-the-battlefield effects, essentially giving you additional uses of those effects. This can be seen as a form of indirect resource acceleration as it enables more utility from the same resources.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Swallow the Hero Whole allows for surprise and strategic plays during your opponent’s turn. It can disrupt your opponent’s plans at critical moments and provide you with the upper hand by timing your actions to maximum effect.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Swallow the Hero Whole demands the player to throw away another card as part of the casting process. Particularly for strategies relying on every card in hand, this prerequisite might be detrimental and can derail your momentum during critical gameplay junctures.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitating a mix of blue and green mana, the card demands a dedicated dual-color mana base. This mana specificity might restrict the card’s inclusion, making it less flexible for decks that can’t reliably generate both colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At six mana, Swallow the Hero Whole presents a considerable investment, especially in formats where tempo is vital. For the cost, players might find alternative cards that remove creatures or provide control options with less strain on their mana pool, and sometimes with additional benefits.

Reasons to Include Swallow the Hero Whole in Your Collection

Versatility: Swallow the Hero Whole can be a game-changing addition to decks that bank on creature control strategies. The ability to neutralize an opponent’s threat while strengthening your own offers a dual advantage. It adapts well to various playstyles and formats, making it a flexible pick for many deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: This card is a powerful inclusion for combos, specifically in decks looking to exploit enter-the-battlefield triggers or graveyard synergies. The act of exiling an opponent’s creature can set up for a range of strategic plays, doing more than just removing a threat from the board.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to disrupt the opponent’s strategies, Swallow the Hero Whole has significant relevance in metagames where creature-based decks dominate. Its defensive utility paired with the potential offensive swing makes it a well-suited card for shifting metas.

How to beat

Swallow the Hero Whole is a formidable Magic: The Gathering card that can swing games by disrupting an opponent’s battlefield presence. The key to overcoming this card lies in preventing it from resolving or mitigating its impact. For starters, counterspells are your first line of defense. A well-timed Negate or Dovin’s Veto can stop Swallow the Hero Whole in its tracks before it can exile your creatures. Alternatively, having a sacrificial creature ready, one with a lesser value or an when it dies effect, can minimize the loss when facing this sorcery.

Hand disruption is another effective strategy. By using Thoughtseize or Duress early on, you can pluck this threat straight from your opponent’s hand before they have the chance to cast it. Moreover, instant-speed creature protection spells like Gods Willing or Heroic Intervention provide a shield for your most valuable creatures, saving them from being exiled. It’s also beneficial to keep the pressure up with threats that require an immediate answer, thus diverting your opponent’s resources away from casting their game-changing sorcery.

Successfully thwarting Swallow the Hero Whole requires a blend of proactive and reactive plays, maintaining board presence while keeping key protection and disruption tools at the ready, ensuring your heroes stay very much unswallowed and in the fight.

Cards like Swallow the Hero Whole

Exploring the depths of creature control cards in Magic: The Gathering, Swallow the Hero Whole transitions into the spotlight. Slicing into the theme of exiling target creatures, it draws parallels with cards like Epic Confrontation. Much like Swallow the Hero Whole, Epic Confrontation allows a creature you control to battle another, although without the distinctive exile effect.

Swallow the Hero Whole also resonates with the mechanics of Savage Stomp. Both cards play upon the notion of utilizing your creatures’ strengths, but Savage Stomp differs by merely dealing damage instead of exiling. The nuance here is significant with Swallow the Hero Whole permanently removing an opposing threat from the game while also giving card advantage. And then there’s Pounce, known for facilitating creature fights at instant speed but lacking both the exile element and card advantage that set Swallow the Hero Whole apart.

In evaluating these interactions, Swallow the Hero Whole carves out a powerful niche within Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to exile a creature while leveraging your own unit’s strength without incurring a loss in card quantity places it as a formidable option among creature control strategies.

Cards similar to Swallow the Hero Whole by color, type and mana cost

Grown from the Stump - MTG Card versions

Strike the Weak Spot - MTG Card versions

Noxious Hydra Breath - MTG Card versions

Hydra's Impenetrable Hide - MTG Card versions

Touch of the Horned God - MTG Card versions

Intervention of Keranos - MTG Card versions

Impulsive Destruction - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Swallow the Hero Whole MTG card by a specific set like Face the Hydra, 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 Swallow the Hero Whole and other MTG cards: