Uncontrolled Infestation MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2003-05-26
Set symbol
Set name	Scourge
Set code	SCG
Number	108
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tony Szczudlo

Key Takeaways

Transforming nonbasic lands into creatures offers strategic advantage and potential board control.
Instant speed and flexibility aid in timing your play for maximum impact against opponents.
High mana cost and card discard requirement are significant considerations while using this card.

Text of card

Uncontrolled Infestation can enchant only a nonbasic land. When enchanted land becomes tapped, destroy it.

The grounds of the Riptide Project are now populated only by slivers, broken beakers, and the lonely screeching of gulls.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Uncontrolled Infestation has the potential to disrupt an opponent’s strategy by transforming their valuable nonbasic lands into 3/3 creatures that might not fit into their game plan. This can lead to card advantage as it hampers your opponent’s ability to use their cards effectively.

Resource Acceleration: By turning a nonbasic land into a creature, Uncontrolled Infestation can indirectly accelerate your resources. This is achieved by potentially removing a key land from your opponent’s board, slowing them down and giving you the chance to outpace them in terms of plays and board presence.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Uncontrolled Infestation at instant speed allows you to react to your opponent’s actions. You can wait until just the right moment, like the end of their turn or in response to an activation, to catch them off-guard and make sure that the impact of the card is maximized.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Uncontrolled Infestation requires discarding a card upon activation which could deplete your hand, reducing your ability to respond to an opponent’s threats or missing out on key plays due to lack of options.

Specific Mana Cost: The necessity for both red and green mana to cast Uncontrolled Infestation can restrict the card’s inclusion mostly to Gruul decks or others that can reliably produce both types of mana, potentially making it a cumbersome addition to a deck’s construction.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost being somewhat high for its effect, players might find themselves at a loss compared to other options that are more mana-efficient. This can be a crucial drawback, especially in formats where tempo and early board presence are essential.

Reasons to Include Uncontrolled Infestation in Your Collection

Versatility: Uncontrolled Infestation offers a unique twist on land destruction that can be adapted to various strategies. It can disable utility lands or disrupt opponent’s mana base, making it a flexible inclusion in decks that aim to control the pace of the game.

Combo Potential: This card has the ability to create a steady change in board state, especially when paired with effects that penalize players for losing lands or those that trigger upon land destruction. This widens the scope for deck builders to explore synergistic combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where land-centric decks thrive, having Uncontrolled Infestation can be a significant countermeasure. It allows players to keep pace with the current environment where lands often equate to more than just mana sources, they are part of an opponent’s win condition.

How to beat Uncontrolled Infestation

Uncontrolled Infestation presents a unique challenge in the world of MTG, tasking players to strategize around its transformative effect on lands. Much like a ticking time bomb, this card can turn beneficial lands into creatures that are primed for assault. To effectively navigate this disruption, it’s essential for players to be proactive in their approach. The key is to anticipate the moment of transformation and have a response ready.

One approach is to focus on creature removal spells to quickly dispatch the newly minted Pest creatures before they can overrun your defenses. While relying solely on land destruction isn’t typically a viable strategy, in this scenario it could provide a temporary reprieve by targeting the infested land itself. Another tactic lies in the adaptability of your own deck, which can include instant-speed interaction or spells that preemptively counteract such threats. Finally, leveraging a deck’s versatility to adapt post-transformation ensures resilience against Uncontrolled Infestation’s insidious nature.

In essence, the core of outplaying Uncontrolled Infestation lies in preparedness and adaptability. Every MTG player facing this card must balance offensive and defensive measures, maintain resource flexibility, and seize the right moment to act, ensuring that Uncontrolled Infestation becomes an obstacle they can confidently overcome.

Cards like Uncontrolled Infestation

Uncontrolled Infestation adds a unique twist to the suite of destruction spells available to MTG players. It shares similarities with cards like Creeping Mold, which allows players to destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land. However, Uncontrolled Infestation specifically requires the destruction of a nonbasic land, making it more specialized in its purpose compared to the broader utility offered by Creeping Mold.

Among its peers, we also see Thermokarst, another card designed to disrupt opponents’ land advantages. While it outright destroys any land and provides no chance for recovery, Uncontrolled Infestation has an edge by leaving behind a potentially threatening creature on the battlefield. Additionally, Uncontrolled Infestation can be compared to Fulminator Mage, a creature capable of taking down nonbasic lands. The Mage offers a repeatable effect if recurs from the graveyard, yet doesn’t transform the land into an aggressive tool as Uncontrolled Infestation does.

Comparatively, Uncontrolled Infestation requires setup but can be more impactful by converting a strategic target into an offensive asset. These distinctions make Uncontrolled Infestation a niche but powerful option in decks looking to combine land destruction with creature-based strategies.

Cards similar to Uncontrolled Infestation by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Uncontrolled Infestation MTG card by a specific set like Scourge, 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 Uncontrolled Infestation and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Uncontrolled Infestation has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	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 Uncontrolled Infestation card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2004-10-04	It only triggers if the land becomes tapped after this Aura is on it. Attaching it to a tapped land will not destroy the land until the next time the land is untapped and then tapped again.