Consuming Aberration MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Horror
Power *
Toughness *

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage gained by milling opponents systematically with each spell strengthens Consuming Aberration quickly.
  2. Instant speed abilities provide unexpected growth, turning the tide in critical situations during gameplay.
  3. Resource acceleration indirectly occurs as opponents’ decks are milled, hindering their game plan’s execution.

Text of card

Consuming Aberration's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your opponents' graveyards. Whenever you cast a spell, each opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a land card, then puts those cards into his or her graveyard.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Consuming Aberration presents an outstanding benefit in terms of card advantage. Each time you cast a spell, opponents are compelled to mill until they reveal a land card. This not only fills their graveyard, potentially disrupting their strategy, but in combination with any card that fetches spells from the graveyard, can offer you a significant advantage as the Aberration grows in power.

Resource Acceleration: Although Consuming Aberration doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it effectively slows down your opponents by milling their decks. This disruption can be indirectly advantageous, preventing them from accessing crucial resources or combos while you continue to develop your board and strategy unimpeded.

Instant Speed: While Consuming Aberration itself is not an instant, its ability triggers whenever you play an instant (or any other spell), allowing for strategic plays during your turn or at instant speed on your opponent’s turn. This ensures that the Aberration can unexpectedly grow in size at critical moments, turning the tide of the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Consuming Aberration’s power hinges on your opponent having cards in their library to mill. If your opponent has a way to significantly reduce their library size or is playing a graveyard-focused strategy, the impact of Consuming Aberration may be diminished, making it less effective than other creatures you could have on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Consuming Aberration’s casting cost requires both blue and black mana. This dual-color demand can make it harder to cast in a multi-color deck, especially in the early game or if you are experiencing color mana fixing issues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of five, including three generic mana, Consuming Aberration may hit the board too late in some matches. Against fast, aggressive decks or during games where tempo is key, the mana investment can seem steep, particularly when there are other options that provide immediate value or have a lower cost.


Reasons to Include Consuming Aberration in Your Collection

Versatility: Consuming Aberration has a dynamic presence in diverse deck builds, adeptly fitting into mill strategies as well as serving as a formidable threat in control or combo decks. Its power scales with the size of your opponents’ graveyards, making it a late-game powerhouse in prolonged matches.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with spells that target multiple opponents or those that require repeated casting, as each instance fuels its growth. It also pairs well with cards that capitalize on high creature power or library manipulation, enabling devastating combo finishes.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where graveyard interaction is prevalent, Consuming Aberration shines by not only becoming stronger but also by disrupting opponent strategies. It’s a card that can adapt to various meta shifts, maintaining its relevance in the continually evolving landscape of the game.


How to Beat Consuming Aberration

When facing the formidable Consuming Aberration in MTG, it’s crucial to understand its mechanics to gain the upper hand. This sinister creature thrives in decks filled with instants and sorceries, as its power and toughness grow with every card in your opponents’ graveyards. To counter it, graveyard management is key. Applying direct removal spells like Path to Exile or Murderous Cut can swiftly eliminate the threat. Graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog can exile the accumulated cards from graveyards, significantly neutering the Aberration’s power.

Additionally, utilizing counterspells such as Cancel or Negate will thwart the Aberration before it can hit the battlefield. Its strength also hinges on the number of spells cast, so reducing the spell count through discard effects or applying pressure on your opponent’s resources can also effectively mitigate its impact. Despite its intimidating presence, a focused strategy can assure that Consuming Aberration is nothing more than a dormant threat in your Magic: The Gathering duels.


Cards like Consuming Aberration

Consuming Aberration stands out as a unique behemoth in Magic: The Gathering, particularly among cards that thrive on an opponent’s graveyard. Its closest relative is Psychosis Crawler, which shares the trait of growing more potent as your hand size increases. Both cards form a threatening presence, yet Consuming Aberration continues to grow with each spell cast and adds the mill strategy into the mix.

Mindcrank is another companion in these waters, providing a similar mill effect, although it lacks the body to apply pressure on the battlefield. However, it’s lower in mana cost and can fit into a wider range of strategies. Bloodchief Ascension, when quested, can deliver an effect comparable to the life loss aspect of Consuming Aberration, but it doesn’t offer the same steady build-up of power.

Despite these comparisons, Consuming Aberration’s synergy of milling and growing with each spell you cast, combined with its potential to end the game with a massive swing, sets it apart in a league of formidable finishers in the MTG universe.

Psychosis Crawler - MTG Card versions
Mindcrank - MTG Card versions
Bloodchief Ascension - MTG Card versions
Psychosis Crawler - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Mindcrank - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Bloodchief Ascension - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Consuming Aberration by color, type and mana cost

Nebuchadnezzar - MTG Card versions
Skeleton Ship - MTG Card versions
Nymris, Oona's Trickster - MTG Card versions
Kotose, the Silent Spider - MTG Card versions
Narfi, Betrayer King - MTG Card versions
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth - MTG Card versions
Tattered Drake - MTG Card versions
Dementia Sliver - MTG Card versions
Dralnu, Lich Lord - MTG Card versions
Ghastlord of Fugue - MTG Card versions
Gravelgill Axeshark - MTG Card versions
Nemesis of Reason - MTG Card versions
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - MTG Card versions
Havengul Lich - MTG Card versions
Horror of the Dim - MTG Card versions
Haunter of Nightveil - MTG Card versions
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker - MTG Card versions
Necromaster Dragon - MTG Card versions
Possessed Skaab - MTG Card versions
Taigam, Sidisi's Hand - MTG Card versions
Nebuchadnezzar - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Skeleton Ship - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Nymris, Oona's Trickster - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Kotose, the Silent Spider - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos (PNEO)
Narfi, Betrayer King - Kaldheim (KHM)
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth - Midnight Hunt Commander (MIC)
Tattered Drake - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Dementia Sliver - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dralnu, Lich Lord - Time Spiral (TSP)
Ghastlord of Fugue - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Gravelgill Axeshark - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Nemesis of Reason - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Havengul Lich - Shadows of the Past (SIS)
Horror of the Dim - Gatecrash (GTC)
Haunter of Nightveil - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Necromaster Dragon - Dragons of Tarkir Promos (PDTK)
Possessed Skaab - Magic Origins (ORI)
Taigam, Sidisi's Hand - Commander 2017 (C17)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Consuming Aberration MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Gatecrash, 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 Consuming Aberration and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Consuming Aberration Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 479972003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
22013-02-01GatecrashGTC 1522003normalblackKarl Kopinski
32016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1892015normalblackKarl Kopinski
42018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 102015normalblackKarl Kopinski
52020-09-25Zendikar Rising CommanderZNC 892015normalblackVolkan Baǵa
62021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 3741997normalblackKarl Kopinski
72022-06-10Battle for Baldur's Gate Art SeriesACLB 222015art_seriesborderlessDomenico Cava
82022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 8402015normalblackDomenico Cava

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Consuming Aberration has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2021-03-19 If an opponent has no land cards in their library, all the cards from that library will be revealed and put into their graveyard.
2021-03-19 The ability that defines Consuming Aberration's power and toughness applies in all zones, not just the battlefield.

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