Graven Abomination MTG Card

Graven Abomination - Hour of Devastation

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact Creature — Horror
Released	2017-07-14
Set symbol
Set name	Hour of Devastation
Set code	HOU
Power	3
Toughness	1
Number	162
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Igor Kieryluk

Key Takeaways

Offers strategic advantage by exiling important cards from opponents’ graveyards, disrupting their plans.
It fits various decks easily due to its colorless nature, enhancing adaptability and utility.
While powerful, it is mana-intensive and may compete with other same-cost creatures for deck space.

Text of card

Whenever Graven Abomination attacks, exile target card from defending player's graveyard.

Ironically, the statues had been constructed as a warning.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Graven Abomination’s inherent ability to exile cards from an opponent’s graveyard can be particularly potent in formats where graveyard strategies are prevalent. By removing key components or combo pieces, you indirectly gain card advantage as your opponent loses access to their resources.

Resource Acceleration: While Graven Abomination itself does not directly provide resource acceleration, its colorless nature and moderate mana cost allow it to fit into a variety of decks without constraining mana resources. This attribute enhances the deck’s efficiency in deploying threats.

Instant Speed: Though Graven Abomination operates at sorcery speed, its synergy with instant-speed graveyard disruption spells is noteworthy. Integrating it into a strategy that includes interactives at instant speed can disrupt your opponent’s end-of-turn planning, making your plays more impactful during your own turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Graven Abomination’s efficiency may be hindered by the discard mechanic it entails for activating certain abilities. Players must consider the strategic loss of other potential plays from their hand when utilizing this creature’s full capacity.

Specific Mana Cost: Graven Abomination calls for a specific alignment of mana with a colorless requirement. This can be challenging in multi-colored decks and may not always be conducive to a player’s mana base, restricting its inclusion to certain types of decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost on the higher end for creatures of its stats, players might find that it competes with other cards in the same mana slot that could offer more impactful board presence or immediate value upon cast.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Graven Abomination offers diverse play options and can seamlessly integrate into several deck archetypes. It is not limited to just one strategy, enhancing its value as a utility card that can serve multiple roles on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: With the ability to exile cards from an opponent’s graveyard, this card has inherent synergy with strategies that capitalize on graveyard manipulation and denial. It complements decks that benefit from disrupting the opponent’s game plan.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prominence of graveyard-based strategies in various formats, owning a Graven Abomination gives you an edge by offering a reliable solution to persistent threats. It’s a card that adapts well to the shifting dynamics of competitive play.

How to Beat Graven Abomination

Graven Abomination presents itself as a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. This artifact creature emphasizes graveyard management by exiling cards from your opponent’s graveyard, making it a powerful tool against strategies reliant on graveyard interactions. To effectively counter the Graven Abomination, a solid understanding of your deck and its synergies becomes crucial.

Targeted removal spells can be the simplest answer to the Abomination’s presence. Spells like Murder, Path to Exile, or Naturalize offer efficient ways to eliminate the threat swiftly. Alternatively, countering the creature before it hits the battlefield with spells like Counterspell or Negate disrupts your opponent’s strategy and maintains control. In decks focused on creature strength, consider using higher power creatures to nullify the Abomination through combat, ensuring your graveyard remains untouched. Playing around the Abomination’s abilities may also involve limiting its exile targets by using fewer graveyard-dependent cards or having countermeasures such as Tormod’s Crypt to protect your graveyard when necessary.

Graven Abomination demands attention once on the board but dealing with it promptly allows players to maintain a strategic edge. By planning for its removal or mitigating its utility, you ensure it doesn’t disrupt the delicate ecosystem of your game plan.

Cards like Graven Abomination

Graven Abomination is an intriguing creature card that finds its place in the landscape of aggressive MTG artifact decks. This creature shares some common ground with cards like Ruin Processor, which also provides a means of exiling cards from the opponent’s graveyard. Although they both feed on graveyard interaction, Ruin Processor offers a different advantage with its life gain ability, diverging from Graven Abomination’s direct assault approach of chipping the opponent’s life total.

Another card worth mentioning is Scavenger Grounds, a land with the capability of removing graveyards from the equation, affecting all players rather than targeting one. Unlike Scavenger Grounds, Graven Abomination is selective, allowing for strategic play based on the graveyard content. Additionally, there’s Hedron Crab, relying on landfall to mill the opponent, which can indirectly fuel Graven Abomination’s graveyard exile effect and capitalize on opponents’ filled graveyards.

Each of these cards offers a unique angle on graveyard interaction, demonstrating that Graven Abomination aligns with a trend in MTG of manipulating this zone for various benefits. It solidifies its value as a tool for players who prefer an offensive approach to utilizing their opponents’ graveyards as a resource.

Cards similar to Graven Abomination by color, type and mana cost

Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Graven Abomination MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation, 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 Graven Abomination and other MTG cards: