Malfegor MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Demon Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Malfegor grants a sweeping advantage by destroying multiple opposing creatures, pivotal for turning games.
  2. Strategic instant-speed plays before Malfegor’s cast can enhance its game-altering entrance, maximizing effect.
  3. Its dual dragon-demon attributes offer vast versatility and combo potential across various MTG deck types.

Text of card

Flying When Malfegor enters the battlefield, discard your hand. Each opponent sacrifices a creature for each card discarded this way.

A demon cannot be trusted, and a dragon will not be ruled.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Malfegor, with its intimidating presence on the battlefield, is designed to create a significant swing in card advantage upon entering the fray. When played, you discard your hand to destroy that many creatures your opponent controls, potentially clearing the way for a decisive attack and diminishing your opponent’s resources.

Resource Acceleration: Unlike cards that add to your mana pool, Malfegor operates as a form of resource acceleration by disrupting your opponent’s creature base. This act can be viewed as accelerating your board state advantage when considering the pace at which you can now progress with less opposition.

Instant Speed: While Malfegor itself may not be an instant, its entry can be set up with instant-speed interactions. The ability to play spells and effects at instant speed before casting Malfegor can ensure maximum impact, allowing smart players to manipulate the state of the game to their benefit and seamlessly integrate Malfegor’s devastating effect into their strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When summoning Malfegor, a significant downside is its harsh entry clause, obliging you to discard your entire hand. This can leave you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re not holding an excess of cards or if you’re relying on a key strategy that necessitates certain cards in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This dragon-demon demands a precise mana configuration to play, requiring both black and red. This can present a deck-building challenge, especially in a format with a broader color palette where maintaining mana consistency for a dual-color card can be difficult.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of six mana, which includes two black and two red, Malfegor stands as a relatively hefty investment. Considering the current meta and available card pool, other creatures or spells might provide a more impactful presence on the battlefield for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Malfegor in Your Collection

Versatility: Malfegor offers a dynamic playstyle given its dual identity as a demon dragon. This formidable creature can seamlessly integrate into decks that focus on flying threats or those that capitalize on discard mechanics, making it a diverse addition to your arsenal.

Combo Potential: With its ability to force a discard upon entering the battlefield, Malfegor can be the linchpin in combos that benefit from filling the graveyard. It can synergize with strategies revolving around reanimation or madness, unlocking new layers of strategic depth for your deck.

Meta-Relevance: As decks aiming to build overwhelming board presence continue to shape the competitive landscape, Malfegor’s mass discard effect provides a powerful reset tool. Being able to disrupt opponent’s hands while establishing a threatening presence challenges the prevalent meta, making it a crafty choice in the current environment.


How to beat Malfegor

Malfegor presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its powerful ability to force discard but it’s not unbeatable. First, managing your hand size is critical when playing against Malfegor. Keeping fewer cards in hand can minimize the impact of its discard effect when it enters the battlefield. Moreover, instant-speed removals like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can be key cards as they can be used in response to Malfegor’s ability, removing it before its effect takes place.

Another strategy focuses on graveyard synergy. Using cards that benefit from or can retrieve creatures from the graveyard, such as Unearth or Zombify, turns a potential loss into an opportunity. Countermagic is also a reliable way to tackle Malfegor. Denying its cast with spells like Counterspell or Neutralize avoids its effect entirely. Ultimately, planning ahead for Malfegor’s arrival and utilizing a range of reactive spells will often put you in a favorable position against this formidable dragon.

In essence, Malfegor can be a tough opponent, but with the right tactics and timing, you can turn this daunting encounter into a victory on the magical planes of MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

Summoning the might of Malfegor on the battlefield is a strategic decision that can tip the scales in your favor. Every MTG player knows the thrill of deploying a game-changing card. If you’re looking to unleash havoc and dictate the pace of the match, exploring the depths of Malfegor’s power could be your next big move. Delve into the synergy it holds with discard-focused decks and the dynamic impact it can have. Visit BurnMana for strategies that transform Malfegor from mere cardboard to a legendary force, ensuring your deck’s dominance in any MTG match.


Cards like Malfegor

Malfegor is a unique creature card that offers a strategic blend of demon and dragon attributes, making it a force to be reckoned with in Magic: The Gathering games. Cards that evoke similar strategy dynamics include Kaervek the Merciless and Rakdos the Defiler. Like Malfegor, which requires a steep investment of mana and an extra cost of discarding your hand to wipe out your opponent’s creatures, Kaervek the Merciless also packs a heavy mana cost but hurts opponents whenever they cast a spell.

Rakdos the Defiler offers a similar high-risk, high-reward gameplay to that of Malfegor. However, while playing Rakdos can annihilate an opponent’s permanents, it also forces you to sacrifice half of your non-demon permanents, which is a gamble that could backfire. Malfegor places no such demands on the player’s board state, making it potentially less devastating to your own side of the field.

Each of these cards carries its own set of risks and rewards, aligning them with Malfegor in terms of impacting the game in substantial ways. Players must weigh the cost and effect of employing such powerful creatures while considering the state of their hand and board position.

Kaervek the Merciless - MTG Card versions
Rakdos the Defiler - MTG Card versions
Kaervek the Merciless - Time Spiral (TSP)
Rakdos the Defiler - Dissension (DIS)

Cards similar to Malfegor by color, type and mana cost

Pavel Maliki - MTG Card versions
Rohgahh of Kher Keep - MTG Card versions
Razing Snidd - MTG Card versions
Carnival Hellsteed - MTG Card versions
Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats - MTG Card versions
Rakdos the Defiler - MTG Card versions
Deepfire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Grief Tyrant - MTG Card versions
Undead Leotau - MTG Card versions
Vein Drinker - MTG Card versions
Deathbringer Thoctar - MTG Card versions
Defiler of Souls - MTG Card versions
Igneous Pouncer - MTG Card versions
Rakdos Ringleader - MTG Card versions
Sire of Insanity - MTG Card versions
Dragonlord Kolaghan - MTG Card versions
Swift Warkite - MTG Card versions
The Big Idea - MTG Card versions
Mary O'Kill - MTG Card versions
Rakdos, the Showstopper - MTG Card versions
Pavel Maliki - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rohgahh of Kher Keep - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Razing Snidd - Planeshift (PLS)
Carnival Hellsteed - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats - Zendikar Rising Promos (PZNR)
Rakdos the Defiler - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Deepfire Elemental - Commander 2013 (C13)
Grief Tyrant - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Undead Leotau - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Vein Drinker - Commander 2017 (C17)
Deathbringer Thoctar - Commander 2013 (C13)
Defiler of Souls - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Igneous Pouncer - Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas (DDH)
Rakdos Ringleader - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Sire of Insanity - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Dragonlord Kolaghan - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Swift Warkite - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
The Big Idea - The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) (ULST)
Mary O'Kill - The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) (ULST)
Rakdos, the Showstopper - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)

Where to buy

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

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Malfegor Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2009-02-06 and 2017-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 319712003normalblackKarl Kopinski
22009-02-06Conflux PromosPCON 117★2003normalblackKarl Kopinski
32009-02-06ConfluxCON 1172003normalblackJason Chan
42011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 2082003normalblackJason Chan
52017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 1842015normalblackJason Chan
62017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 2052015normalblackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Malfegor has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-11-17 After you discard your hand and the number of creatures each opponent must sacrifice has been determined, each opponent in turn order, starting with the player whose turn it is if that player is your opponent, chooses which creatures they will sacrifice, then all the chosen creatures are all sacrificed at the same time.
2017-11-17 Malfegor’s ability is not optional. You must discard your entire hand no matter how many creatures your opponents control.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks