Walking Desecration MTG Card


Walking Desecration - Onslaught
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Zombie
Released2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameOnslaught
Set codeONS
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number180
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDaren Bader

Key Takeaways

  1. Driving gameplay, it offers tactical advantages through dictating opponents’ actions and accelerating wins.
  2. Demands careful deck building with a specific mana requirement and the necessity of discard play.
  3. Harnesses synergy and meta relevance to enhance various deck strategies for controlled combat.

Text of card

o B, oc T: Creatures of the type of your choice attack this turn if able.

Such sacrilege turns blinding grief into blinding rage.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Walking Desecration enables you to compel multiple actions from a single card, effectively disrupting your opponent’s turn and potentially drawing out key resources from their hand or battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While the card itself doesn’t directly produce mana or ramp, it can accelerate your board state by giving your creatures pseudo evasion, forcing your opponent to make unfavorable blocks, thereby hastening your route to victory.

Instant Speed: As this card operates at sorcery speed, it bestows the advantage of setting up your attack phase in advance, aligning with tactical plays, and preparing the field for a potential onslaught that your opponent will be pressured to answer.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One hurdle players face with Walking Desecration is its reliance on discarding another card. This can be a strategic setback, particularly if your hand is already dwindling and you are forced to let go of key components that could be critical for later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Walking Desecration comes with a stringent mana requirement that isn’t always easy to meet. The necessity of a particular mana combination can make it a clumsy fit in multicolored decks, diminishing its versatility and potential applications across different strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Additionally, the cost to bring Walking Desecration into play is on the higher side when weighed against its abilities. This can lead to inefficient mana expenditure, especially when there are other creatures or spells available that could make a more immediate impact on the game at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include Walking Desecration in Your Collection

Versatility: Walking Desecration offers a unique blend of utility by allowing players to dictate opponent’s block choices. This can integrate well into various deck strategies, ranging from control-oriented to those commanding lethal swings.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with abilities that trigger upon creatures becoming blocked or not blocked. Additionally, Walking Desecration can be used to manipulate the board state, ensuring that key creatures are unblocked for direct hits or setting up for mass removal spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that sees creature-heavy decks, Walking Desecration can provide a distinct advantage by disrupting opponent’s defenses, making it a valuable asset in matches where board control dictates the winner.


How to beat Walking Desecration

Walking Desecration is a card that brings a unique layer of strategy to the table with its ability to give creatures the power to tap and force opponents to attack. This can seize control of the battlefield, compelling unfavorable attacks or altering combat dynamics altogether. Overcoming such a card necessitates a carefully thought-out approach. One effective countermeasure is to prioritize the removal of Walking Desecration itself since its absence renders the opponent’s tactical advantage null.

Another tactic is maintaining a strong suite of defensive creatures to discourage forced engagements. Having creatures with high toughness or those that offer beneficial effects when blocking can significantly mitigate the damage potential of compelled attacks. It’s also crucial to be mindful of Walking Desecration’s potential in multiparty formats where the card’s controller could coerce opponents into detrimental attacks against each other.

Ultimately, keeping Walking Desecration off the board through instant-speed removal or presenting a formidable defense line are the key strategies to nullify its influence on the game, ensuring that the opponent’s tactical play doesn’t tip the scales in their favor.


Cards like Walking Desecration

Walking Desecration offers a unique angle on creature control within the Magic: The Gathering universe. Comparable in effect to Zombie Master, which grants Regenerate and Swampwalk to fellow zombies, Walking Desecration adds another layer by forcing opponents’ creatures to attack if able. Whereas Zombie Master bolsters the resiliency of your undead army, Walking Desecration turns up the aggression, pushing the game’s tempo to your favor.

Another analogous card is Goblin Diplomats. Although it doesn’t share the same creature type focus, it similarly forces creatures to attack if able. The key difference lies in the Diplomats’ symmetrical effect, impacting all players indiscriminately, while Walking Desecration can be tailored through creature type selection. Additionally, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth could be brought to the conversation, as it changes all lands into Swamps, potentially amplifying the effectiveness of Walking Desecration’s type-dependent abilities.

In essence, cards like Walking Desecration add strategic depth and offer advantage through controlled aggression. By dictating the flow of combat, it becomes an influential card for players looking to command the pace of the game in their favor, uniquely distinguishing itself within the arsenal of creature controlling Magic: The Gathering cards.

Zombie Master - MTG Card versions
Goblin Diplomats - MTG Card versions
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - MTG Card versions
Zombie Master - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Goblin Diplomats - Magic 2014 Promos (PM14)
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to Walking Desecration by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
Plague Rats - MTG Card versions
El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
Frozen Shade - MTG Card versions
Scathe Zombies - MTG Card versions
Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
Lost Soul - MTG Card versions
Mindstab Thrull - MTG Card versions
Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions
Strongarm Thug - MTG Card versions
Razortooth Rats - MTG Card versions
Ghastly Remains - MTG Card versions
Lord of the Undead - MTG Card versions
Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Lasher - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Walking Desecration MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Walking Desecration and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Walking Desecration has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks