Tempting Witch MTG Card
2019-10-04 - Number 108
2020-07-17 - Number 283
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Warlock |
| Abilities | Food |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Tempting Witch enables card advantage and subtle resource acceleration via Food token strategies.
- Utilize her instant speed ability for life swings to gain tactical edges in matches.
- Despite mana constraints and discard requirements, she’s a versatile asset in targeted life loss tactics.
Text of card
When Tempting Witch enters the battlefield, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with ", , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.") , , Sacrifice a Food: Target player loses 3 life.
"Murder clad in crimson beauty, An end to life and love and duty." —Barrow witch incantation
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tempting Witch can offer significant value in prolonged games. When deployed thoughtfully, she equips you with a mechanism for recurring card advantage, especially when combined with cards that facilitate drawing upon entering the battlefield or sacrificing creatures.
Resource Acceleration: Although Tempting Witch herself does not directly produce resources, her ability to leverage Food tokens can indirectly contribute to resource acceleration. Partnering her with cards that manifest Food tokens can pave the way for optimized mana usage and improved board state management.
Instant Speed: While the Tempting Witch isn’t cast at instant speed, her activated ability to utilize Food tokens for life loss does trigger at instant speed. This permits strategic plays during an opponent’s turn, allowing for unforeseen swings in life totals that can be tactically advantageous in tight situations.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside of the Tempting Witch is that you must discard another card to take advantage of its full potential, challenging your strategy when resources are scarce.
Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes black mana, this card is often restricted to certain deck types, potentially limiting its versatility across various MTG formats.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment to cast Tempting Witch is significant when you compare it to other utility creatures in the game, potentially making it a less attractive option in fast-paced matches.
Reasons to Include Tempting Witch in Your Collection
Versatility: Tempting Witch offers a flexible role in a variety of decks, easily slotting into strategies revolving around life manipulation or creature-based interactions. With her ability to provide direct life loss to an opponent, she synergizes well with decks that aim to whittle down life totals outside of combat.
Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in combos, particularly those involving Food tokens. Her ability to turn Food tokens into a tool for life loss enables interesting interactions with other cards that care about artifacts or tokens, amplifying the impact of such synergies.
Meta-Relevance: The Witch shines in environments where gaining incremental advantages is crucial. In a metagame loaded with aggro strategies, for example, the life gain from the Food tokens can be a game changer, while the life loss ability pressures control decks that stabilize at low life totals.
How to beat
The Tempting Witch from Magic: The Gathering brings a unique mix to the gameplay with its food token mechanic. While deceptively simple, the Tempting Witch can tip the scales with health swings in your opponent’s favor. Engaging with this card strategically is key. Players aiming to nullify the Tempting Witch’s impact should prioritize removing it quickly from the battlefield. This minimizes the opportunity for your opponent to gain life or deplete yours through the food tokens.
Removing artifacts, especially food tokens, can also disrupt the Witch’s strategy, preventing the lifegain and direct damage effects. Consider including low-cost removal spells or versatile destruction spells that target both creatures and artifacts. Efficient and swift resolution will maintain pressure on your opponent and keep the Witch’s temptation at bay. In this context, keeping a well-balanced deck with suitable answers to creatures and their associated tricks is essential to mastering the game’s pace and staying one step ahead of such enchanting threats.
The Tempting Witch holds potential for interesting dynamic shifts in gameplay, yet with a keen eye on its weaknesses and effective counter strategies, you can mitigate its advantages and maintain control over the game’s flow.
Cards like Tempting Witch
The Tempting Witch has carved its niche within the world of black creature spells in MTG. It shares a thematic and functional semblance with cards like Bogbrew Witch, which also interacts with food tokens. However, the Tempting Witch offers direct life loss to opponents as an added advantage when you sacrifice a food token, which Bogbrew Witch does not.
Another comparable card is the Bake into a Pie. While not a creature, this instant spell also creates a food token upon use, echoing the food-related synergy of Tempting Witch. But it swaps out the creature body for instantaneous creature removal, differing in utility and immediate board impact. Gluttonous Troll makes an interesting comparison too; this creature also revolves around food tokens, but it emphasizes creature growth and flexibility over the direct player impact of Tempting Witch.
Assessing these cards side by side, Tempting Witch holds its ground as a unique inclusion in decks that exploit food tokens, striking a balance between creature presence and life manipulation which can be key in turning the tides of a game.
Cards similar to Tempting Witch by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tempting Witch MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine and Jumpstart, 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 Tempting Witch and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Tempting Witch Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-10-04 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Mila Pesic.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-10-04 | Throne of Eldraine | ELD | 108 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mila Pesic | |
| 2 | 2020-07-17 | Jumpstart | JMP | 283 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mila Pesic |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tempting Witch has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Tempting Witch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-10-04 | Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures (such as Gingerbrute), it's never a creature type. |
| 2019-10-04 | If an effect refers to a Food, it means any Food artifact, not just a Food artifact token. For example, you can sacrifice Gingerbrute to activate the last ability of Tempting Witch. |
| 2019-10-04 | Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards. |
| 2019-10-04 | You can't sacrifice a Food token to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate the ability of Tempting Witch. |
