Witch of the Moors MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Warlock
Abilities Deathtouch
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers card advantage through drawing and resurrecting creatures if you’ve gained life on your turn.
  2. Instant speed end-step ability allows decisive plays, keeping opponents guessing until the end phase.
  3. Mana cost specifics and life gain dependency can limit its use, especially in fast-paced or multicolor decks.

Text of card

Deathtouch At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, each opponent sacrifices a creature and you return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Many hands for many evils.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Witch of the Moors offers a steady flow of card advantage by giving you the ability to potentially draw additional cards each turn if you gained life that turn. This puts you at an upper hand by providing more options and responses to the changing battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: In addition to card advantage, the Witch also contributes to resource acceleration. If you have gained life, you’re allowed to return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand. This not only bulks up your hand but also recycles valuable resources and can lead to powerful combinations with other cards.

Instant Speed: While Witch of the Moors itself does not operate at instant speed, its triggered ability activates during your end step, which translates to a form of instant speed utility. This timing allows you to move through your main phases without commitment, keeping your options open and maintaining the surprise element of which creature will return to your hand until the very end of the turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Witch of the Moors demands that you gain life to trigger its ability, which means you must consistently have a life-gain strategy in play to leverage its full potential. This can be a setback if your deck is unable to meet this threshold or if life-gain sources are disrupted by your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation hinges on a tri-black mana cost, which can be restrictive. Players running multicolor decks might find it challenging to meet the color-specific mana requirements, potentially causing the Witch to be a dead card in times of mana scarcity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: A five mana cost for a creature with its abilities might be considered steep, especially when there are alternatives that could fit into the curve more efficiently. In fast-paced games, the mana investment could slow down your deck, allowing opponents to outpace and overwhelm you before you can set up a functional life-gain engine.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Witch of the Moors offers a unique blend of life gain and control elements. Its ability to function effectively in multiple deck archetypes makes it a resilient and adaptable choice for deck builders looking to exploit life differential bonuses.

Combo Potential: With its triggered ability, Witch of the Moors can synergize with cards that manipulate life totals, enabling powerful combinations that can control the board and pave the way to victory. This synergy elevates the strategic dimensions of gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to disrupt opponent strategies and maintain board presence, Witch of the Moors proves to be a pertinent choice in various meta environments, particularly where creature control and life manipulation play a prominent role.


How to Beat Witch of the Moors

The Witch of the Moors is a formidable card that presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This creature, owing to its deathtouch ability, can be a real thorn in an opponent’s side. Furthermore, its powerful life gain-triggered ability can disrupt the opponent’s board by returning a creature to their hand every turn. To efficiently counter this threat, players often employ strategies that neutralize abilities or remove creatures from the game.

One of the most effective ways to handle the Witch of the Moors is to prevent it from triggering its ability. This can be achieved by maintaining a higher life total than your opponent or using instant-speed removal when they gain life to interrupt the trigger. Cards like Scavenging Ooze can also be instrumental, as they not only disrupt graveyard strategies but also provide a way to gain life, reducing the utility of the Witch’s ability. In addition, employing exile effects can circumvent the deathtouch attribute, removing the Witch from play without having to engage it in combat.

Combatting the Witch of the Moors requires a blend of timing, resource management, and strategic removal, ensuring that its impact on the game is minimally disruptive while you advance your board position and work towards victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

As enthusiasts of Magic the Gathering, we treasure the opportunity to harness the mysterious power of cards like Witch of the Moors. With its ability to shape the battlefield through life gain and strategic creature recovery, it’s a compelling choice for those looking to enhance their play. If your deck thrives on manipulating life totals and commanding the pace of the match, this card might be the missing piece of your strategy. Dive deeper with us into MTG’s intricate world, and discover how to integrate this captivating card into your collection for a gameplay experience that’s as formidable as it is enjoyable.


Cards like Witch of the Moors

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Witch of the Moors is a unique creature that stands out among its Deathtouch counterparts. With a similar five mana value, another potent card that comes to mind is Gray Merchant of Asphodel. Both command the board with abilities that affect life totals, but Witch of the Moors requires you to gain life in order to trigger its ability to make an opponent sacrifice a creature. Gray Merchant of Asphodel instead keynotes on black mana symbols in your devotion to black, draining life from all opponents for potential high impact.

Talking of life and board control, Blood Artist offers a different approach. Although its effect is more subtle, occurring whenever a creature dies, the incremental life gain and loss can add up over time. This effect is automatic as opposed to the conditional requirement of Witch of the Moors, but the Witch impacts the board more directly by actively removing creatures.

While analyzing these cards, it’s evident that Witch of the Moors can dominate a game in any lifegain-focused deck due to its recurring and targeted creature removal capability. It competes with a mix of black’s best, each offering distinct advantages in controlling the battlefield.

Gray Merchant of Asphodel - MTG Card versions
Blood Artist - MTG Card versions
Gray Merchant of Asphodel - Theros (THS)
Blood Artist - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Witch of the Moors by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
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Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Reaper of Sheoldred - MTG Card versions
Dementia Bat - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Plaguelord - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - Tempest (TMP)
Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Fallen Angel - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Grotesque Hybrid - Torment (TOR)
Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sootfeather Flock - Legions (LGN)
Zombie Cutthroat - Scourge (SCG)
Vermiculos - Mirrodin (MRD)
Gluttonous Zombie - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Woebearer - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Halo Hunter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Malakir Bloodwitch - Zendikar (ZEN)
Caustic Crawler - Worldwake (WWK)
Shriekmaw - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Reaper of Sheoldred - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Dementia Bat - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Phyrexian Plaguelord - Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia (TD2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Witch of the Moors MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart and The List, 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 Witch of the Moors and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Witch of the Moors Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-07-17 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Caio Monteiro.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-07-17JumpstartJMP 182015normalblackCaio Monteiro
22020-09-26The ListPLST JMP-182015normalblackCaio Monteiro

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Witch of the Moors has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-06-23 As the triggered ability resolves, first the next opponent in turn order chooses a creature they control, then each other opponent in turn order does the same knowing the choices made before them. Then all the chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time.
2020-06-23 If you haven’t gained life by the time your end step begins, the triggered ability won’t trigger at all.
2020-06-23 The triggered ability looks at whether you’ve gained life in the turn, even if Witch of the Moors wasn’t on the battlefield when you gained life. It doesn’t care if you also lost life, even if you lost more life than you gained.
2020-06-23 The triggered ability triggers just once, no matter how much life you’ve gained.
2020-06-23 You don’t have to choose a target creature card at all. If you do and the target card is an illegal target by the time the ability tries to resolve, the ability won’t resolve. Your opponents won’t sacrifice creatures.

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