Hunt Down MTG Card


Hunt Down - Lorwyn
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2007-10-12
Set symbol
Set nameLorwyn
Set codeLRW
Number218
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byChristopher Moeller

Key Takeaways

  1. Advantageous instant speed allows reactive gameplay during opponents’ turns, increasing its strategic value.
  2. Discard requirement and specific mana cost can limit flexibility and affect hand economy negatively.
  3. Despite constraints, its versatility and meta-relevance make Hunt Down a worthy addition.

Text of card

Target creature blocks target creature this turn if able.

"Springjacks and faeries can be difficult to hunt, but my favorite prey are the flamekin. They never fail to put up a worthy fight when cornered."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you cast Hunt Down, the ability to potentially remove a creature from the board while not losing a card yourself can put you ahead. It’s an efficient way to balance the scales and keep your hand full.

Resource Acceleration: With Hunt Down in your arsenal, disrupting your opponent’s board state can happen swiftly. This disruption can slow down their resource development, giving you the upper hand in ramping up your own resources and leading the pace of the match.

Instant Speed: The power of casting spells like Hunt Down at instant speed cannot be overstated. This feature gives you the flexibility to react to threats in real time, potentially saving your best creatures or turning a losing battle into a strategic advantage during your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing the Hunt Down MTG card comes with a discard condition that can be a severe downfall, particularly when you’re in a pinch for cards in hand. This requirement could force you to let go of a valuable asset that might be pivotal for your strategy later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Being locked into a specific mana requirement restricts deck-building versatility. Hunt Down requires a particular arrangement of mana, which can be challenging to manage in a multicolored deck where resources are already spread thin among various color needs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the cost-effectiveness of gameplay moves, Hunt Down’s mana cost is on the higher side compared to other options. The mana investment may not align with the card’s impact on the game, making it an expensive choice that could slow down your tempo and leave you trailing behind more mana-efficient opponents.


Reasons to Include Hunt Down in Your Collection

Versatility: Hunt Down is an adaptable card that can seamlessly integrate into multiple deck archetypes, thanks to its ability to disrupt opponents’ plays and tactics effectively.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with decks that capitalize on targeting and removal effects, paving the way for potent combos and facilitating game-changing turns.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-shifting landscape of competitive play, Hunt Down remains a crucial asset in countering prevalent creature-based strategies that dominate the scene, maintaining its status as a collection must-have.


How to beat

Grasping the edge against the Hunt Down card in your MTG matchups can be the turn of tides you need. This versatile removal spell can disrupt your gameplay, taking out key creatures that hinge on your strategy. The trick lies in having a deck that adapts quickly and minimizes the impact of Hunt Down.

An approach involves deploying creatures with hexproof or shroud, making them immune to being targeted by spells like Hunt Down. Also, consider including cards that can regenerate or have indestructible attributes to withstand its lethal shot. Creature cards with an “enter the battlefield” effect can be valuable too, as they offer benefits regardless of their potential removal from the board. Using spells that grant creatures protection from a color until end of turn can outmaneuver Hunt Down’s target selection as well.

Overall, selecting creatures and spells that are resilient and offer immediate value, or that can shield your key pieces, ensures that even if your opponent is trying to Hunt Down your leading actors, your performance on the magic stage remains unshaken, and you maintain the upper hand.


Cards like Hunt Down

Hunt Down is a unique spell in the world of MTG that adds strategic depth to the game. It shares some similarities with Prey Upon, both enabling a creature you control to fight an opponent’s creature. However, Hunt Down allows you to choose an attacking or blocking creature as the target, offering more tactical choices during combat phases. Prey Upon lacks this flexibility, limiting its usage to some extent. Additionally, Hunt Down is notable for being an instant, giving it an edge by allowing reactive play during your opponent’s turn.

Comparatively, Epic Confrontation is another card that could come to mind. Like Hunt Down, it involves two creatures in a battle, but with the added bonus of temporarily buffing your creature’s power and toughness. Though, the benefit of choosing an attacker or blocker to target with Hunt Down typically outweighs this as it can be a surprise element on the battlefield. Lastly, Savage Stomp deserves a mention, as it’s similar but cost-reduced for Dinosaurs, a specificity that might make it favorable in certain decks over Hunt Down.

In reviewing these spells, Hunt Down stands out amongst its peers with its combat versatility and timing unpredictability, making it a potentially fierce tool for MTG players who value power and control during the struggle for board dominance.

Prey Upon - MTG Card versions
Epic Confrontation - MTG Card versions
Savage Stomp - MTG Card versions
Prey Upon - Innistrad (ISD)
Epic Confrontation - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Savage Stomp - Ixalan (XLN)

Cards similar to Hunt Down by color, type and mana cost

Hurricane - MTG Card versions
Stream of Life - MTG Card versions
Metamorphosis - MTG Card versions
Winter Blast - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Tutor - MTG Card versions
Fruition - MTG Card versions
Salvage - MTG Card versions
Rofellos's Gift - MTG Card versions
Thrive - MTG Card versions
Lay of the Land - MTG Card versions
Chatter of the Squirrel - MTG Card versions
Dwell on the Past - MTG Card versions
Insist - MTG Card versions
Primal Might - MTG Card versions
Scale Up - MTG Card versions
Ancient Stirrings - MTG Card versions
Glimpse of Nature - MTG Card versions
Gelatinous Genesis - MTG Card versions
Green Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Corrosive Gale - MTG Card versions
Hurricane - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Stream of Life - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Metamorphosis - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Winter Blast - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Sylvan Tutor - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Fruition - Portal (POR)
Salvage - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Rofellos's Gift - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Thrive - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Lay of the Land - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Chatter of the Squirrel - The List (PLST)
Dwell on the Past - Torment (TOR)
Insist - Torment (TOR)
Primal Might - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Scale Up - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Ancient Stirrings - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Glimpse of Nature - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Gelatinous Genesis - Double Masters (2XM)
Green Sun's Zenith - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Corrosive Gale - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hunt Down MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn, 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 Hunt Down and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hunt Down has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-10-01 If the first creature targeted by Hunt Down can’t block the second targeted creature (for example, because the second creature has flying and the first doesn’t, or because both creatures are controlled by the same player), the ability does nothing and the first creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all.

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