Dark Prophecy MTG Card


Dark Prophecy - Magic 2014
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released2013-07-19
Set symbol
Set nameMagic 2014
Set codeM14
Number93
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byScott Chou

Key Takeaways

  1. Dark Prophecy grants card draw at the cost of life, suiting creature-heavy black decks perfectly.
  2. The three black mana cost makes it niche but powerful in mono-black builds.
  3. Understands how to counter Dark Prophecy’s effect to avoid being overwhelmed.

Text of card

Whenever a creature you control dies, you draw a card and lose 1 life.

When the bog ran short on small animals, Ekri turned to the surrounding farmlands.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Delivers consistent card draw every time a creature you control dies, ensuring you replenish your hand and maintain pressure on your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Despite costing three mana, this card can quickly offset its own cost by fueling your strategy with additional draws, leading to more plays and potential board dominance.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Dark Prophecy enables drawing at any time creatures die, offering flexible responses to match the pace of instant-speed interactions and turn the tide during complex battle states.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dark Prophecy may pressure your hand by necessitating the sacrifice of creatures, which equates to a discard of resources, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage during critical turns if your board is empty.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a trio of black mana, making it a commitment to dedicated black decks and a challenging fit in multicolored mana bases or those that can’t consistently produce enough black mana in the early game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Dark Prophecy competes with other impactful three-mana enchantments and creatures. It may be viewed as less efficient, considering that its benefit hinges on other creatures dying, which is not always guaranteed.


Reasons to Include Dark Prophecy in Your Collection

Versatility: Dark Prophecy offers value in decks that thrive on creature death, such as token strategies or self-sacrifice mechanics. Its ability to turn every creature’s demise into a draw engine makes it an asset in various black-centric builds.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with low-cost creatures or endless token generators. Pairing Dark Prophecy with cards that synergize with death triggers can set up powerful plays, churning through your deck and orchestrating formidable combo finishes.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-heavy decks dominate, Dark Prophecy can be a precious tool. It helps you maintain card advantage even when trading creatures on the battlefield, keeping your hand filled with resources to outmaneuver opponents.


How to Beat

Dark Prophecy is a dynamic enchantment in MTG that offers players a sinister exchange – the potential to draw a card for each creature that dies at the cost of one life per creature. This card can turn the tide of a game by boosting card advantage, which makes it essential to understand how to counteract its effects. To overcome the challenges posed by Dark Prophecy, it is crucial to limit the number of creatures on the opposing side of the battlefield or employ removals that exile creatures, circumventing the death-triggered ability.

Artifact removals such as Naturalize or enchantment-specific spells like Erase can directly remove Dark Prophecy from the game. Alternatively, utilizing graveyard disruption abilities, such as those found on cards like Scavenging Ooze, can neuter the advantage provided by Dark Prophecy before it becomes overwhelming. Moreover, applying pressure to an opponent’s life total can render Dark Prophecy a liability rather than a resource. Understanding these strategies is vital to turn Dark Prophecy’s ominous promise into an advantage for your victory within the vast realm of MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the power and potential setbacks of Dark Prophecy is essential for any adept MTG player. This card is a double-edged sword that can elevate black-centric strategies and empower sacrifice-driven decks. If you’re keen on exploiting the death of your creatures and maneuvering through complex game states with a keen sense of card advantage, incorporating Dark Prophecy can be a game-changer. Its unique draw mechanic rewards strategic play and risk management. We invite you to deepen your knowledge and integrate Dark Prophecy into your arsenal efficiently. Learn more with us and thrive in the realm of MTG.


Cards like Dark Prophecy

Dark Prophecy stands as a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, providing a flavorful twist on card draw mechanics. Like Dark Prophecy, Grim Haruspex enables card draw when non-token creatures die, offering a creature-based alternative rather than an enchantment, which could be more susceptible to removal. However, Haruspex doesn’t affect the player’s life total, making it a safer bet for decks not prepared to handle the life loss.

Midnight Reaper is another card that resembles Dark Prophecy, allowing its controller to draw a card and lose life whenever a creature they control dies. In contrast to Dark Prophecy’s blanket effect for all your creatures, Midnight Reaper doesn’t trigger off tokens, but comes with the advantage of being a creature itself, adding board presence.

Overall, while there are other cards in Magic: The Gathering that offer similar death-triggered card advantages, Dark Prophecy’s ability to apply to every creature and leverage life as a resource positions it uniquely among the pantheon of black draw spells. Its potential for high reward in the right deck is matched by the high risk it presents, crafting a delicate balance for strategists to tip in their favor.

Grim Haruspex - MTG Card versions
Midnight Reaper - MTG Card versions
Grim Haruspex - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)
Midnight Reaper - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Dark Prophecy by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Oppression - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Gloom - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Season of the Witch - The Dark (DRK)
Tourach's Gate - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Withering Wisps - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Funeral March - Homelands (HML)
Casting of Bones - Alliances (ALL)
Blanket of Night - Visions (VIS)
Necropotence - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Hecatomb - Masters Edition (ME1)
Megrim - Stronghold (STH)
Recurring Nightmare - Exodus (EXO)
Contamination - Urza's Saga (USG)
Oppression - Urza's Saga (USG)
Maggot Therapy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Murderous Betrayal - Nemesis (NEM)
Noxious Field - Prophecy (PCY)
Tainted Well - Invasion (INV)
Phyrexian Arena - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Gravestorm - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Mortiphobia - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dark Prophecy MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2014, 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 Dark Prophecy and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dark Prophecy has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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