Crippling Blight MTG Card

Magic 2013 (M13)
2012-07-13 - Number 85

Magic 2015 (M15)
2014-07-18 - Number 92

Crippling Blight - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 605

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number M15-92

Card sets	Released in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Key Takeaways

Maintains card advantage by diminishing opponents’ creatures without depleting your own resources.
Requires strategic planning due to sorcery speed; a persistent obstacle on the battlefield.
Ideal for specific decks with access to black mana, potentially limiting versatility.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets -1/-1 and can't block.

"Still alive? No matter. I'll leave you as a warning to others who would oppose me." —Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Crippling Blight diminishes an opponent’s creature’s ability to block, which can swing the board in your favor without actually reducing your hand, maintaining overall card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly impacting mana, the low cost of Crippling Blight allows for efficient resource allocation, giving players the chance to deploy other strategies simultaneously without a significant resource setback.

Instant Speed: Crippling Blight operates at sorcery speed, encouraging strategic planning. However, its effect is lasting, providing an uninterrupted nuisance to your opponent’s defense, akin to the persistent pressure delivered by instant-speed interactions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This card does not impose a discard cost, thus maintaining your hand resources intact. This contributes to the applicability in scenarios where conserving cards is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Crippling Blight requires black mana to cast, which means it slots into decks that run swamps or have access to black mana sources. This specificity could limit deck-building flexibility since it can’t be just inserted into any deck archetype.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Crippling Blight has a low mana value, it is essential to consider if its impact on the board justifies even this minimal investment. Sometimes you might need to evaluate other spells or creatures vying for a spot in your mana curve. In fast-paced games, each mana allocation should contribute significantly to your strategy to ensure you aren’t falling behind.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Crippling Blight is a low-cost enchantment that serves as efficient removal for utility creatures. Its ability to reduce power makes it fit well in decks that aim to stifle the opponent’s early game presence.

Combo Potential: This card can work in tandem with strategies that capitalize on weakening creatures for benefits, such as reducing enemy defenses to allow for easier creature attacks or enabling morbid abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where small, high-impact creatures dominate the battlefield, Crippling Blight can effectively nullify these threats and shift the tempo in your favor.

How to beat

Crippling Blight is a card that can lock down a player’s creature, restricting its ability to block and weakening it on the battlefield. This black enchantment, while seemingly minor, can alter the flow of a game by neutralizing key creatures an opponent has. To counteract the effects of Crippling Blight, there are a few strategies you can employ.

The first method is utilizing enchantment removal spells, which can directly answer the issue by sending Crippling Blight into the graveyard. Naturalize is a simple solution, while Disenchant spans across both white and green card pools, offering flexibility. Another approach is utilizing hexproof to safeguard your creatures before the blight has a chance to take hold. Cards like Ranger’s Guile or Blossoming Defense can provide that crucial protection at the right moment. Finally, having a robust collection of creatures ensures that losing one to Crippling Blight won’t significantly hinder your game plan. It’s about resource management and adapting strategies to overcome these minor setbacks.

In the grand scheme of MTG tactics, Crippling Blight poses a threat that can be overcome with the right card choices and a proactive defense. It serves as a reminder that every card, no matter how powerful it may seem, has a counterbalance.

Cards like Crippling Blight

Crippling Blight is a noteworthy enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, offering a straightforward yet effective method to weaken an opponent’s creature. It shares its black mana and negative effect characteristics with Dead Weight, another single black mana enchantment that gives a creature -2/-2. While both cards serve to debilitate opponent creatures, Crippling Blight’s ability to prevent the enchanted creature from blocking can shift the tide of combat in your favor.

Another comparable card is Stab Wound, which imposes a heavier penalty of -2/-2 on the targeted creature and causes its controller to lose life each turn. The trade-off lies in the higher mana cost, illustrating the balance between impact and resource management within the game. Crippling Blight, on the other hand, is less resource-intensive and can disrupt an opponent’s battlefield strategy sooner.

To wrap things up, all these cards offer strategic control and potential board advantages. While each has its uniqueness, Crippling Blight sets itself apart with its focus on ensuring certain creatures remain out of the combat equation, making it a reliable tool in the arsenal of players aiming to command the battlefield with tactical precision.

Cards similar to Crippling Blight by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crippling Blight MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2013 and Magic 2015, 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 Crippling Blight and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Crippling Blight Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-07-13 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Lucas Graciano.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2012-07-13	Magic 2013	M13	85	2003	Normal	Black	Lucas Graciano
2	2014-07-18	Magic 2015	M15	92	2015	Normal	Black	Lucas Graciano
3	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	605	2015	Normal	Black	Lucas Graciano
4	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	M15-92	2015	Normal	Black	Lucas Graciano