Venomous Dragonfly MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Insect
Abilities	Flying
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	282
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tom Wänerstrand

Key Takeaways

Venomous Dragonfly offers card advantage through combat damage, enhancing resource management.
Flash capability allows for surprise plays, disrupting opponent strategies effectively.
Demands thoughtful play due to its specific mana cost and discard condition.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Venomous Dragonfly blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, destroy that creature at end of combat.

A pretty little death is still death.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Venomous Dragonfly’s triggered ability provides an edge by potentially drawing a card when it deals combat damage to a player. This can often mean staying ahead in resources, keeping your hand filled with options to outmaneuver opponents.

Resource Acceleration: While Venomous Dragonfly itself may not provide direct mana acceleration, its synergy with cards that benefit from dealing combat damage or controlling flying creatures can indirectly speed up your resource availability, making it a valuable addition to decks utilizing such strategies.

Instant Speed: Venomous Dragonfly’s capability to be flashed in with the right support gives players flexibility. This allows for dynamic play, enabling you to surprise opponents by bringing it into play during their turn or after they’ve declared attackers, potentially thwarting their plans and maintaining momentum on your side of the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Venomous Dragonfly card imposes a discard condition on its player, demanding the sacrifice of another card. This can significantly weaken a player’s hand, especially if they are dealing with an already diminished array of options.

Specific Mana Cost: Decks that thrive on flexibility may find the specific mana cost of the Venomous Dragonfly restrictive. It requires a particular combination of mana types to cast, potentially causing delays or even preventing its use in multi-colored or less specialized decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering resource allocation, the Venomous Dragonfly’s mana requirements might be seen as steep relative to its impact on the game. Players often must weigh its cost against that of other creatures or spells that could offer greater tactical advantage or versatility for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Venomous Dragonfly is a flexible addition to any player’s arsenal, adapting to various strategies. Its flying ability enables it to evade many common ground blockers, making it a solid choice in aerial-centric or evasion-based decks.

Combo Potential: With Venomous Dragonfly’s potent poison counters ability, it effortlessly synergizes with decks that focus on -1/-1 counters and proliferate mechanics. Integrating it into such combinations can swiftly escalate the threats on the board, overwhelming opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of creatures in the competitive scene, Venomous Dragonfly’s skill in dealing with them through its poisonous touch makes it a tactical contender. This relevance secures its place in collections aiming to stay current with the evolving gameplay dynamics.

How to beat

Confronting the Venomous Dragonfly in MTG requires strategic depth and understanding of its unique capabilities. As a flying creature, it presents a challenge to direct ground defense, inviting players to consider aerial or reach-enabled defenders capable of engaging fliers. Utilizing low-cost creature removal spells, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, can efficiently dispatch this menace before its toxic impact becomes overwhelming.

Furthermore, countering the Venomous Dragonfly before it takes flight is also an effective strategy. Employing counter spells like Mana Leak can prevent the creature from entering the battlefield altogether. It is essential to manage your mana wisely and keep counter measures ready in your hand, especially during the mid-game where the Venomous Dragonfly is likely to be played. Players are encouraged to build their deck with such encounters in mind, ensuring flexibility and adaptability during gameplay to maintain control over creatures like the Venomous Dragonfly.

Lastly, it is of high importance to remember the creature’s abilities and anticipate the moment to act. Patience and timing, along with the right removal and counter cards, are key to ensuring that this flying threat is properly addressed and does not disrupt the flow of the game against you.

Cards like Venomous Dragonfly

The Venomous Dragonfly offers MTG enthusiasts a unique blend of aerial assault and tactical gameplay. This creature card bears comparison with the likes of Skittering Heartstopper for its ability to deter attackers through its deathtouch ability. Nonetheless, the Dragonfly stands out with its flying attribute, allowing it to evade ground-based defenders with ease and strike directly at an opponent’s life total.

Exploring the broader canvas, we encounter cards like Vampire Nighthawk. The Nighthawk shares the flying and deathtouch combo, yet it goes a step further with lifelink, granting players added survival through life gain. However, this added benefit comes at an increased mana cost compared to the streamlined Venomous Dragonfly. There’s also Typhoid Rats, a simple yet effective ground creature with deathtouch. While it’s a low-cost creature, the absence of flying limits its offensive capabilities, making the Dragonfly a more favorable choice for aerial strategies.

Evaluating these creatures illustrates the competitive edge provided by Venomous Dragonfly. Its flight capability coupled with deathtouch offers an excellent tactical asset for players seeking to control the skies and apply constant pressure on opponents in the world of MTG.

Skittering Heartstopper - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Venomous Dragonfly by color, type and mana cost

Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Viridian Lorebearers - MTG Card versions

Monkey Monkey Monkey - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Venomous Dragonfly MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Venomous Dragonfly and other MTG cards: