Crypt Cobra MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Snake
Released	1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set name	Mirage
Set code	MIR
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	114
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spencer

Key Takeaways

Crypt Cobra’s indirect card advantage can shift the resource balance in your favor by disrupting your opponent.
While not a resource accelerator, its mana disruption can significantly hinder an opponent’s game plan.
Instant-speed synergies enhance Crypt Cobra, allowing it to be a versatile threat during any game phase.

Text of card

If Crypt Cobra attacks and is not blocked, defending player gets a poison counter. If any player has ten or more poison counters, he or she loses the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Crypt Cobra offers a unique twist on card advantage. While it may not directly allow you to draw cards, its ability to deplete an opponent’s resources can indirectly contribute to a card advantage state by neutralizing your opponent’s threats or pressuring them to respond.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Crypt Cobra doesn’t directly ramp or accelerate resources in the traditional sense, its venomous bite can disrupt an opponent’s mana base, potentially setting them back and effectively accelerating your relative position in the game.

Instant Speed: Crypt Cobra by itself isn’t an instant, but it synergizes well with instant speed tricks and removal. This means you can keep up the pressure and maintain the element of surprise, dictating the pace of the game and leaving your mana available for responses during the crucial moments of a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Crypt Cobra demands an immediate discard from your hand to trigger its effects. This creates a potential setback, particularly when your hand size is already dwindling, and every card matters for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Crypt Cobra ties you down to black mana, making it somewhat inflexible. This specificity can restrict your deck-building choices and can be especially problematic in multicolor decks that might struggle to consistently produce the necessary black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating Crypt Cobra against other options, its mana cost is on the higher side for its body and abilities. For decks operating on a tight mana curve, dedicating a significant amount of mana to a card like this might not yield a satisfactory payoff, particularly if there are alternatives that provide similar or better effects for less investment.

Reasons to Include Crypt Cobra in Your Collection

Versatility: Crypt Cobra’s poison ability can be a game-changer in multiple deck archetypes, especially those that revolve around -1/-1 counters or infect mechanics, making it a disruptive force against creature-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This snake’s synergy with cards that proliferate or manipulate counters can enhance its impact, turning it into a cornerstone for intricate combo setups in your deck.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where life gain is prevalent or opponents rely on creature-based defenses, Crypt Cobra acts as a formidable countermeasure. Its ability to deliver poison counters circumvents traditional life gain, ensuring its relevance in current game dynamics.

How to beat

Crypt Cobra stands out in MTG as a creature that can be a thorn in your side due to its poison-inducing abilities. When faced with this reptilian menace, it’s crucial to consider a strategy that minimizes the potential damage it can deal. Cards with flying can soar over the cobra, avoiding its on-the-ground threat. Removal spells are also an excellent method to dispatch Crypt Cobra before its poison counters can accumulate.

Equally effective are strategies that focus on robust creature control. Enchantments that pacify or prevent Crypt Cobra from attacking or blocking can neutralize its poisonous bite effectively. Another tactic is to utilize spells or abilities that exile creatures, ensuring that the cobra doesn’t return to the field with any sort of graveyard recursion that could prolong the struggle. Additionally, cards that offer protection from creatures or specifically from black-aligned threats can guard against Crypt Cobra’s intimidating presence.

Keeping in mind these tactics, MTG players can prepare for and neutralize the threat of Crypt Cobra, ensuring their life total remains intact and the board state under control. Always remember to adapt your removal and control spells in your sideboard to improve your odds when facing such venomous opponents.

Cards like Crypt Cobra

Crypt Cobra marks its territory in the realm of poisonous creatures within Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship lies with creatures like Sabertooth Cobra, which also delivers a potent poisoning ability upon dealing damage to a player. While Sabertooth Cobra forces target players to miss their next draw step, Crypt Cobra instead gives a sliver of an advantage by placing a -1/-1 counter on any creature that it damages, subtly diminishing your opponent’s field presence over time.

Marsh Viper further deepens the venomous connection with its ability to inject two poison counters directly to the player, a trait not shared by Crypt Cobra. However, Marsh Viper requires a four-mana investment compared to Crypt Cobra’s three, and it lacks the -1/-1 counter spreading capability that can affect multiple creatures. Copperhead Scout is another serpent that slithers along similar lines, it doesn’t offer poison counters, yet it serves as a low-cost way to impede opponents by requiring creatures it blocks or becomes blocked by to be tapped during the next untap step.

Stepping back, Crypt Cobra undeniably finds its place among MTG’s venom-wielding creatures, standing out with its unique blend of offensive and defensive utility, giving it a nuanced edge in creature-based strategies.

Cards similar to Crypt Cobra by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crypt Cobra MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Crypt Cobra and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crypt Cobra has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	The player gets a poison counter as a triggered ability on not blocking the Cobra. Killing the Cobra after declaring blockers or preventing its damage will not prevent the poison counter.
2013-04-15	An ability that triggers when something “attacks and isn’t blocked” triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step.