Massacre Wurm MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Phyrexian Wurm
Power 6
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Massacre Wurm disrupts the board, creating a ripple effect of card and life loss for opponents.
  2. Its mana-intense cost confines it to certain deck types, but its board presence is impactful.
  3. Although mighty, there are strategies to counteract and overcome the Massacre Wurm’s dominance.

Text of card

When Massacre Wurm enters the battlefield, creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn. Whenever a creature an opponent controls is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, that player loses 2 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Massacre Wurm possesses a potent ability that can lead to significant card advantage. When it enters the battlefield, its effect potentially clears multiple creatures off the opponent’s board. Each creature dying this way causes its controller to lose life, compounding the advantage you gain as you diminish your opponent’s resources while maintaining board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly contributing to mana acceleration, the Massacre Wurm can be indirectly responsible for resource acceleration. By eliminating opponent threats, it conserves your mana and resources, which can be used for further plays. This creates a tempo swing in your favor, effectively speeding up your game plan compared to your opponent.

Instant Speed: While the Massacre Wurm is not an instant itself, its intimidating board impact might force opponents to play as if it is one. Its mere presence in a deck can pressure opponents into committing less to the board, allowing you to efficiently manage your resources. Furthermore, in response to its deployment, instant-speed removal will need to be used, proving its influence on the game’s pace and potential threat level is always imminent.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Despite not directly asking to discard, having Massacre Wurm in your starting hand without a reliable way to play it can inadvertently force you to discard other important cards to find the necessary mana resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Massacre Wurm commands a specific mana alignment, costing three black mana which may narrow its inclusion to mono-black or heavily black-inclined multicolor decks, limiting its flexibility in deck construction.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of six, including the three black mana mentioned, this card comes into play significantly later than many of MTG’s other creatures. At this high mana point, opponents may have already established a formidable board presence or have counters ready, potentially reducing the Wurm’s impact upon arrival.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Massacre Wurm’s ability to impact the board upon entering makes it a dynamic addition to any black deck strategy, particularly in formats that favor creature-heavy play.

Combo Potential: When paired with ways to repeatedly bounce or reanimate it, Massacre Wurm becomes the heart of potent combos that can drain opponents’ life totals rapidly.

Meta-Relevance: With an array of creature-based decks in many MTG formats, the Wurm’s creature-punishing abilities offer a strong counterplay, keeping it a relevant choice in various competitive environments.


How to beat

Massacre Wurm is a menacing presence in any MTG match, renowned for its capacity to sweep away swarms of smaller creatures and penalize opponents for each one that dies under its watch. Navigating past this black powerhouse requires clever play and effective counters. One approach is employing instant-speed removal, capable of dispatching the Wurm before its ability can affect the board. Cards like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy offer clean solutions, bypassing the Wurm’s intimidating might.

An alternative strategy involves leaning on counter magic. A well-timed Counterspell or Negate can stop Massacre Wurm in its tracks, ensuring it never poses a threat on the battlefield. It’s important to reserve such resources, anticipating the Wurm’s potential arrival. Additionally, utilizing exile effects over simple destruction can be key, as cards such as Oblivion Ring or Leyline of the Void prevent the Wurm from returning from the graveyard, an all too common scenario in black-centered decks.

Lastly, reevaluating one’s board state is crucial when facing a card with Massacre Wurm’s impact. Refraining from overextending by playing numerous low-toughness creatures can mitigate the damage done by its entrance, allowing for a stronger recovery post-wipe. Balancing board presence and resource management could be the difference needed to topple the threat of Massacre Wurm.


BurnMana Recommendations

While Massacre Wurm can shape the battlefield to your advantage, understanding its strengths and weaknesses is key in MTG strategy. Its ability to clear multiple creatures and deplete an opponent’s life makes it a significant card for players looking to dominate. With our insights on similar cards and tactics to both include the Wurm in your deck and counteract it, you’re equipped to make informed decisions. Ready to harness the power of Massacre Wurm and refine your deck building skills? Dive deeper into strategies, combos, and counters with us and optimize your play to command the game.


Cards like Massacre Wurm

Massacre Wurm is a powerful creature in Magic: The Gathering that strikes fear into the hearts of opponents by not only presenting a body with impactful stats but also by wreaking havoc on their board presence. Its nearest relatives include the likes of Pestilence Demon and Sheoldred, Whispering One. Pestilence Demon shares Massacre Wurm’s ability to inflict damage across the board; however, it requires mana investment to activate its power. On the other hand, Sheoldred offers continuous creature recursion and forces opponents to sacrifice creatures every upkeep, echoing the Wurm’s theme of generating a creature deficit.

Another similar card worth mentioning is Erebos’s Intervention, which isn’t a creature but can disrupt the field by dealing with creatures and graveyards, aligning with Massacre Wurm’s theme of control and board impact. It doesn’t, however, affect the opponent’s life total directly as Massacre Wurm does with its creature-killing triggered ability. One more contender is Harvester of Souls, providing draw power on creature’s death but without the immediate board impact of the Wurm’s entrance ability.

Overall, while each of these cards showcases its strength in controlling the board state, Massacre Wurm’s unique combination of immediate area effect damage and an attack on the opponent’s life total puts it in a commanding position within the spectrum of black creature spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Pestilence Demon - MTG Card versions
Sheoldred, Whispering One - MTG Card versions
Erebos's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Harvester of Souls - MTG Card versions
Pestilence Demon - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Sheoldred, Whispering One - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Erebos's Intervention - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Harvester of Souls - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Massacre Wurm by color, type and mana cost

Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions
Bog Hoodlums - MTG Card versions
Helldozer - MTG Card versions
Geth, Lord of the Vault - MTG Card versions
Toxic Nim - MTG Card versions
Dark Hatchling - MTG Card versions
Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Ihsan's Shade - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Necrosavant - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Face of Fear - Odyssey (ODY)
Wire Surgeons - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Grave Titan - Fallout (PIP)
Chittering Harvester - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Crossway Troublemakers - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Anurid Murkdiver - Onslaught (ONS)
Gempalm Polluter - Legions (LGN)
Nefashu - Scourge (SCG)
Twisted Abomination - Scourge (SCG)
Iname, Death Aspect - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ascendant Evincar - Tenth Edition (10E)
Bog Hoodlums - Lorwyn (LRW)
Helldozer - Planechase (HOP)
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Toxic Nim - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Dark Hatchling - Commander 2011 (CMD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Massacre Wurm MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Mirrodin Besieged, 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 Massacre Wurm and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Massacre Wurm Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2011-02-04 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 819142015normalblackKekai Kotaki
22011-02-04Mirrodin BesiegedMBS 462003normalblackJason Chan
32020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 3162015normalborderlessKekai Kotaki
42020-07-03Core Set 2021M21 1142015normalblackJason Chan
52022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 4412015normalblackJason Chan
62023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 2562015normalblackJason Chan
72024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 1302015normalblackJason Chan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Massacre Wurm has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-06-23 If a creature an opponent controls dies at the same time as Massacre Wurm, Massacre Wurm's last ability triggers for that creature.
2020-06-23 If your life total is brought to 0 or less at the same time that a creature an opponent controls is dealt lethal damage, you lose the game before Massacre Wurm's last ability goes on the stack.
2020-06-23 Massacre Wurm's first ability affects only creatures your opponents control at the time it resolves. Creatures they begin to control later in the turn won't get -2/-2.
2020-06-23 Massacre Wurm's triggered ability triggers if a creature an opponent controls dies for any reason, including from its first ability reducing its toughness to 0, as long as Massacre Wurm remains on the battlefield.

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