Agony Warp MTG Card

Shards of Alara (ALA)
2008-10-03 - Number 153

Archenemy (ARC)
2010-06-18 - Number 76

Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
2015-05-22 - Number 170

Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
2017-03-17 - Number 150

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 1385

Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
2022-07-08 - Number 168

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number MM3-150

Card sets	Released in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant

Key Takeaways

Agony Warp allows control of the battlefield, providing card advantage and tactical benefits.
Instant speed casting offers reactive play, enhancing versatility during complex in-game scenarios.
Specific mana requirements limit use to blue and black mana-producing decks for strategic impact.

Text of card

Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. Target creature gets -0/-3 until end of turn.

Life's circle has become inverted in Grixis. The same energy is endlessly recycled and becomes more stagnant with each pass.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Agony Warp opens up the opportunity to manipulate the battlefield to your favor. By targeting an opponent’s creature, you can weaken its offensive capabilities or eliminate its threat as a blocker, indirectly leading to potential card advantage through superior board positions.

Resource Acceleration: Though Agony Warp doesn’t directly accelerate resources like a traditional ramp card would, it can contribute to resource acceleration by alleviating pressure. This is achieved by setting back an opponent’s creature and giving you more time to develop your board without the need to invest in additional defensive measures.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Agony Warp at instant speed is incredibly beneficial. It allows for trickery during combat, turning the tides by unexpectedly weakening an attacking or blocking creature. This versatility enables reactive play, making it easier to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of an MTG match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Agony Warp doesn’t have a discard requirement. Instead, it’s a simple yet versatile instant that targets two creatures, offering the player tactical flexibility during combat.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a specific mana combination to cast—one blue and one black mana—making it exclusively useful in decks that can produce both types of mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While costing only two mana, there are spells in MTG that can offer more impactful creature control or removal effects for the same or lower mana cost, depending on a player’s strategic needs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Agony Warp offers a multifaceted approach to gameplay, capable of both diminishing an opponent’s threat while safeguarding your own creatures during battle. Its dual utility makes it a suitable addition to a variety of decks, particularly those aiming for control or tempo strategies.

Combo Potential: As a card that tweaks combat outcomes, Agony Warp can synergize with mechanics like Prowess or enable surprise comebacks when combined with cards that have on-damage effects. Its instant speed also offers seamless integration into intricate plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where creature-based decks are prevalent, Agony Warp gains significant value. Its capability to disrupt combat math and alter board states can be crucial in gaining the upper hand against creature-centric opponents.

How to beat

Agony Warp is a notable instant in Magic: The Gathering with the dual utility of weakening one creature while simultaneously diminishing the attacking or blocking power of another. This versatility can turn the tides of combat in your opponent’s favor. To effectively combat this card, it’s crucial to either bait its use prematurely or to beef up your creatures beyond its mitigating reach. Counterspells like Negate or Dispel can also intercept Agony Warp on the stack, denying its effect entirely.

Cards like Blossoming Defense or Vines of Vastwood can be particularly effective, as they offer a sudden boost in power or toughness, protecting your key creatures from being undermined by Agony Warp’s debuff. In addition, strategic gameplay that avoids over-committing to the board can mitigate the impact of such control spells. By maintaining a diverse and resilient battlefield presence, or by having alternative strategies that rely less on creature combat, you can weaken Agony Warp’s overall influence on the game.

Understanding and anticipating this control card can be the difference between a win or loss. Always be mindful of open mana and potential plays that could signal an imminent Agony Warp from your opponent.

Cards like Agony Warp

Analyzing Agony Warp, it becomes apparent why this card is valued in the multicolored spell arsenal of Magic: The Gathering. Agony Warp hails from a unique lineage of spells, offering both creature debuff and defensive capabilities in a single cast. For comparison, one might scrutinize something like Dead Weight, which permanently diminishes a creature’s power; however, Agony Warp’s utility shines in being an instant, which provides dynamic in-game response and includes a toughness reduction to potentially foil attackers and blockers alike.

Closer in functionality to Agony Warp is Eyeblight’s Ending. Both spells enable you to deal with creatures, but whereas Eyeblight’s Ending offers outright removal, Agony Warp affords the flexibility of affecting two creatures at once, making it versatile in more complex combat situations. Languish is another pertinent spell to consider, delivering a sweeping effect on the board’s power and toughness, but its higher mana cost and sorcery speed distinguish Agony Warp as the precision tool for on-the-fly adaptability.

When placed side by side with its counterparts, Agony Warp positions itself as a strategic asset for players who value tactical control and tempo in their gameplay, providing a blend of offensive and defensive options that can swing the tides of a match skillfully.

Cards similar to Agony Warp by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Agony Warp MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Archenemy, 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 Agony Warp and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Agony Warp Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by Dave Allsop.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2008-10-03	Shards of Alara	ALA	153	2003	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
2	2010-06-18	Archenemy	ARC	76	2003	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
3	2015-05-22	Modern Masters 2015	MM2	170	2015	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
4	2017-03-17	Modern Masters 2017	MM3	150	2015	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
5	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	1385	2015	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
6	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	MM3-150	2015	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop
7	2022-07-08	Double Masters 2022	2X2	168	2015	Normal	Black	Dave Allsop

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Agony Warp has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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