Shizo, Death's Storehouse MTG Card
2004-10-01 - Number 283
2020-03-08 - Number 120
2022-09-09 - Number 233
2020-09-26 - Number CHK-283
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Land |
Key Takeaways
- Shizo transforms any creature into a significant threat by granting it fear, thereby enhancing your tactical play.
- Instant speed activation of Shizo’s ability provides considerable flexibility and surprise during combat.
- Demands careful deck building with a focus on black mana to effectively utilize Shizo’s potential.
Text of card
: Add to your mana pool. , : Target legendary creature gains fear until end of turn.
Centuries ago, Shizo was a verdant field of wildflowers. After 891 samurai died in a single battle on its grasses, it became a haunted moor.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Shizo, Death’s Storehouse doesn’t allow direct drawing of cards, it provides a strategic advantage by turning any creature into a threat that must be blocked. This can potentially lead to advantageous trades or card advantage as opponents may lose creatures or use removal spells on the enhanced attacker.
Resource Acceleration: Shizo doesn’t produce mana acceleration like some lands, but it does accelerate your board state’s potency, which can be just as critical. The ability to give a creature fear at instant speed means immediate impact on the board, often catching opponents off guard and enhancing your tactical leverage.
Instant Speed: One of the key strengths of Shizo, Death’s Storehouse is its instant-speed activation. This allows for significant tactical flexibility during combat. You can wait to see how your opponent blocks before deciding to give a creature fear, potentially enabling it to slip through enemy lines unblocked and deliver crucial damage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside to Shizo, Death’s Storehouse is that it does not directly cause you to discard cards, but having a land that doesn’t provide colored mana can indirectly lead to card disadvantage. If you’re unable to cast spells because you need specific colors of mana, you might end up discarding due to hand size limits.
Specific Mana Cost: Shizo, Death’s Storehouse requires black mana to activate its ability. This need can restrict its integration into multicolored decks that may not have a consistent source of black mana, potentially making it a dead card in hand under certain circumstances.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While not exorbitant, the activation cost of Shizo can be steep in the early game. It might compete for precious black mana that could be spent on casting creatures or removal spells, which could impact your strategy and pacing within the game.
Reasons to Include Shizo, Death’s Storehouse in Your Collection
Versatility: Shizo, Death’s Storehouse provides incredible flexibility in black-focused decks. It acts as both a mana source and an enabler for key creatures to become unblockable. This card fits seamlessly into various strategies, from aggressive decks that focus on evading blockers to more control-oriented builds that need to connect with crucial combat damage.
Combo Potential: In combination-heavy decks, Shizo, Death’s Storehouse serves a vital role. It can be the linchpin in setting up game-ending turns by ensuring that combo pieces like commander damage dealers or creatures with potent on-hit effects can attack without obstruction.
Meta-Relevance: With many decks building fortresses of blockers or utilizing creatures to enable their strategies, Shizo, Death’s Storehouse gains traction in the meta by sidestepping potential stalemates. Its ability to turn a single creature into an unavoidable threat makes it relevant in numerous match-ups, posing a constant challenge for opponents to handle.
How to beat
Shizo, Death’s Storehouse stands out in the MTG landscape due to its unique ability to empower creatures with fear, making them virtually unblockable except by artifact creatures and/or those that share a color. Overcoming this strategic stronghold requires a multifaceted approach. Neutralizing Shizo’s impact is often about managing your resources and board state effectively.
One effective strategy to counter Shizo’s ability is by using land destruction cards or abilities against it, ensuring the opponent cannot benefit from its feature. Alternatively, employing artifact creatures in your deck can also provide a solid defensive line since they can block creatures even if Shizo has granted them fear. Colorless creatures, often found in Eldrazi-themed decks, are also unaffected by fear and can serve both as a line of defense and an avenue for aggression.
Having a versatile removal suite also helps. Instant-speed removal allows you to react to the activation of Shizo’s ability before the combat phase, thus mitigating its potential impact during the turn it’s used. By prioritizing these strategies and maintaining board control, you can navigate past the challenges posed by Shizo, Death’s Storehouse and maintain the upper hand in your MTG matches.
Cards like Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Shizo, Death’s Storehouse stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique land card that offers a tactical advantage. It resonates with cards like Rogue’s Passage, which provides a similar utility by making a creature unblockable. Shizo adds depth by specifically targeting legendary creatures, offering a more focused approach. Unlike Rogue’s Passage, Shizo requires no mana investment, granting unblockability at the cost of tapping and the presence of a legendary creature.
Comparably, Eiganjo Castle is another land that shines in its support for legendary creatures, providing damage prevention rather than evasion. While not directly enhancing combat in the same way, Eiganjo Castle is another example of a land card that synergizes well with a deck built around legendary creatures. Shizo, Death’s Storehouse enables offensive strategies by directly impacting the combat phase, whereas Eiganjo Castle provides more of a defensive role.
In analyzing Shizo alongside its counterparts, its specialized functionality becomes evident. It represents an essential tool in decks that rely on legendary creatures to press an attack, offering evasion as a means to secure victory.
Cards similar to Shizo, Death's Storehouse by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shizo, Death's Storehouse MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa and Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils, 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 Shizo, Death's Storehouse and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Shizo, Death's Storehouse Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2004-10-01 and 2022-09-09. Illustrated by John Matson.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004-10-01 | Champions of Kamigawa | CHK | 283 | 2003 | Normal | Black | John Matson | |
| 2 | 2020-03-08 | Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils | FMB1 | 120 | 2003 | Normal | Black | John Matson | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | CHK-283 | 2003 | Normal | Black | John Matson | ||
| 4 | 2022-09-09 | Dominaria United Commander | DMC | 233 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Matson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Shizo, Death's Storehouse has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
