Eye Gouge MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Number	67
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tyler Jacobson

Key Takeaways

Efficient creature control with low mana cost and instant-speed capabilities.
Limited by specific mana requirements and potential card discard.
Strategic, adaptable inclusion for certain deck types and metagame conditions.

Text of card

Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. If it's a Cyclops, destroy it.

One chance. One throw. One perfect hit.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Eye Gouge delivers a precise solution to one of the most common challenges on the battlefield: creature control. By removing creatures with only one toughness, this card can tilt the balance of the game in your favor and potentially lead to card advantage by dealing with key threats efficiently.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly contributing to resource acceleration, Eye Gouge’s low cost allows players to manage their resources effectively. Its mere one-mana investment ensures that you can develop your board and still have a response to early threats.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Eye Gouge at instant speed is a significant advantage. This flexibility lets you react immediately to summoning of small creatures, surprise attackers, or during the end phase of your opponent’s turn, thereby optimizing your strategy without sacrificing crucial momentum.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Eye Gouge card necessitates that a player potentially discards a card, which might not be favorable when your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: Eye Gouge requires a particular mana investment to cast, which can be a constraint in decks not aligned with its color identity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering its mana cost relative to the effect it delivers, players might find alternate cards that provide a more cost-effective way to deal with threats on the board.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Eye Gouge has the simplicity and flexibility to adapt to various situations. Its ability to specifically target Cyclops creatures may seem narrow, but its real value lies in the instant-speed interaction against any creature, making it a handy tool in dire situations.

Combo Potential: Even if Eye Gouge primarily serves as a removal spell, it can unexpectedly become a combo piece in a deck designed to exploit creature-type-specific mechanics or alongside cards that grant or change creature types.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where certain deck themes recur, Eye Gouge can gain unexpected prominence. Its low cost and instant speed can disrupt opponents’ plays efficiently, providing you an edge when timing is crucial in a match.

How to beat Eye Gouge

Eye Gouge stands out in MTG as an efficient tool to target creature weaknesses. Its true potential is realized against creatures with one toughness, essentially serving as a removal spell for a mere one black mana. Positioned against such creatures, Eye Gouge can swing the tempo of the game in your favor, ridding the board of pests with precision.

Defeating an opponent’s Eye Gouge lies in versatility, such as utilizing larger creatures that rise above its one-damage limitation. Incorporating creatures with toughness greater than one or those with hexproof can make Eye Gouge an ineffective card in your opponent’s arsenal. Deck resilience can be fortified further by employing cards that grant indestructibility or regeneration abilities, anticipating and countering the single point of damage that Eye Gouge delivers. A strategic deck tailored with these considerations in mind reduces the vulnerability to such targeted removal spells and keeps your crucial creatures in play.

As a versatile combat tactic against cyclops creatures in particular, Eye Gouge takes a backseat when faced with broad-scale strategies that prioritize robust defenses. By building around its constraints, players can mitigate the effects of Eye Gouge and maintain board presence against removal-heavy opponents.

Cards like Eye Gouge

Eye Gouge is a niche utility spell in Magic: The Gathering, specifically tailored to handle creatures with the daunting ‘Eye’ creature type. Eye Gouge provides an interesting comparison to cards like Dead Weight or Tar Snare. These cards offer the player options for creature removal, albeit with different benefits and restrictions.

Dead Weight, for instance, gives a permanent negative effect to a creature’s power and toughness, which may not always result in outright destruction but can severely hobble an opponent’s creature. On the other hand, Tar Snare affords a greater reduction in stats but like Eye Gouge, it’s a one-time effect. The unique proposition Eye Gouge offers is its potential for an automatic kill against a very specific creature type, which can be a game-changer under the right circumstances.

In comparing these removal spells, we weigh up situational efficiency against versatility. While Dead Weight and Tar Snare can target any creature, the specificity of Eye Gouge’s removal might just be the perfect fit for a player anticipating ‘Eye’ creatures on the battlefield. Moreover, the low mana cost of Eye Gouge makes it an easily accessible tool in a player’s arsenal, despite its narrow scope.

Cards similar to Eye Gouge by color, type and mana cost

March of Wretched Sorrow - MTG Card versions

Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions

Aesthetic Consultation - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eye Gouge MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Eye Gouge and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eye Gouge has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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