Glistening Oil MTG Card


Glistening Oil - New Phyrexia
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released2011-05-13
Set symbol
Set nameNew Phyrexia
Set codeNPH
Number62
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred bySteven Belledin

Key Takeaways

  1. Glistening Oil can turn creatures into threats and deplete opponents’ boards with -1/-1 counters.
  2. Demands precise mana, potentially limiting its deck integration and strategic use.
  3. Offers versatility and combo potential across various MTG deck archetypes and strategies.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature has infect. At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature. When Glistening Oil is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return Glistening Oil to its owner's hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Glistening Oil grants you the ability to transform any creature into a significant threat while also potentially removing adversaries’ creatures, over time, through its -1/-1 counters. This effect can tilt the balance of a game in your favor by methodically dismantling your opponent’s board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While Glistening Oil itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can indirectly influence the pace of the game. By upgrading your creatures or degrading your opponent’s, you expedite the process towards your victory, creating a form of strategic acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although Glistening Oil is not an instant-speed spell, it creates a persistent effect that can influence the state of the game at any moment. It’s like having a ticking time bomb on the board, constantly threatening to change the dynamics of creature control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One aspect where Glistening Oil could be disadvantageous involves a demand on your hand. Since you have to discard a card to capitalize on its full potential, you might find yourself in a bind if your hand is already running on empty.

Specific Mana Cost: The need for a precise blend of mana to cast Glistening Oil can be restrictive. With its black mana cost, this card is likely to be excluded from decks that can’t consistently produce the necessary resources, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that falls on the higher end of the spectrum for its effects, Glistening Oil may not always be the most resource-efficient choice. Savvy players might steer towards alternative options that offer similar functionalities at a lower mana investment, thereby optimizing the overall performance of their deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Glistening Oil offers flexibility across various deck archetypes. It fits comfortably in decks that revolve around -1/-1 counters, proliferate mechanics, or even Voltron strategies as it can turn any creature into a significant threat over time.

Combo Potential: This card opens up numerous combo opportunities, synergizing seamlessly with cards that capitalize on counters or require creatures to die. It sets up recurring engine-like scenarios when combined with undying or persist creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where indestructible or regenerative creatures dominate, Glistening Oil becomes a potent inclusion. It steadily neutralizes such threats while avoiding typical destruction or exile removals, fitting into the evolving competitive landscape.


How to beat

Glistening Oil represents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering, carrying the power to gradually transform any creature into a formidable Phyrexian creature. The key to circumventing this spell lies in its gradual nature. Like many Aura enchantments, Glistening Oil can be addressed by removing the creature it’s attached to before the transformation is complete. Using spot removal spells that can target creatures, such as Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy, can effectively neutralize the threat before the infectious oil takes full effect.

Another angle of counterplay involves enchantment removal. Cards like Disenchant and Naturalize allow players to target and destroy the Glistening Oil directly, thus preserving their creatures and stemming the tide of Phyrexian corruption. Timing is crucial; prompt action can save your board from becoming overwhelmed by the relentless spread of the oil. Additionally, employing hexproof or shroud granting abilities to creatures can prevent Glistening Oil from finding its target, highlighting the importance of preemptive defensive strategies.

Adept players must keep these strategies at the forefront when facing the subtle yet pervasive danger that is Glistening Oil. Swift elimination or protection, while maintaining a strong line of defense and offense, can assure victory against the creeping threat bestowed by this card.


BurnMana Recommendations

For MTG enthusiasts looking to harness the subtle power of Glistening Oil, we’ve encapsulated its potential and pitfalls. Its ability to turn any creature into an ever-growing menace while slowly eroding opponents’ defenses makes it a formidable card. Consider its pros and cons, and integrate it into your strategy where it fits—be it in combo plays or counter-heavy decks. Remember to stay vigilant for removal options that can thwart its impact. Curious about optimizing Glistening Oil’s use or seeking other cards with a similar infectious nature? Delve deeper with us and discover ways to refine your deck-building skills and gameplay strategies.


Cards like Glistening Oil

Glistening Oil adds a unique mechanic to the field of buff and debuff cards in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to cards like Phyresis, which also grants creatures infect, thereby dealing damage in the form of -1/-1 counters and poison counters to players. However, Glistening Oil differs in its recursive nature, returning to its owner’s hand when the enchanted creature dies. Phyresis does not share this self-recurring ability and remains in the graveyard post-use.

Looking at Corrupted Conscience, there’s common ground through the infect grant, yet it takes a broader step by gaining control of the creature it enchants, a pivotal swing in gameplay. Although Corrupted Conscience may not recur itself like Glistening Oil, its immediate impact can be more transformative in a game. Then there’s Tainted Strike, offering a temporary but instant speed infect boost, which can be used for surprise tactics unlike the permanent, slower deployment of Glistening Oil.

Assessing the impact across these enchantments, one notices that Glistening Oil provides a lasting effect with a strategic angle for long-term play, positioning itself as a card with a unique edge in the realm of infect-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering.

Phyresis - MTG Card versions
Corrupted Conscience - MTG Card versions
Tainted Strike - MTG Card versions
Phyresis - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Corrupted Conscience - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Tainted Strike - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Cards similar to Glistening Oil by color, type and mana cost

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Dark Privilege - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth's Edict - MTG Card versions
Dying Wail - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Mourning - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Fear - Tenth Edition (10E)
Warp Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Deathgrip - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Animate Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blight - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Seizures - Ice Age (ICE)
Leshrac's Sigil - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Lim-Dûl's Hex - Ice Age (ICE)
Dance of the Dead - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Dark Privilege - Multiverse Gift Box (MGB)
Enfeeblement - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Oath of Ghouls - Exodus (EXO)
Despondency - Urza's Saga (USG)
Yawgmoth's Edict - Urza's Saga (USG)
Dying Wail - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Insubordination - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mourning - Invasion (INV)
Chains of Mephistopheles - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Glistening Oil MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia, 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 Glistening Oil and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Glistening Oil has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-06-01 Multiple instances of infect are redundant.
2011-06-01 The last ability will trigger no matter how Glistening Oil is put into the graveyard from the battlefield, not just when the enchanted creature is put into the graveyard.
2011-06-01 You choose a target creature for Glistening Oil as you cast it, just as you would with any Aura. If that creature is an illegal target when Glistening Oil tries to resolve, Glistening Oil won’t resolve and will be put into its owner’s graveyard. It won’t enter the battlefield and its last ability won’t trigger.

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