Knollspine Invocation MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	99
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dave Dorman

Key Takeaways

Discards transform into damage, providing a dynamic way to utilize excess cards and maintain resource flow.
Instant speed activation allows for flexible responses and strategic advantages during gameplay.
Potential con is the restrictive red mana cost and the need to discard valuable cards to activate.

Text of card

, Discard a card with converted mana cost X: Knollspine Invocation deals X damage to target creature or player.

Witches tempted by the power of flame gathered to study in the ruins of Spinerock Knoll.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Knollspine Invocation offers a dynamic way for players to turn dead or unnecessary cards into potential damage. This ability to discard and essentially transform cards into a burn effect helps to sustain a flow of resources, maintaining a pressure on opponents and keeping hand quality high.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or acceleration, the Knollspine Invocation affords a unique kind of resource utility. By enabling the conversion of excess land draws or uncastable spells in hand into direct damage, it accelerates your game plan while bypassing any need for additional mana investment beyond its initial casting cost.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Knollspine Invocation at instant speed provides players with flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions. Whether it’s during the heat of combat or in the last moments of a turn, this speed ensures that your resources can be utilized at the most strategically advantageous moment, catching opponents off guard or making the best use of each card in hand.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Knollspine Invocation demands that you throw away a valuable card to activate its effect. This can be a steep price to pay, especially in tight situations where each card in hand is crucial for maintaining an advantage over your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation cost is locked into red mana. This can be restrictive as it requires a commitment to red mana sources, potentially making the card less versatile in multi-color decks that might not always have red mana readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that totals up to seven mana to deal significant damage or remove a large threat, Knollspine Invocation can be seen as inefficient. There are alternative cards in MTG that can provide more immediate impact or more efficient removal options without the need for a high mana investment and the additional cost of discarding a card.

Reasons to Include Knollspine Invocation in Your Collection

Versatility: Knollspine Invocation offers a unique edge, giving players the ability to turn dead cards in hand into direct damage. This can be incredibly useful in decks that find themselves with excess land or unusable spells during the later stages of the game.

Combo Potential: For enthusiasts who love intricate playstyles, this card combines well with strategies that stockpile cards in hand, essentially converting any card into a potential threat to opponents. It’s a valuable piece in puzzle-like decks aiming for sudden wins.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where board states can often become stalled or players engage in battles of attrition, Knollspine Invocation deems worthy for its ability to break deadlocks and offers an alternate route to victory regardless of what lies on the battlefield.

How to beat

Knollspine Invocation is an intriguing card in the arena of red magic in MTG, distinguished by its ability to turn any card in your hand into potential damage. Its usefulness comes from its capacity to discard cards to deal damage equal to the discarded card’s mana cost. The trick to countering this potent enchantment lies in limiting your opponent’s hand size or applying pressure to deplete their resources.

To effectively neutralize Knollspine Invocation, consider using hand disruption spells like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek to dismantle your opponent’s hand early on, rendering the Invocation less impactful. Another strategy involves applying continuous pressure with creatures and spells, forcing them to use cards defensively instead of offensively with Invocation. If your deck can maintain card advantage and board presence, you constrain your opponent’s options, giving them fewer opportunities to capitalize on the Invocation’s ability.

Bearing in mind that disrupting strategies and maintaining the upper hand in resources are paramount, you can devise a plan that ensures Knollspine Invocation becomes a non-threat in your quest for victory on the MTG battlefield.

Cards like Knollspine Invocation

Knollspine Invocation stands out in the realm of red mana sink abilities within Magic: The Gathering. Much like its kin, Pyromancer’s Goggles, which can copy red spells for a combustive edge, Knollspine Invocation offers its own brand of fiery potential. Both can be an outlet for unused mana, yet Knollspine Invocation allows players to pitch unwanted cards to incinerate opponents or creatures with unbridled precision. It acts without the copy mechanism of the Goggles but provides consistent damage output.

Another comparable card is Firebolt, a spell that shares the direct damage ethos but differentiates itself with flashback, affording a second chance to affect the game state. While Firebolt is limited to its own inherent damage value, Knollspine Invocation’s damage output flexibly scales with the discarded card’s mana cost.

In the larger context, Knollspine Invocation delivers a unique approach to damage conversion, transforming card disadvantage into powerful and scalable board impact, something neither Pyromancer’s Goggles nor Firebolt can claim. It’s this distinctive exchange of resources for damage that allows Knollspine Invocation to hold a special place amongst red direct damage options in the game.

Pyromancer's Goggles - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Knollspine Invocation by color, type and mana cost

Curse of Hospitality - MTG Card versions

Anax, Hardened in the Forge - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Knollspine Invocation MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Knollspine Invocation and other MTG cards: