Snag MTG Card


Snag - Prophecy
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Released2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set nameProphecy
Set codePCY
Number124
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRon Spencer

Key Takeaways

  1. Snag provides card advantage and disrupts opponents with its instant speed play and versatile disruption.
  2. Its mana requirements and higher costs may impede game tempo and deck flexibility.
  3. Despite trade-offs, Snag’s adaptability makes it a valuable inclusion in varied deck types.

Text of card

You may discard a forest from your hand instead of paying Snag's mana cost. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by unblocked creatures this turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Snag offers the strategic upper hand by allowing a player to potentially draw multiple cards through the demise of nonland permanents on the battlefield. This keeps your hand replenished and options broadened as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: The destruction of artifacts and enchantments, which Snag facilitates, can create a significant swing in the resource balance, potentially disrupting opponent strategies while positioning you for a stronger mid to late game through indirect acceleration.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Snag at instant speed offers incredible flexibility, enabling you to react to your opponent’s play or end their turn with a surprise. It integrates seamlessly into your play sequence, keeping your adversaries on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Snag demands that you let go of a card from your hand to cast it. This trade-off can backfire, especially during tight scenarios where each card in your hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the challenges with Snag is its requirement for blue mana. This can complicate things in a multicolored deck that may not reliably produce the necessary blue mana when you need it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana value, you might find the cost of Snag to be on the higher side when compared to other alternatives in your arsenal. This can affect your game tempo, as using Snag might prevent you from playing other potentially more impactful cards at crucial moments.


Reasons to Include Snag in Your Collection

Versatility: Snag is a flexible tool that can be incorporated into a diverse array of deck archetypes. It serves effectively in control decks aiming to manage the board, as well as in more aggressive strategies seeking to remove potential blockers or clear the way for devastating attacks.

Combo Potential: In decks that capitalize on casting and recurring spells, Snag amplifies these strategies. It can help recur your own creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or disrupt opponent’s plans, setting up for powerful plays and maintaining momentum.

Meta-Relevance: Snag proves its worth within the shifting landscape of the competitive environment. Should the meta favor creature-heavy decks or combos that rely on specific minions, having Snag in your collection offers a cost-effective response to swiftly adapt to these prevailing trends.


How to beat

Snag is a unique card in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering players the ability to disrupt an opponent’s creature-based strategies. With the capacity to target any creature card, Snag effectively removes key players from your opponent’s battle plans, delivering a tempo advantage. To beat this card, an intricate understanding of timing and strategic deployment of creatures is paramount. Imitating the ebb and flow of the tide, one must carefully choose when to play their creatures to avoid the disruptive force of Snag.

Adopting a diversified approach can mitigate the potential setbacks posed by Snag. Utilizing a variety of spell types, such as instants and sorceries that generate creatures or other forms of value without relying solely on creature spells, can decrease the impact of Snag on your game plan. Additionally, leveraging abilities that provide protection or countermagic when Snag targets a creature can turn the tables, neutralizing its effect. This tactic ensures that your critical creatures remain on the battlefield to press your advantage.

In the context of Magic: The Gathering, outmaneuvering Snag requires patience and cunning. By expanding your strategy beyond creature-heavy tactics and incorporating elements of control and resourcefulness, you stand a better chance of rendering Snag less effective and maintaining the upper hand in your matches.


Cards like Snag

Snag is a unique addition to the realm of disruptive spell cards within MTG. It is similar in effect to bounce spells like Unsummon, which also returns a creature back to its owner’s hand. However, what makes Snag distinctive is its potential to target and affect each creature that shares a name, multiplying its impact against decks that rely on creature duplicates.

Comparatively, Echoing Truth offers a closer resemblance in its ability to target a creature or token and any other permanents with the same name. This versatility gives Echoing Truth an edge in dealing with a wider range of threats. On the other side of spectrum stands Chain of Vapor, a low-cost bounce spell with the added flexibility offered by its sacrifice mechanic, empowering players to create a cascade of bouncing permanents, though at a personal cost.

When evaluating similar options, Snag holds its position as a strategic choice for players aiming to undermine decks capitalizing on repetitive creature dynamics. Its targeted yet extensive reach offers a tactical advantage within MTG’s intricate fabric of spell interactions.

Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Chain of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Echoing Truth - Darksteel (DST)
Chain of Vapor - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Snag by color, type and mana cost

Storm Seeker - MTG Card versions
Trailblazer - MTG Card versions
Venomous Breath - MTG Card versions
Fanatical Fever - MTG Card versions
Lure of Prey - MTG Card versions
Might of Oaks - MTG Card versions
Elephant Ambush - MTG Card versions
Sudden Strength - MTG Card versions
Kamahl's Will - MTG Card versions
Dragonscale Boon - MTG Card versions
Bloodscent - MTG Card versions
Mystic Melting - MTG Card versions
Stonewood Invocation - MTG Card versions
Heal the Scars - MTG Card versions
Gloomwidow's Feast - MTG Card versions
Slingbow Trap - MTG Card versions
Momentous Fall - MTG Card versions
Living Destiny - MTG Card versions
Slice in Twain - MTG Card versions
Carrion Call - MTG Card versions
Storm Seeker - Masters Edition (ME1)
Trailblazer - Ice Age (ICE)
Venomous Breath - Ice Age (ICE)
Fanatical Fever - Ice Age (ICE)
Lure of Prey - Mirage (MIR)
Might of Oaks - Magic 2010 (M10)
Elephant Ambush - Odyssey (ODY)
Sudden Strength - Judgment (JUD)
Kamahl's Will - Commander Legends (CMR)
Dragonscale Boon - The List (PLST)
Bloodscent - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Mystic Melting - Coldsnap (CSP)
Stonewood Invocation - Time Spiral (TSP)
Heal the Scars - Lorwyn (LRW)
Gloomwidow's Feast - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Slingbow Trap - Worldwake (WWK)
Momentous Fall - Jumpstart (JMP)
Living Destiny - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Slice in Twain - Commander 2019 (C19)
Carrion Call - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Snag MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Snag and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Snag has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-08-01 You may discard any card with the land type Forest, including Snow-covered Forest or non-Basic lands like Tropical Island, Murmuring Bosk, or Stomping Ground. You can even discard a card that is a land in addition to other types, such as Dryad Arbor.

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