Steal Strength MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set name	Prophecy
Set code	PCY
Number	79
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	D. Alexander Gregory

Key Takeaways

Steal Strength excels in shifting power balance, turning potential threats into advantages for savvy players.
Instant speed casting provides surprise tactics, disrupting opponent moves and enabling clever plays.
Strategically, Steal Strength can dictate the pace of gameplay, making it a versatile pick for diverse decks.

Text of card

Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Another target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

With each grunt of pain from Haddad, Greel's grin widened.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Steal Strength provides a strategic edge by potentially removing an opponent’s creature from the battlefield, serving as a pivotal swing in resource balance to your favor.

Resource Acceleration: This card can shift the tide of the game by not only dealing with an imminent threat but also freeing up your mana for further plays, keeping you ahead in the race for board dominance.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Steal Strength at instant speed allows for dynamic play, enabling you to disrupt your opponent’s strategies during their turn and preserve the element of surprise in your tactics.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Leveraging the power of Steal Strength comes with a trade-off. Players must discard a card to utilize its effect. This can prove to be a setback, especially when your hand is already short on cards or when you’re required to let go of a crucial strategy piece.

Specific Mana Cost: Being tied to a particular mana composition, Steal Strength necessitates both black and red mana. This requirement may restrict the card’s inclusion to only certain types of decks and strategies that can reliably produce both colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a combined mana value that edges on the higher side, Steal Strength might take up the slot of more mana-efficient spells in a deck. Players often weigh the cost against other available options that could deliver a stronger impact earlier in the game or for less mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Steal Strength offers strategic flexibility in multiple deck builds, enabling players to disrupt opponents’ field advantage while bolstering their own forces.

Combo Potential: Not only does this card shift the balance of power, but it can also magnify the impact of creatures on your side or work in tandem with effects that capitalize on power changes.

Meta-Relevance: In a battlefield dominated by creature-centric decks, Steal Strength can be a game-changer, weakening key threats and improving your board state in one fell swoop.

How to beat

Steal Strength emerges as a potential game-changer for Magic the Gathering players who thrive on controlling the battlefield. This dynamic spell allows players to divert their opponent’s power, tipping the scales in critical moments. Unlike straightforward removal spells that permanently clear threats from the board, Steal Strength temporarily shifts the power balance, creating opportunities for strategic attacks or to defend effectively.

To counteract the disruptive impact of Steal Strength, players need to embrace flexibility in their approach. Keeping instant-speed removal or bounce spells at the ready can mitigate the temporary setback, allowing for a swift recovery. Additionally, holding back creatures with hexproof or utilizing cards that grant indestructibility can render the effects of Steal Strength moot. It’s a delicate dance, maintaining the right mix of reactive and proactive plays to ensure that Steal Strength doesn’t drastically alter the state of the game in your opponent’s favor.

In the end, overcoming a spell like Steal Strength boils down to preparedness and adaptability. By equipping your deck with the right countermeasures and maintaining a stance that anticipates such power shifts, you’ll be well-positioned to nullify its effects and maintain dominance over the battlefield.

Cards like Steal Strength

Steal Strength finds its niche in the environment of creature enhancement spells in Magic: The Gathering. It resonates with spells like Giant Growth, which traditionally give a creature a temporary boost in power and toughness. Steal Strength adds a twist by transferring power from an opponent’s creature to your own. Differing from Giant Growth, which solely bolsters your creature without affecting your opponent’s, this tactical ploy can swing the momentum of a game.

Delving into the same strategic domain, we encounter cards such as Fumble. This card presents a varied approach by not only detracting from an opponent’s creature but also returning an aura or Equipment attached to it to its owner’s hand. Though Fumble doesn’t enhance your creatures, the disruptive potential can be a game-changer. Then there’s Turn Against, offering a different but relevant comparison. This instant has a higher mana cost but grants full control of an opponent’s creature for a turn, which could decisively alter the battlefield in your favor.

Assessing the strategic value and impact on gameplay, Steal Strength holds a distinct position among creature manipulation spells, offering players a clever combination of offense and defense that can lead to surprising plays and turn the tides of a match.

Giant Growth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Turn Against - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Cards similar to Steal Strength by color, type and mana cost

Word of Command - Collectors' Edition (CED)

Simulacrum - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Diabolic Edict - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Rapid Decay - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)

Go for the Throat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Hero's Demise - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Sickening Shoal - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Goryo's Vengeance - Ultimate Box Topper (PUMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Steal Strength 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 Steal Strength and other MTG cards: