Consult the Necrosages MTG Card


Consult the Necrosages - Ravnica: City of Guilds
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set nameRavnica: City of Guilds
Set codeRAV
Number199
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPaolo Parente

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers the choice of hindering opponents or drawing cards, tailoring to different game situations.
  2. Instant speed allows for strategic play, maximizing its impact regardless of your turn.
  3. Crucial for blue-black decks, it can shift the balance of the game significantly.

Text of card

Choose one Target player draws two cards; or target player discards two cards.

Dimir rank and file never see nor hear their guildmaster. All orders are given through mysterious necrosages who appear from the shadows, tersely toss out a command, and then melt into the darkness.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: If you’re wielding Consult the Necrosages, you have the dual power of disrupting your opponent’s hand or refilling your own. Opting to make an opponent discard two cards can severely impede their strategy, while choosing to draw two cards yourself gives you a significant boost in options and resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Consult the Necrosages doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, it can be considered a form of resource acceleration in a control deck setting. By stripping away key pieces of an opponent’s hand, you are effectively accelerating your position in the game relative to theirs. It aligns your resources against a potentially weakened adversary.

Instant Speed: The flexibility offered by Consult the Necrosages being an instant cannot be underestimated. This allows savvy players to navigate complex board states, holding back mana and deciding the most opportune moment to cast it. Whether it’s drawing cards at the end of an opponent’s turn or disrupting their planned plays, the instant speed of this card provides strategic depth to your game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the modes of Consult the Necrosages forces your opponent to discard two cards. This can be less impactful in the late game when opponents may have fewer cards in hand, reducing the card’s potential effectiveness.

Specific Mana Cost: Consult the Necrosages requires both blue and black mana which can be constricting for deck building. Players not running a blue-black combination will find this card outside their mana base, limiting its inclusion to specific deck types only.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Consult the Necrosages demands a moderate investment for its effects. Considering other card options in the same mana range, players might find that there are alternatives to executing similar strategies at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Consult the Necrosages slots seamlessly into multiple deck archetypes. Whether you’re forcing your opponent to discard cards or you’re refueling your own hand, this card provides strategic flexibility that can adapt to various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card can set the stage for powerful plays, working well with graveyard-based strategies or as a setup for discard-triggered effects. It’s an essential piece for intricate combos that can devastate opponents or turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames evolve, disruptive elements become crucial. Consult the Necrosages gains relevance in environments where stripping resources from opponents or maintaining card advantage can make or break matches. Being able to choose how it impacts the game allows you to stay one step ahead, making it a timeless addition to any collection.


How to beat

Consult the Necrosages is a versatile card that presents a dual choice for players in Magic: The Gathering. It can either be a disruption for your opponent’s hand, or it can function as a draw spell for yourself. Understanding the context of the game is crucial when facing this card. If an opponent opts to make you discard cards, having mechanics like madness, which benefit from discarding, can turn the tables. Similarly, if they use it to draw, be ready with counterspells or hand disruption of your own to minimize the advantage they gain.

Additionally, cards with flashback or jump-start allow you to make the best of a bad situation by utilizing the graveyard. Ensuring your deck has resiliency built-in with such mechanics can blunt the impact of Consult the Necrosages. When anticipating this spell’s drawing option, making use of instant-speed removal and threats can force an opponent to choose between drawing cards and dealing with your board, often leading to suboptimal plays on their part. Adaptability and strategic resource management will be your best allies in overcoming the challenge posed by Consult the Necrosages.


Cards like Consult the Necrosages

Consult the Necrosages is an intriguing option within the suite of modal spells in Magic: The Gathering. It draws comparisons to cards like Night’s Whisper, which also offers two cards for a mere two mana. However, Consult the Necrosages boasts versatility, enabling either card draw or target player discards, depending on the situation at hand. Night’s Whisper lacks this flexibility, strictly focusing on card draw.

Moving to another related spell, Hymn to Tourach presents the discard aspect, but unlike Consult the Necrosages, it is not optional and affects the opponent with no card draw alternative. It’s cheaper in terms of mana cost but cannot adapt to the player’s needs as the game unfolds. In contrast, Wistful Thinking doubles the discard quantity at the expense of letting your opponent draw two cards first, a perilous trade that can backfire.

Considering the balance between advantage and choice, Consult the Necrosages maintains a strong position in Magic: The Gathering’s array of control cards. The dual functionality provides a tactical edge, whether it’s disrupting the opponent’s hand or refueling your own card resources.

Night's Whisper - MTG Card versions
Hymn to Tourach - MTG Card versions
Wistful Thinking - MTG Card versions
Night's Whisper - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Hymn to Tourach - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Wistful Thinking - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to Consult the Necrosages by color, type and mana cost

Probe - MTG Card versions
Last-Minute Chopping - MTG Card versions
Mind Funeral - MTG Card versions
Reap the Seagraf - MTG Card versions
Pilfered Plans - MTG Card versions
Unmoored Ego - MTG Card versions
Mnemonic Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Notion Rain - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Espionage - MTG Card versions
Ringsight - MTG Card versions
Probe - The List (PLST)
Last-Minute Chopping - Happy Holidays (HHO)
Mind Funeral - The List (PLST)
Reap the Seagraf - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Pilfered Plans - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Unmoored Ego - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Mnemonic Betrayal - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Notion Rain - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Phyrexian Espionage - Dominaria United (DMU)
Ringsight - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Consult the Necrosages MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Consult the Necrosages and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Consult the Necrosages has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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