Corrupt MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage from corrupt cards can effectively tip the scales in your favor during matches.
  2. Resource acceleration and instant speed spells arm you with tactical flexibility.
  3. Mana costs and discard requirements of corrupt cards need careful deck integration.

Text of card

Corrupt deals 1 damage to target creature or player for each swamp you control. When Corrupt successfully deals damage to a creature or player, gain life equal to that damage.

Yawgmoth brushed Urza's mind, and Urza's world convulsed.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When it comes to maintaining a solid hand and outpacing your opponents, achieving card advantage is crucial. Corrupt cards often enable players to gain an edge by drawing additional cards or forcing opponents to discard, ensuring the scales are tipped in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: The power of resource acceleration cannot be overstated in the fast-paced world of MTG. Corrupt cards may provide the means to accelerate your mana resources, allowing for a swifter deployment of your game-winning strategies and an overwhelming board presence.

Instant Speed: Instant speed spells offer a tactical advantage by providing the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves. Corrupt cards at instant speed can disrupt and dictate the pace of the game, making them a formidable addition to any deck.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mandates a discard from your hand that not only diminishes your available options but could also disrupt your strategic plans. In high-pressure game states, the necessity to discard can put you at a notable disadvantage, especially when the cards in your hand are integral to your victory conditions.

Specific Mana Cost: Specifies an exact color combination for casting, potentially restricting its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce the required types of mana. Players using a more diverse color palette or who are struggling with mana availability may encounter difficulties integrating and effectively utilizing such a card.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Represents a significant investment of mana resources, which may not be justifiable when measured against alternative cards with similar effects but lower costs. This may render the card impractical in fast-paced or highly competitive formats where mana efficiency is paramount for maintaining tempo and control over the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Corrupt is a spell that works well across various deck archetypes, providing both a source of significant life gain and damage to opponents in a single package. It fits particularly well in decks that capitalize on having numerous swamps, maximizing its impact.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Corrupt can be the linchpin of devastating combos. It pairs exceptionally well with cards that double spell effects or increase the number of swamps you control, leading to lethal damage or overwhelming life advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where longer games prevail and land-based strategies are common, Corrupt can turn the tide of battle. As it scales with your land base, its relevance grows throughout the game, making it a formidable play against opponents in grindy matchups.


How to beat

Confronting a card like Corrupt can be challenging for any MTG player. The key to overcoming such a potent card is to mitigate the life gain and damage it can deal. Incorporating life total management can be critical. Strategies might include reducing your own life total to lessen Corrupt’s impact, using cards that limit life gain, or maintaining a low swamp count to diminish the damage potential. Cards such as Leyline of Sanctity offer invaluable protection by making you hexproof, thus severing the target line Corrupt relies on.

An agile and anticipatory stance in your game can also be decisive. Employing counterspells such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent Corrupt from resolving, thereby eliminating the threat entirely. Another angle is to exploit graveyard manipulation, utilizing spells like Rest in Peace to exile graveyards, which can be surprisingly effective against strategies that bank on the power of individual cards. It’s all about maintaining a balance between proactiveness and reactivity to maintain control over the duel when facing down cards with the raw power of Corrupt.

Lastly, as with any formidable card, it’s always wise to stay updated on the current meta and sideboard accordingly. Adaptability is your best ally in ensuring triumph over the multiple strategies that leverage the strengths of cards like Corrupt in MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

Gaining the upper hand in MTG not only hinges on the cards in play but also on deep knowledge and strategic finesse. With Corrupt cards enhancing your deck, you’re tapping into raw power that leverages card advantage, swift mana acceleration, and the element of surprise at instant speed. Still, every advantage comes with its considerations, from the risks of discarding to the demands of specific mana costs. Enhancing your collection with a card like Corrupt presents both extraordinary potential and critical decisions. Stay informed, adapt, and outmaneuver your opponents. Embark on a quest for deeper wisdom with us and master the art of the game.


Cards like Corrupt

Corrupt stands out as an impactful card within the assortment of black spells that revolve around life manipulation and direct damage to opponents in Magic: The Gathering. It is evocative of spells such as Tendrils of Corruption, which similarly centers on Swamp synergy by granting life equal to the damage dealt. However, Corrupt has the potential to hit any target, not just creatures, and scales off the total number of Swamps you control, which can be game-ending in the right deck.

Examining a spell like Drain Life reveals another parallel. Drain Life also permits a player to exchange mana for direct life drain from an opponent. Nonetheless, Drain Life’s effect is capped by the amount of black mana spent, making Corrupt a more versatile option for mono-black decks capable of ramping up their Swamp count. Moreover, compared to Consume Spirit, Corrupt doesn’t have the flexibility of spending mana of any color, but it makes up for this with its lack of an additional mana cost per damage dealt, highlighting its efficiency in a dedicated black mana base.

In essence, while assessing similar alternatives, Corrupt distinguishes itself with its potential for significant swings in life totals and is an eminent choice for players leveraging a swamp-heavy deck strategy in Magic: The Gathering.

Tendrils of Corruption - MTG Card versions
Drain Life - MTG Card versions
Consume Spirit - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Corruption - Time Spiral (TSP)
Drain Life - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Consume Spirit - Mirrodin (MRD)

Cards similar to Corrupt by color, type and mana cost

Kiss of Death - MTG Card versions
Dark Offering - MTG Card versions
Rain of Daggers - MTG Card versions
Poison Arrow - MTG Card versions
Morbid Hunger - MTG Card versions
Haunting Voyage - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Blood on the Snow - MTG Card versions
Choice of Damnations - MTG Card versions
Beseech the Queen - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Incursion - MTG Card versions
Stolen Grain - MTG Card versions
Blood Tribute - MTG Card versions
Essence Feed - MTG Card versions
Life's Finale - MTG Card versions
Hex - MTG Card versions
Grave Exchange - MTG Card versions
Twilight's Call - MTG Card versions
Assassin's Strike - MTG Card versions
Undercity Plague - MTG Card versions
Kiss of Death - Portal Second Age (P02)
Dark Offering - Starter 1999 (S99)
Rain of Daggers - The List (PLST)
Poison Arrow - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Morbid Hunger - Odyssey (ODY)
Haunting Voyage - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Zombie Apocalypse - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Blood on the Snow - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Choice of Damnations - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Beseech the Queen - The List (PLST)
Nightmare Incursion - Eventide (EVE)
Stolen Grain - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Blood Tribute - Commander 2017 (C17)
Essence Feed - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Life's Finale - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Hex - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Grave Exchange - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Twilight's Call - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
Assassin's Strike - Jumpstart (JMP)
Undercity Plague - Gatecrash (GTC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Corrupt MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Seventh Edition, 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 Corrupt and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Corrupt Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 1241997normalblackVincent Evans
22001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 124★1997normalblackScott M. Fischer
32001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 1241997normalwhiteScott M. Fischer
42002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351202003normalblackPhilip Straub
52008-01-01Magic Player Rewards 2008P08 72003normalblackPhilip Straub
62008-05-02ShadowmoorSHM 622003normalblackDave Allsop
72009-04-10Duel Decks: Divine vs. DemonicDDC 552003normalblackDave Allsop
82010-07-16Magic 2011M11 892003normalblackDave Allsop
92012-01-01IDW Comics InsertsPIDW 122003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
102013-07-19Magic 2014M14 912003normalblackDave Allsop
112014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. DemonicDVD 552015normalblackDave Allsop
122014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. LilianaGVL 572015normalblackDave Allsop
132022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 882015normalblackJulie Dillon
142022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 3822015normalblackJulie Dillon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Corrupt has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The swamps are counted on resolution.
2010-08-15 The amount of damage dealt to a creature is not bounded by its toughness, and the amount of damage dealt to a player is not bounded by that player's life total. For example, if Corrupt deals 6 damage to a 2/2 creature, you'll gain 6 life.
2010-08-15 The life you gain is equal to the damage dealt by Corrupt, not necessarily to the number of Swamps you control (if some or all of the damage is prevented, for example).
2013-07-01 Corrupt counts any land you control with the subtype Swamp, not just ones named Swamp.

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