Cover of Darkness MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants targeted creature types evasive abilities that frustrate opponent’s defensive strategies.
  2. Boosts assault efficiency with potential for shortened games through unblockable attacks.
  3. Requires careful play as removal magnet, making deck resilience a must-consider factor.

Text of card

As Cover of Darkness comes into play, choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type have fear. (They can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cover of Darkness gives creatures of a chosen type the ability to slip past defenses, often denying opponents the chance to block and thereby preserving your creatures on the board. This stealth capability can shift the balance, maintaining your on-board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, Cover of Darkness efficiently accelerates your strategic advantage. Deploying it can immediately alter the game’s pace, letting you press the advantage with unblockable attackers and potentially shortening the path to victory.

Instant Speed: As an enchantment, this card is cast at sorcery speed, but its effect is akin to having an instant-speed advantage—once in play, it enables surprise maneuvers during combat that can catch an opponent off guard, turning the tide of a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Cover of Darkness does not have a discard requirement, it is important for players to consider the possibility of card disadvantage when playing enchantments, as they can be targets for removal, potentially leading to a loss in card economy.

Specific Mana Cost: Cover of Darkness requires black mana, which may restrict its integration into multi-colored or colorless decks. This specificity necessitates a dedication to black or a mana base that can consistently provide black mana, potentially limiting deck-building options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its two mana cost, some may argue that Cover of Darkness is reasonably priced. However, in fast-paced or mana-efficient metagames, dedicating two mana to an enchantment that does not immediately impact the board could be seen as a significant investment. There are alternative cards that might provide more immediate board presence or disruption for the same or less mana.


Reasons to Include Cover of Darkness in Your Collection

Versatility: Cover of Darkness is a multi-faceted enchantment that elevates tribal decks into formidable contenders on the battlefield. Capable of fitting into various tribal strategies, its ability to grant creatures of a chosen type fear makes it a valuable asset in overcoming defensive lines.

Combo Potential: This card’s power to consistently render swathes of your creatures unblockable pairs excellently with tribal synergies. Utilize it to enable direct attacks for consistent damage or to execute powerful combat tricks unhindered, paving the way for devastating offensive strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that often hinges on creature-based combat, Cover of Darkness can shift the tide by removing blockers from the equation. Its influence in the current meta can make the difference between a blocked attack and significant life total reductions, altering the balance of power in your favor.


How to Overcome Cover of Darkness

Cover of Darkness is a unique enchantment that can be tricky to handle in a game of Magic: The Gathering. The card’s ability to grant “Fear” to a chosen creature type makes your opponent’s creatures harder to block, creating substantial obstacles if you don’t prepare your deck to counter it. To effectively beat Cover of Darkness, it’s vital to incorporate cards that don’t rely on blocking to control the board.

Removal spells are your best friend against such stealthy strategies. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation can sweep the board, circumventing the need to block. Spot removals such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can also target creatures with “Fear” despite their unblockable status. Another approach is employing artifact creatures or those with protection from black since “Fear” only prevents blocking by nonartifact, nonblack creatures. Strategies inclusive of creatures with “Reach” or “Flying” can also pose a decent challenge against those empowered by Cover of Darkness, who may struggle to get past these aerial defenders.

Thinking ahead and supplementing your deck with versatile control elements can ensure that your opponent’s Cover of Darkness turns into an underwhelming tactical play rather than an insurmountable advantage.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unveiling layers of strategy with Cover of Darkness in your MTG arsenal, you can navigate matches with cunning precision. The key lies in embracing its tribal enhancement potential and deploying it to apply relentless pressure on your opponent. Diversifying your tactics is crucial, and our content beams a beacon of insight on the finest plays and card interactions to finesse your game. Whether you seek to fortify your current deck or construct an all-new powerhouse, recognizing the value and tactics surrounding Cover of Darkness will sharpen your edge. Delve deeper with us into the strategies that transform a simple match into a display of dominance.


Cards like Cover of Darkness

The aura Cover of Darkness adds a layer of stealth to your creatures in Magic: The Gathering, granting the essential Fear ability to the chosen tribe, making them unblockable by all colors except black and artifact creatures. Its closest counterparts might be mass evasion enablers like Intangible Virtue, which, while it doesn’t offer unblockability, it does give your creature tokens an extra boost with +1/+1 and vigilance, enhancing their offensive and defensive capabilities.

Another spell in the conversation is Filth, which when in the graveyard and combined with a Swamp, it cloaks all your creatures with unblockability. Undefined by tribal lines, Filth affects all your creatures but requires a specific land type dependency to activate. In comparison to a straightforward enchantment like Cover of Darkness, Filth demands more setup yet provides a less restrictive benefit.

When looking at these choices, players must weigh the situational setup against immediate functionality. Cover of Darkness presents an easy-to-deploy and potent tribal strategy booster that can fit seamlessly into decks focusing on tribal synergies, making it a unique and cherished component within Magic: The Gathering.

Intangible Virtue - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Intangible Virtue - Innistrad (ISD)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)

Cards similar to Cover of Darkness by color, type and mana cost

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Brain Maggot - MTG Card versions
Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Oversold Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Lingering Death - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Fear - Tenth Edition (10E)
Warp Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Deathgrip - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blight - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Animate Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Seizures - Ice Age (ICE)
Leshrac's Sigil - Ice Age (ICE)
Lim-Dûl's Hex - Ice Age (ICE)
Dance of the Dead - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Enfeeblement - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Oath of Ghouls - Exodus (EXO)
Despondency - Urza's Saga (USG)
Insubordination - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Chains of Mephistopheles - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Brain Maggot - Historic Anthology 2 (HA2)
Aphemia, the Cacophony - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Oversold Cemetery - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Lingering Death - Scourge (SCG)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cover of Darkness MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught and Salvat 2005, 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 Cover of Darkness and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cover of Darkness Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2024-07-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-10-07OnslaughtONS 1331997normalblackKev Walker
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL D372003normalwhiteKev Walker
32024-07-05Assassin's CreedACR 2012015normalblackPaulius Daščioras
42024-07-05Assassin's CreedACR 1632015normalblackPaulius Daščioras
52024-07-05Assassin's CreedACR 892015normalblackPaulius Daščioras

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cover of Darkness has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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