Phenax, God of Deception MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Enchantment Creature — God
Abilities Indestructible,Mill
Power 4
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Phenax transforms creatures’ toughness into a powerful mill weapon, reshaping conventional game strategies.
  2. His instant speed tapping ability provides tactical advantages and defense, maintaining board control.
  3. While Phenax offers multi-facet gameplay, his specific mana and high cost require mindful deck construction.

Text of card

Indestructible As long as your devotion to blue and black is less than seven, Phenax isn't a creature. Creatures you control have ": Target player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is this creature's toughness."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phenax, God of Deception’s ability to mill each opponent increases your card advantage by reducing their library size rather than increasing your hand size. This unconventional method of gaining card advantage is crucial in mill decks and increases with the strength of your creatures.

Resource Acceleration: Phenax, being an enchantment creature, offers dual functionality, thus accelerating your resources. His presence on the battlefield advances your game plan to mill your opponents swiftly while also serving as a formidable blocker. Moreover, his ability allows your creatures to tap without attacking, saving them for defense.

Instant Speed: While Phenax himself may not be an instant, his ability to tap your creatures can be used at instant speed, allowing you to get the most out of your creatures even on your opponent’s turn. This feature facilitates strategic gameplay, as you can choose the best time to use this ability, keeping your opponent on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This challenge exists with Phenax God of Deception as it necessitates you to discard a card from your hand occasionally. This can pose a problem especially when your hand resources are depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Phenax God of Deception is quite specific, requiring both blue and black mana. This could restrict its usage to specific decks predominantly featuring these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a somewhat hefty five mana to play, Phenax God of Deception may not seem as cost-effective when compared to other cards with similar effects that might demand less mana. This high cost could potentially hinder your game progression, particularly in early stages of the game.


Reasons to Include Phenax God of Deception in Your Collection

Versatility: Phenax God of Deception is a versatile card that caters well to different deck styles. Its ability to transform your creatures into mill engines fits into any build focusing on alternate win conditions or graveyard mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card holds great combo potential as its ability can work synergistically with creatures having high toughness. This opens up new avenues for your deck’s strategy, giving you a clever way to deplete your opponent’s library, which is quite a unique take compared to the traditional damage approach.

Meta-Relevance: Phenax’s ability remains relevant in different MTG metas. Whether it’s a commander or a kitchen-table duel, the strategic depth provided by Phenax can be a game-changer. If your meta-game involves strategies that focus on decking out opponents, when used wisely, Phenax God of Deception can certainly be a destructive tool that adds value to your play.


How to beat

One of the captivating yet tricky cards in Magic: The Gathering is Phenax, God of Deception. The challenge with this mythic rare creature is its unique ability to turn defenses into potent weapons. It allows to use the toughness of a creature to mill an opponent’s deck, forming a daunting strategy for opponents.

To outwit this deity, understanding the core of its strategy is key. Phenax seeks to have high toughness creatures on the field to maximize its power. Thus, dismantling this strategy by removing such creatures from the battlefield becomes crucial. Targeted removal spells or mass creature removal spells are particularly effective.

Furthermore, Phenax banks on the depletion of an opponent’s library to win the game. Therefore, employing card shuffling effects, cards that replace your graveyard into your library or those providing immunity against milling are useful precautions. Some such cards include Psychic Spiral and Sphinx’s Tutelage.

In sum, redirecting the strength of Phenax, God of Deception towards potential weaknesses with carefully chosen cards and game strategies is the way to conquer this enigmatic deity in Magic: The Gathering.


BurnMana Recommendations

Gathering knowledge on Phenax, God of Deception, can fortify your MTG gameplay, especially if you revel in strategies that deviate from brute force. His ability to mill opponents through a different kind of card advantage adds depth to your matches. By including him in your collection, you introduce versatility and combo-tastic elements that enrich your game. Analyzing his strengths and weaknesses against similar cards, and learning how to counteract his power can turn the tides of any game. Dive deeper with us and refine your strategy. Embrace the cunning play style Phenax offers and command your next duel with tactical superiority.


Cards like Phenax, God of Deception

Phenax, God of Deception is an exciting dimension to the pantheon of cards in Magic: The Gathering. This deity can be closely likened to creatures facilitating mill strategies like Consuming Aberration. Consuming Aberration shares a perk with Phenax – growing stronger with each card the opponent puts in their graveyard. But Phenax’s ability to use the cards’ toughness to bolster that milling action is an attribute that sets it apart.

Similarly, we can juxtapose Phenax with Nemesis of Reason. Nemesis of Reason is another card mill exponent, but the milling action is triggered by attacking. While the number of cards the opponent has to put into their graveyard is static, Phenax provides variability – the player can tap various creatures with different toughness levels to keep the opponent guessing.

Lastly, we can compare Phenax to Psychic Corrosion, another potent architect of card milling. Psychic Corrosion mills whenever you draw a card, a different strategy to Phenax and more passive in nature.

All in all, Phenax, God of Deception holds a significant position within the community of milling strategy cards in Magic: The Gathering, where its nuanced versatility allows for unique gameplay possibilities.

Consuming Aberration - MTG Card versions
Nemesis of Reason - MTG Card versions
Psychic Corrosion - MTG Card versions
Consuming Aberration - Gatecrash Promos (PGTC)
Nemesis of Reason - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Psychic Corrosion - Core Set 2019 (M19)

Cards similar to Phenax, God of Deception by color, type and mana cost

Dire Undercurrents - MTG Card versions
Coerced to Kill - MTG Card versions
Dire Undercurrents - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Coerced to Kill - Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phenax, God of Deception MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods and Secret Lair Drop, 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 Phenax, God of Deception and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Phenax, God of Deception Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-02-07 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-02-07Born of the GodsBNG 1522003normalblackRyan Barger
22019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 752015normalblackJason A. Engle
32020-09-26The ListPLST BNG-1522003normalblackRyan Barger

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phenax, God of Deception has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-09-15 Hybrid mana symbols, monocolored hybrid mana symbols, and Phyrexian mana symbols do count toward your devotion to their color(s).
2013-09-15 If a God enters the battlefield, your devotion to its color (including the mana symbols in the mana cost of the God itself) will determine if a creature entered the battlefield or not, for abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield.
2013-09-15 If a God is attacking or blocking and it stops being a creature, it will be removed from combat.
2013-09-15 If a God is dealt damage, then stops being a creature, then becomes a creature again later in the same turn, the damage will still be marked on it. This is also true for any effects that were affecting the God when it was originally a creature. (Note that in most cases, the damage marked on the God won’t matter because it has indestructible.)
2013-09-15 If a God stops being a creature, it loses the type creature and all creature subtypes. It continues to be a legendary enchantment.
2013-09-15 If an activated ability or triggered ability has an effect that depends on your devotion to a color, you count the number of mana symbols of that color among the mana costs of permanents you control as the ability resolves. The permanent with that ability will be counted if it’s still on the battlefield at that time.
2013-09-15 Mana symbols in the text boxes of permanents you control don’t count toward your devotion to any color.
2013-09-15 Numeric mana symbols (, , and so on) in mana costs of permanents you control don’t count toward your devotion to any color.
2013-09-15 The abilities of Gods function as long as they’re on the battlefield, regardless of whether they’re creatures.
2013-09-15 The type-changing ability that can make the God not be a creature functions only on the battlefield. It’s always a creature card in other zones, regardless of your devotion to its color.
2014-02-01 If Phenax is a creature, it will grant itself the activated ability.
2014-02-01 If you activate the ability Phenax grants to creatures you control, the toughness of the creature is calculated as the ability resolves. If the creature is no longer on the battlefield at that time, use its toughness when it was last on the battlefield.
2014-02-01 If you tap Phenax to activate the ability it grants itself, and Phenax is no longer a creature but still on the battlefield as that ability resolves, no cards will be put into the target player’s graveyard. Similarly, if Phenax isn’t on the battlefield as the ability resolves and wasn’t a creature when it left the battlefield, no cards will be put into the graveyard.

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