Enemy of Enlightenment MTG Card


Enemy of Enlightenment - Theros Beyond Death
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment Creature — Demon
Abilities Flying
Released2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set nameTheros Beyond Death
Set codeTHB
Power 5
Toughness 5
Number92
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJames Ryman

Key Takeaways

  1. Enemy of Enlightenment pressures opponents and controls game pace by dictating hand sizes.
  2. It’s a meta-relevant card in decks that penalize opponents for card quantity.
  3. Versatile and disruptive, it’s a strategic option for those aiming to constrain resources.

Text of card

Flying Enemy of Enlightenment gets -1/-1 for each card in your opponents' hands. At the beginning of your upkeep, each player discards a card.

"Evil flourishes where ignorance thrives." —Perisophia the philosopher


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enemy of Enlightenment offers a unique approach to maintaining card advantage. As each player’s maximum hand size is dictated by your number of cards, the creature effectively forces opponents to play with fewer options, ensuring your own resources are more impactful.

Resource Acceleration: This card itself acts as a form of resource acceleration. With a solid 6/6 body flying in the air, it applies significant pressure, often necessitating a response from your opponent and potentially diverting resources away from their own strategic plans.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Enemy of Enlightenment synergizes well with instant-speed spells and abilities. By encouraging a low-hand-size game state, you can capitalize on instants that target players with fewer cards or punish those who play many cards in one turn to avoid the disadvantages Enemy of Enlightenment brings to the table.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Enemy of Enlightenment carries a heavy burden for players who like to keep a full grip of cards. Its ability forces a discard that scales with the cards in your hand, potentially diminishing your strategic options and leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re not prepared to manage your hand size adequately.

Specific Mana Cost: The card requires a blend of white and blue mana, which can hinder deck flexibility. Players using decks that aren’t tailored to these colors may find it challenging to reliably cast Enemy of Enlightenment without compromising their mana base or diluting their deck’s strategic focus.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At six total mana, Enemy of Enlightenment may arrive too late in the game to impact the board state significantly. Considering its effect, players may prefer cards with lower mana costs that provide more immediate or potent advantages, particularly when games are often decided by quicker, more efficient plays.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Enemy of Enlightenment can be a unique addition to decks that thrive on minimizing each player’s hand size. As it punishes opponents who are holding onto many cards, it flexes well in strategies aiming to disrupt hand advantage.

Combo Potential: With its ability hinging on the number of cards in your opponent’s hand, this card can be a key piece in strategies that induce opposing players to draw or keep numerous cards before penalizing them with loss of life or other effects.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players tend to have a full grip, the Enemy of Enlightenment could serve as an effective counterstrategy. It’s especially potent against decks that rely heavily on card draw and those that prefer to build up a sizeable hand for a big play.


How to beat

Confronting the Enemy of Enlightenment in MTG requires a tactical approach. This formidable creature taxes each player’s hand by making them discard down to four cards at the beginning of their end step. To mitigate its impact, swift action is optimal. Hand size management is crucial, so playing cards at the opportune time to ensure minimal hand reduction is a solid strategy. Additionally, using efficient removal spells or abilities that can deal with a 5/5 flying body can quickly restore balance to the game. Control decks that operate with fewer hand cards or strategies focused on graveyard utilization can effectively sidestep the card’s hand size limitation. Aggressive decks that empty their hand rapidly can also maintain tempo without feeling the constraint. Playing around this leviathan means recognizing the importance of timing and maintaining board presence, and having answers ready to avoid being overcome by this airborne intellect devourer.


Cards like Enemy of Enlightenment

Enemy of Enlightenment presents a unique dynamic in the realm of Magic: The Gathering aerial threats. It draws parallels with creatures like Thought Eater that also diminish players’ hand size at each end step. However, Enemy of Enlightenment’s ability is distinct because it affects all players and its power and toughness are determined by the number of cards in the opponent’s hand, making it a variable threat.

Another card worth mentioning is Fell Specter, which shares the theme of hand disruption with Enemy of Enlightenment by inflicting damage every time an opponent discards a card. While Fell Specter imposes a more immediate penalty, Enemy of Enlightenment offers a broad, cumulative effect that can shift the balance over several turns. Similarly, Rotting Rats allows for repeated hand disruption with its unearth ability, though it isn’t as potent in controlling an opponent’s hand size as the passive, persistent pressure applied by Enemy of Enlightenment.

Assessing these options, Enemy of Enlightenment stands out in its ability to affect all players equally and its potential to grow stronger as foes are forced to play with fewer cards, making it a strategic choice in decks focused on disruption and controlling the pace of the game.

Thought Eater - MTG Card versions
Fell Specter - MTG Card versions
Rotting Rats - MTG Card versions
Thought Eater - Odyssey (ODY)
Fell Specter - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Rotting Rats - Conflux (CON)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Enemy of Enlightenment MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Enemy of Enlightenment and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Enemy of Enlightenment has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 As the last ability resolves, first you choose a card in hand without revealing it, then each other player in turn order does the same. Then all the chosen cards are discarded at the same time.
2020-01-24 If a spell or ability causes an opponent to draw one or more cards, wait until that spell or ability has finished resolving to determine whether Enemy of Enlightenment dies for having 0 toughness. If that spell or ability also causes cards to leave that player’s hand, Enemy of Enlightenment may briefly be a 0/0 creature without dying.
2020-01-24 If any player can’t discard a card, skip that player and each other player discards a card.
2020-01-24 The ability that modifies the power and toughness of Enemy of Enlightenment applies only while it’s on the battlefield.

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