Cast into Darkness MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Journey into Nyx
Set code	JOU
Number	63
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Clint Cearley

Key Takeaways

Indirect card advantage is gained by impeding opponents with Cast into Darkness, maintaining board presence.
Its versatility in deck strategies and meta-relevance makes Cast into Darkness a practical defensive inclusion.
Countering this card involves enchantment removal or protective abilities, crucial for overcoming its constraints.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets -2/-0 and can't block.

In desperation the soldier prayed to Phenax, begging for the power to cheat the gorgon's gaze.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Whilst Cast into Darkness doesn’t directly offer an increase in card count, its ability to hamper an opposing creature’s abilities can lead to indirect card advantage. By diminishing an opponent’s resources, you maintain your own board presence and potential for card interactions.

Resource Acceleration: While not designed for resource acceleration, the utility of Cast into Darkness in a game can allow you to efficiently allocate your mana elsewhere. Locking down a threat can be more resource-effective than having to deal with it through other, more costly means.

Instant Speed: Cast into Darkness is actually an enchantment with a casting time limited to your main phases. However, it compensates with lasting effects on the battlefield that continue to restrict your opponent’s options without requiring additional investments each turn. This enables you to keep open mana for other instant-speed interactions on your opponent’s turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Cast into Darkness does not specifically impose a discard penalty on its caster, it’s essential for players to weigh the card’s utility against other cards in their hand. Choosing to play this enchantment over other cards could indirectly lead to a disadvantageous discard later on if hand management isn’t executed carefully within the deck’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Cast into Darkness necessitates a precise mana investment, black mana, to be exact. This can sometimes be restrictive for decks that aren’t mono-black or those that don’t have a reliable mana base. It can make the card less flexible and a potential dead card in the hand in mana-tight situations or when facing mana color issues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Charging two mana might not seem like a steep cost at first glance. However, when considering the scope of effects MTG offers, many players might find alternative removal or debuff spells that offer more immediate or impactful results for the same or lower mana investment, making Cast into Darkness less appealing in a game where efficiency is often key.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cast into Darkness is a card that can enhance various deck strategies, especially those revolving around controlling opponents’ creatures. Its ability to hinder an opponent’s creature makes it a flexible choice for decks focusing on defense.

Combo Potential: This enchantment meshes well with cards that capitalize on weakened creatures, such as those that benefit from opponents controlling tapped creatures or with abilities like ‘inspire’.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where big, powerful creatures dominate the board, Cast into Darkness can serve as a low-cost solution, potentially turning the tide by neutralizing key threats without expending valuable removal spells.

How to Beat Cast into Darkness

Cast into Darkness is a spell that hampers creatures’ capacity to participate in combat effectively within Magic: The Gathering. Unlike spells that outright eliminate creatures, it puts them in a state of limbo where they can’t attack or block, which could potentially stall opposing strategies. In facing such a card, understanding and executing countermeasures are essential for any diligent player.

To overcome the effects of Cast into Darkness, one could employ enchantment removal spells, such as Naturalize or Disenchant, to directly remove the problematic aura. Players can also utilize hexproof or shroud granting abilities to safeguard their creatures, making them immune to being targeted by such disabling enchantments. Another angle is to focus on spells that can sacrifice or bounce the affected creature back to hand, negating the effect of Cast into Darkness and allowing for a fresh play of the creature.

Enchantment removal tools are a fundamental aspect of deck construction, ensuring that players have the means to deal with troublesome cards like Cast into Darkness. By integrating these strategic elements into a deck, players can effectively mitigate potential threats and maintain the momentum of their game plan.

Cards like Cast into Darkness

Cast into Darkness is a notable aura that presents an interesting dynamic in the Magic: The Gathering black spell lineup. This enchantment mirrors the function of cards like Dead Weight, which also diminishes a creature’s power, albeit with a slightly different touch. Dead Weight decreases only the power, whereas Cast into Darkness also stops a creature from blocking, disrupting the opponent’s defense strategies.

In comparison, cards like Stab Wound offer a different angle by not only decreasing power and toughness but also inflicting consistent life loss on the opponent, adding pressure each turn. Claustrophobia, although blue, bears resemblance in the way that it completely neutralizes the targeted creature. However, Cast into Darkness stands out by being more mana-efficient, costing less for a similar disabling effect.

To sum up, Cast into Darkness finds its place among creature-debilitating auras in Magic: The Gathering. It may not whittle down life totals like Stab Wound, but it offers an economical and effective means of eliminating blockers, which can be crucial in tight gameplay situations.

Cards similar to Cast into Darkness by color, type and mana cost

Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions

Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions

Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cast into Darkness MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Cast into Darkness and other MTG cards: