Spiteful Blow MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 2014-05-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Journey into Nyx |
| Set code | JOU |
| Number | 83 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Jason Chan |
Key Takeaways
- Eyeing a dual destruction tactic, Spiteful Blow can shift game momentum by targeting pivotal assets.
- Deck synergy is crucial as the card’s color and mana demand precise resource management.
- Strategic timing enhances its effect, simulating instant-speed surprise in crucial game phases.
Text of card
Destroy target creature and target land.
"Only a fool takes Phenax at his word. What do you expect from a god born of lies and betrayal?" —Verenes, priest of Iroas
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Spiteful Blow offers the unique ability to remove a creature and a land with a single card, which gains the player significant card advantage. By potentially destroying two threats at once, it alters the game’s dynamics decisively in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: While Spiteful Blow doesn’t directly accelerate resources, by setting back your opponent — taking out a vital mana source — it effectively boosts your relative resource position. This can potentially disrupt an opponent’s curve or strategy, allowing you a more dominant standing in the game.
Instant Speed: Despite Spiteful Blow being a sorcery, understanding its strategic timing is crucial. Playing this card at the right moment can simulate the surprise factor typically associated with instant speed interactions, especially post-combat or before a key phase in your opponent’s turn, maximizing its impact.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Spiteful Blow necessitates the disposal of another card to perform its powerful effect. This can be a steep price, especially when your hand is depleted or when every card counts towards your strategic setup.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and white mana, Spiteful Blow’s cost can be restrictive, limiting its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce both types of mana or operate within those colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its six mana price tag, Spiteful Blow’s cost is significant. In games where speed is crucial, having a card of such high mana cost could slow you down, particularly when there are alternatives that destroy creatures or lands for less mana.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Spiteful Blow’s dual nature to destroy both a creature and a land gives it a unique position in decks that aim to control the board and hamper opponents’ resources simultaneously. This makes it a valuable inclusion in black-based control or midrange decks looking for an edge.
Combo Potential: The land destruction element of Spiteful Blow can work seamlessly with strategies that capitalize on setting opponents back, pairing well with cards that benefit from opponents losing land, or with recurring abilities that can bring Spiteful Blow back for repeated use.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where land-based strategies and formidable creatures dominate, Spiteful Blow stands out as a relevant tool. Its ability to remove key pieces from the battlefield can disrupt many popular and powerful strategies, keeping your deck competitive.
How to beat
Spiteful Blow is a powerful removal card in Magic: The Gathering that can severely impact your game if you’re not prepared. This card stands out for its ability to destroy both a creature and a land, which can be a devastating combo reducing both your board state and mana resources. To effectively counter Spiteful Blow, it’s imperative to maintain a diverse mana base, possibly through non-land sources such as artifacts or creatures that can generate mana. This ensures that even if a land is destroyed, your mana flow remains unaffected.
Moreover, using cards with indestructible or regeneration abilities can help safeguard your creatures against Spiteful Blow’s removal effect. Another strategy is to employ instant-speed spells that protect or blink your creatures, thus fizzling the Blow’s targeting mechanism. Additionally, countering the spell outright is always a solid plan—keeping mana open for counter spells specifically when you sense such a game-changing card could be played by your opponent is key. Taking these precautions can help you maintain control of the board and mitigate the potentially crippling effects of Spiteful Blow.
In essence, foreseeing the threat and having a flexible strategy will keep you ahead of the game against this formidable MTG card. By diversifying your mana sources, reinforcing your creatures’ defenses, and being ready to counter, you’ll significantly decrease the chances of Spiteful Blow thwarting your path to victory.
Cards like Spiteful Blow
Spiteful Blow is an intriguing card that offers a unique combination of removal and land destruction in Magic: The Gathering. It stands head-to-head with cards like Desecration Plague, which also enables players to destroy a creature and then go the extra mile to target a land. Spiteful Blow gives you this two-for-one deal at a single stroke, setting it apart from its competitor.
Meanwhile, cards like Putrefy should also be mentioned when assessing options for creature removal. Although Putrefy doesn’t touch lands, it does provide the flexibility of being cast at instant speed and at a lower mana cost. Comparatively, Rain of Thorns is another spell that lets players destroy not just one, but multiple types of permanents which includes lands. Yet, it’s worth noting that Spiteful Blow focuses the land destruction directly, thus ensuring a specific target meets its demise.
Therefore, Spiteful Blow offers a notably aggressive approach for those looking to disrupt opponents by simultaneously clearing creatures and valuable land resources. With its direct and dual-purpose action, it is clear why this spell can be critical in a player’s arsenal for tactical advantage in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Spiteful Blow by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spiteful Blow 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 Spiteful Blow and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spiteful Blow has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Spiteful Blow card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-04-26 | You can't cast Spiteful Blow without a legal creature and land to target. If one of those targets is illegal when Spiteful Below tries to resolve, the other one will still be destroyed. |
