Mortality Spear MTG Card


Life gain reduces Mortality Spear’s cost, making it a mana-efficient removal spell for strategically built decks. Its instant speed allows flexible, reactive removal, essential for maintaining board control against adversaries. Despite its advantages, the specific mana cost and potential for resource loss can limit its versatility.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast if you gained life this turn. Destroy target nonland permanent.

"Death is my life's work."


Cards like Mortality Spear

Mortality Spear stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique blend of removal and life gain synergy. Comparatively, Putrefy is a card that often comes to mind due to its ability to destroy target artifact or creature without the possibility of regeneration. However, Mortality Spear adds a different dimension with its potential cost reduction feature — if you’ve gained life this turn, you can cast it for less mana.

Another card with a similar function is Murderous Cut, which also offers a cost-efficient removal provided you tap into your graveyard resources through delve. Mortality Spear, on the other hand, relies on the life gain aspect instead of gy resources, which can be less restrictive depending on your deck’s strategy. Abrupt Decay is an alternative that guarantees an uncounterable solution to smaller threats but lacks the flexibility of targeting larger creatures, unlike Mortality Spear which can take down any creature regardless of its size.

While each of these alternatives has its own merits, the adaptability of Mortality Spear depending on life gain proves to be particularly advantageous in the right deck, offering both timely removal and an avenue for mana efficiency. It showcases its strength in decks that are built around life gain triggers, making it a formidable tool for control and midrange strategies.

Putrefy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Cut - MTG Card versions
Abrupt Decay - MTG Card versions
Putrefy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Cut - MTG Card versions
Abrupt Decay - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mortality Spear enables you to potentially remove a problematic creature or planeswalker from the board. This aligns with card advantage strategies by directly dealing with threats and maintaining a stronger position on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: If you’ve gained life this turn, Mortality Spear’s cost is reduced, essentially accelerating your resources. The discounted mana cost facilitates a more efficient play, allowing you to use mana for other spells or abilities in the same turn.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Mortality Spear offers a strategic edge. It allows for reactive plays during your opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn, thus keeping your options flexible while potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategy with a timely spell.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mortality Spear demands another card in play to be sacrificed for its cheaper mana cost, which can sometimes lead to a disadvantageous board position or resource depletion.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell not only requires two generic mana but also one green and one black, potentially restricting deck compatibility and requiring a well-tuned mana base to cast effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a base cost of four mana, Mortality Spear may be seen as less favorable compared to other removal options that are lower in mana cost, thus impacting the tempo and flexibility of your gameplay.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mortality Spear can be a flexible addition to several deck archetypes, particularly those built around life gain or that leverage the spell’s cost-reduction mechanic. Whether as a means to control the board or as spot removal, its utility cannot be overstated.

Combo Potential: The card offers synergies with life gain strategies, enabling it to become a cheap and powerful removal option. Pair it with cards that offer consistent life gain for an almost always reduced casting cost, turning it into a staple for decks that can meet its conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-heavy decks predominate, Mortality Spear earns its place by being a cost-effective answer. It’s particularly potent in environments where permanents with indestructible or hexproof are prevalent, as it bypasses these abilities with its deathtouch-like effect.


How to beat

Mortality Spear is a unique card in the MTG universe, known for its capacity to efficiently remove creatures or planeswalkers. The key to countering Mortality Spear lies in limiting its cost-reduction ability, which requires life gain to activate. Without this, the card’s four-mana cost can be a significant drawback, giving opponents a window of opportunity to respond or avoid falling within its grasp.

To effectively play against Mortality Spear, it is essential to manage life total manipulation—either by controlling your own life gains or by disrupting your opponent’s strategies that involve life gain. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt can help remove graveyard-based life gain options, while proactive measures include applying pressure with fast, aggressive plays to keep an opponent on the defensive.

Moreover, having instant-speed responses or employing hexproof-granting spells can protect pivotal creatures and assets from Mortality Spear’s destruction. With the right combination of speed and protection, this powerful removal tool can be rendered far less menacing. Keep these strategies in mind when facing Mortality Spear to maintain the upper hand.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into MTG strategies, Mortality Spear emerges as a noteworthy card for its removal capabilities and synergy with life gain decks. Understanding its potential to alter the battlefield at instant speed makes it an asset worth considering for your collection. Balancing its mana cost with life gain activities and utilizing its flexibility can pivot a match in your favor. With proactive deck building and keen awareness of the meta, Mortality Spear could be the keystone to your victory. Want to refine your approach and optimize your deck with Mortality Spear? Join our community to discover expert tips and tricks.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mortality Spear MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Mortality Spear and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Mortality Spear Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by PINDURSKI.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 901702015NormalBlackPINDURSKI
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 2072015NormalBlackPINDURSKI
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3802015NormalBlackPINDURSKI

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mortality Spear has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-04-16 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Mortality Spear). Mortality Spear’s mana value is always 4, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.