Undercity Plague MTG Card


Steals resources, forcing opponents to discard, and weakens their strategic options over time. Boosts your mana pool, unlocking new strategic possibilities and elevating gameplay. Cipher ability allows for recurrent spell casting, presenting a lasting threat to opponents.
Undercity Plague - Gatecrash
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Cipher
Released2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set nameGatecrash
Set codeGTC
Number83
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byVincent Proce

Text of card

Target player loses 1 life, discards a card, then sacrifices a permanent. Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)


Understanding Undercity Plague

Undercity Plague is a card that serves as a multifunctional tool in the vast world of Magic: The Gathering (MTG). As a comparison, it shares a thematic link with cards like Pox or Smallpox, which focus on resource denial to gain an upper hand. Yet, Undercity Plague comes with a unique twist through its Cipher mechanic, allowing players to encode it onto a creature and recast the spell when that creature deals combat damage to a player.

Cards like Undercity Plague

In the sphere of MTG, Undercity Plague charts a course similar to Cruel Edict and Chainer’s Edict, as both require the opponent to sacrifice a creature. However, Undercity Plague isn’t a one-time use card. It leverages ongoing effects that potentially impact the opponent’s board, life total, and hand every turn. Pox variants are notorious for their symmetrical effects, impacting all players, but Undercity Plague narrows the scope to target a single opponent, amplifying the strategic advantage while maintaining your own resources.

Another analogous card is Mind Rot, focusing on discarding. Undercity Plague extends beyond by covering not only hand disruption but creature and life point reductions as well, and the Cipher ability breathes longevity into its use. While it comes at a higher mana cost than Mind Rot, the possibility of repeated castings offers a persistent threat that Mind Rot lacks.

Understanding the nuances and employing such disruptive spells can pivot the flow of a match. The Cipher ability ensures that Undercity Plague can recast, making it a latent danger and an ongoing concern for your opposition.

Pox - MTG Card versions
Smallpox - MTG Card versions
Cruel Edict - MTG Card versions
Chainer's Edict - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Pox - MTG Card versions
Smallpox - MTG Card versions
Cruel Edict - MTG Card versions
Chainer's Edict - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Undercity Plague by color, type and mana cost

Kiss of Death - MTG Card versions
Dark Offering - MTG Card versions
Rain of Daggers - MTG Card versions
Corrupt - MTG Card versions
Poison Arrow - MTG Card versions
Morbid Hunger - MTG Card versions
Haunting Voyage - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Blood on the Snow - MTG Card versions
Choice of Damnations - MTG Card versions
Beseech the Queen - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Incursion - MTG Card versions
Stolen Grain - MTG Card versions
Blood Tribute - MTG Card versions
Essence Feed - MTG Card versions
Life's Finale - MTG Card versions
Hex - MTG Card versions
Grave Exchange - MTG Card versions
Twilight's Call - MTG Card versions
Assassin's Strike - MTG Card versions
Kiss of Death - MTG Card versions
Dark Offering - MTG Card versions
Rain of Daggers - MTG Card versions
Corrupt - MTG Card versions
Poison Arrow - MTG Card versions
Morbid Hunger - MTG Card versions
Haunting Voyage - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Blood on the Snow - MTG Card versions
Choice of Damnations - MTG Card versions
Beseech the Queen - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Incursion - MTG Card versions
Stolen Grain - MTG Card versions
Blood Tribute - MTG Card versions
Essence Feed - MTG Card versions
Life's Finale - MTG Card versions
Hex - MTG Card versions
Grave Exchange - MTG Card versions
Twilight's Call - MTG Card versions
Assassin's Strike - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Unleashing the potential of Undercity Plague is pivotal for any player looking to tighten their grip on the duel. Its multifaceted capabilities serve as a keystone in a strategy designed to overwhelm opponents through sustained advantages and tactical flexibility.

Card Advantage: By compelling each opponent to discard a card, you increment your advantage with each cycle of proliferation the card undertakes. Ensuring that you’re always ahead in resources, Undercity Plague systematically diminishes your opponent’s plans while bolstering your own strategic options.

Resource Acceleration: The capacity of Undercity Plague to pilfer life and elevate your treasure trove ensures a surge in your resources. This acceleration is not limited to mere lands but stretches across the entirety of your mana pool, unlocking a realm of possibilities and enabling you to cast more demanding spells ahead of your competition.

Instant Speed: This insidious enchantment operates at a pace to catch adversaries unawares. Undeterred by the bounds of your turn, it can commence its plague at the most opportune moment, slipping past the opponent’s defenses and asserting influence without warning.

Ultimately, Undercity Plague stands as a testament to tactical supremacy in MTG, affording players the means to steadily erode opposition and pave their way to victory with each resonating echo of its power.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: As a component of its unleash mechanic, Undercity Plague necessitates the choice to discard, which can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage, especially in games where card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Undercity Plague demands a mixture of black and hybrid mana for casting, potentially complicating its inclusion in multi-colored decks that may not always have the necessary mana types readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost that demands six mana, Undercity Plague can be a less appealing choice for players seeking more immediate impact on the game state, particularly when compared to other, potentially more cost-effective, control or disruption spells.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Undercity Plague is a card that can be seamlessly integrated into numerous deck archetypes. Its ability to cause opponents to lose life, discard cards, and sacrifice permanents makes it a versatile choice for players aiming to disrupt opponents across multiple vectors.

Combo Potential: This card has significant synergy with strategies that capitalize on discard or sacrifice effects. It pairs well with cards designed to benefit from an opponent’s empty hand or depleted board state, amplifying its impact within a carefully crafted combo.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Undercity Plague can serve as an effective countermeasure. By forcing sacrifices and chipping away at an opponent’s life total, it can turn the tides in a meta dominated by creature-heavy decks.


How to beat

Undercity Plague is a potent card that can dominate a game if not handled swiftly in MTG. The key to overcoming it lies in its cipher mechanic, which allows the card’s owner to cast a copy of the spell whenever the creature it’s encoded onto hits a player. To thwart this, direct removal spells are your best friend. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can remove the encoded creature before it deals combat damage, thus preventing the repeating effect of Undercity Plague.

Alternatively, you can mitigate the card’s impact by having sacrifice fodder ready. Since Undercity Plague forces a player to discard, lose life, and sacrifice a permanent, supplying your board with expendable tokens can significantly dull its damage. Think cards like Raise the Alarm or Dragon Fodder that can inexpensively populate the field with creatures to sacrifice, protecting your more valuable assets.

Remember, instant-speed interaction is critical. Holding up mana for spells that can interrupt or respond to the encoding trigger will help you maintain control. Stay ahead of the plague and keep your board state flexible to navigate around this relentless card’s pressure.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Undercity Plague MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Undercity Plague and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Undercity Plague has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-04-15 If a creature with an encoded card deals combat damage to more than one player simultaneously (perhaps because some of the combat damage was redirected), the triggered ability will trigger once for each player it deals combat damage to. Each ability will create a copy of the exiled card and allow you to cast it.
2013-04-15 If another player gains control of the creature, that player will control the triggered ability. That player will create a copy of the encoded card and may cast it.
2013-04-15 If the creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card will no longer be encoded on any creature. It will stay exiled.
2013-04-15 If the spell with cipher doesn’t resolve, none of its effects will happen, including cipher. The card will go to its owner’s graveyard and won’t be encoded on a creature.
2013-04-15 If you choose not to cast the copy, or you can’t cast it (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the copy will cease to exist the next time state-based actions are performed. You won’t get a chance to cast the copy at a later time.
2013-04-15 If you want to encode the card with cipher onto a noncreature permanent such as a Keyrune that can turn into a creature, that permanent has to be a creature before the spell with cipher starts resolving. You can choose only a creature to encode the card onto.
2013-04-15 The copy of the card with cipher is created in and cast from exile.
2013-04-15 The exiled card with cipher grants a triggered ability to the creature it’s encoded on. If that creature loses that ability and subsequently deals combat damage to a player, the triggered ability won’t trigger. However, the exiled card will continue to be encoded on that creature.
2013-04-15 The spell with cipher is encoded on the creature as part of that spell’s resolution, just after the spell’s other effects. That card goes directly from the stack to exile. It never goes to the graveyard.
2013-04-15 You cast the copy of the card with cipher during the resolution of the triggered ability. Ignore timing restrictions based on the card’s type.
2013-04-15 You choose the creature as the spell resolves. The cipher ability doesn’t target that creature, although the spell with cipher may target that creature (or a different creature) because of its other abilities.