Dead Weight - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Dead Weight is not a Magic the Gathering card that you might expect to be among the most traded cards anywhere. But back in mid-2017, it cracked the Top 20 top traded cards on PucaTrade! This enchantment was originally printed in Innistrad and reprinted in Shadows Over Innistrad. Dead Weight also enjoyed a reprint in Guilds of Ravnica. So, there’s a decent supply of this card out there.

While Dead Weight didn’t see much competitive play for a long time, it found a home in Pauper Dimir Control decks. While Pauper was more of a Magic Online format for years, it found its way into paper. So, this is a very good common to have around. However, with its reprint in Guilds of Ravnica, Dead Weight began play at two copies in the occasional Blue/Black Control and Grixis Control decks in Standard.

Dead Weight is a very simple Enchantment. It costs one Black mana to cast and gives the enchanted creature -2/-2. It’s strong early game removal, but it’s also a nice way to weaken a bigger creature that might be out of range of your other removal spells. It also can bring a bigger opponent's creature down to the level of your own  creatures. Dead Weight is definitely not a dead card at any point in the game, which is why it would see occasional Standard play.

While Dead Weight isn’t the most exciting common, players don't mind stocking up on copies. This is definitely a card to watch for and get ahold of as you see them, especially in foil. As it has been a part of many draft decks, there are plenty of copies to go around.

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