Dire Tactics
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths 183 • uncommon
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Collector number
- 183
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- white mana black mana
- Type
- Instant
- Colors
- Black · White
- Artist
- Daarken
- Market price
- $0.28
What it does
Exile target creature. If you don't control a Human, you lose life equal to that creature's toughness.
"I will preserve human life at all costs. I will stand alone against behemoths before I let them touch my city. I will hold the wall."— Oath of the Coppercoats
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlLegal
- HistoricLegal
- TimelessLegal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
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Where it came from
Dire Tactics was released in 2020 as part of the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths expansion for Magic: The Gathering. Designed as an efficient removal spell specifically for the Humans-matter archetype within the set, the card reflects the game's mechanical focus on synergy between creatures of specific types. It provides Orzhov-colored decks with a powerful answer to opposing threats while reinforcing the set's broader theme of monstrous behemoths dominating the landscape.
The artwork was illustrated by Jason Rainville, who is known for his atmospheric and character-focused contributions to the game. Rainville's illustration depicts a calculated, coordinated strike against a larger creature, capturing the tactical essence of the card's name. Upon its release, the card was well-received by players for its high utility in Commander formats, where the life-loss drawback is often mitigated by the sheer impact of exiling a threat at a low mana cost.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
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About Dire Tactics
Dire Tactics is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths 183 • uncommon. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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