Essence Drain
Darksteel 43 • common
- Set
- Darksteel
- Collector number
- 43
- Rarity
- Common
- Mana cost
- 4 generic mana black mana
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colors
- Black
- Artist
- Tony Szczudlo
- Market price
- $0.12
What it does
Essence Drain deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life.
Mephidross claims all life within it. What cannot be twisted is absorbed.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperLegal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- 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
Essence Drain was released in 2004 as part of the Darksteel set, the second expansion in the Mirrodin block for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. The set explored a plane made entirely of metal, introducing the indestructible mechanic and focusing on artifacts that integrated with organic life. Mechanically, the card serves as a black sorcery that provides a swing in life totals by dealing damage to a target creature or player while simultaneously granting the caster life, a classic effect in the game's color identity.
The artwork for this specific iteration was provided by illustrator Darrell Riche. In line with the aesthetic of the Mirrodin block, the visual design leans into the harsh, metallic landscape of the setting, depicting the draining of energy in a world where organic resources are scarce. The card was well-received by players at the time for its utility in Limited formats, where the ability to stabilize life totals while removing an opponent's creature provided a reliable, if high-cost, advantage.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Essence Drain
Essence Drain is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Darksteel 43 • common. 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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