Consumptive GooHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it does

Consumptive Goo features a repeatable activated ability costing two black and two generic mana. When you activate this ability, you choose a target creature to receive -1/-1 until the end of the turn. Simultaneously, Consumptive Goo gains a permanent +1/+1 counter, allowing it to grow larger every time it consumes the strength of another creature.

Resolution Step by Step

First, you pay the mana cost and choose a legal target for the ability. Upon resolution, the target creature's power and toughness are reduced by one. Immediately after, you place a +1/+1 counter on Consumptive Goo. Because state-based actions are not checked in the middle of an ability resolving, Consumptive Goo survives even if it targets itself and its toughness temporarily hits zero during the process, as the counter is applied before the game checks if it should die.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is forgetting that the target must be legal both when the ability is activated and when it tries to resolve. If the target creature leaves the battlefield or gains protection from black in response, the entire ability fails; Consumptive Goo will not receive its +1/+1 counter. Additionally, remember that the -1/-1 effect wears off at the end of the turn, but the +1/+1 counter stays on the Ooze indefinitely.

When to play it

This card excels in grindy matchups where you have access to plenty of mana. It is particularly effective against 'mana dorks' or small utility creatures that have only 1 toughness. By repeatedly targeting these creatures, you can clear the board while building Consumptive Goo into a massive attacker that dominates the late game.

Interaction examples

Hunting the Skies

Ornithopter of Paradise

You pay {2}{B}{B} and target your opponent's Ornithopter of Paradise. The Ornithopter, which has 2 toughness, becomes a 0/1 until end of turn. Consumptive Goo receives a +1/+1 counter, becoming a 3/3. If you activate the ability a second time targeting the same Ornithopter of Paradise, its toughness drops to 0 and it is destroyed, while Consumptive Goo grows to a 4/4.

Draining Life

Blood Artist

You target an opponent's 1-toughness creature with Consumptive Goo's ability. The creature's toughness becomes 0 and it dies as a state-based action. This death triggers Blood Artist, allowing you to drain 1 life from your opponent and gain 1 life, all while your Ooze grows larger from the +1/+1 counter.

Self-Consumption

If Consumptive Goo is your only creature and you need it to grow, you can target the Goo itself. During resolution, it gets -1/-1 (becoming a 1/1) and then immediately gets a +1/+1 counter (becoming a 2/2 again, but now with a permanent counter). When the turn ends and the -1/-1 effect wears off, the Goo will be a 3/3.