Absorb Vis MTG Card
2009-02-06 - Number 40
2013-03-15 - Number 31
2013-06-07 - Number 71
2016-08-26 - Number 126
2019-11-07 - Number 558
2020-09-26 - Number CN2-126
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Basic landcycling,Cycling,Landcycling |
Text of card
Target player loses 4 life and you gain 4 life. Basic landcycling (, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
Cards like Absorb Vis
Absorb Vis holds a unique position in the Magic: The Gathering roster of mana-fixing spells. It’s often juxtaposed with cards like Drain Life, which similarly enables players to sap vitality from their opponents while regaining life themselves. However, Absorb Vis offers a distinct advantage with its basic landcycling ability. This facet allows for a more flexible mana base, aiding players in obtaining the specific lands they need for a strategic advantage.
Considering Consume Spirit is another player in this echelon of life-draining spells, it provides a scalable effect based on the mana sunk into it. While Absorb Vis is fixed at a four-mana mark, Consume Spirit’s X cost variable demands adaptability in strategic expenditure. Additionally, Drain Life and Consume Spirit are mono-black, thereby limiting their utility only within certain deck builds. Absorb Vis, with its mana-fixing potential, broadens horizons for multicolored deck players.
In essence, when it comes to siphoning off your opponent’s health to bolster your own, Absorb Vis stands out for its added landcycling ability. It’s a potent tool for those looking to meld life-draining features with improved mana accessibility in their MTG endeavors.
Cards similar to Absorb Vis by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Absorb Vis offers a critical edge as it provides you with a lifegain while also setting back your opponent’s life total, effectively creating a life point swing that can influence the game’s pace.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, the flexibility in mana types needed for casting Absorb Vis means it can be woven into a variety of deck strategies without compromising mana base consistency.
Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Absorb Vis can’t be cast at instant speed, yet its place in a turn can be pivotal, setting the stage for your subsequent moves or disrupting your opponent’s game plan during your turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Absorb Vis doesn’t ask you to discard, its steep mana requirement may force you to deplete other resources or miss out on playing different spells in a turn.
Specific Mana Cost: Absorb Vis’ requirement for black and generic mana restricts its integration outside of black-centric or multicolored decks, potentially limiting its versatility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of six mana, Absorb Vis is on the higher end of the mana curve. Players might opt for more cost-effective alternatives that offer similar or better benefits at a lower cost.
Reasons to Include Absorb Vis in Your Collection
Versatility: Absorb Vis offers flexibility by providing life gain and damage to an opponent with a single card. It easily slots into decks focused on mana ramping, life manipulation, or those looking for a late-game mana sink.
Combo Potential: With the capacity to target players directly, Absorb Vis becomes a valuable asset in decks that can repeatedly untap lands or produce significant amounts of mana, allowing for multiple casts and synergizing with cards like “Doubling Cube” for exponential effects.
Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where games can often extend to the late stages, Absorb Vis gains significance by impacting the board state through life total adjustments, making it a prudent choice against control and attrition-based strategies.
How to beat Absorb Vis
Absorb Vis is a unique card in MTG that can catch players off guard with its dual ability to drain life from your opponent while potentially providing a significant mana advantage in the late game. To effectively counter this card, it’s important to remain proactive in managing your life total and to apply pressure to limit your opponent’s time to capitalize on Absorb Vis’s potential.
One method is to maintain a strong board presence, forcing your opponent to use their mana defensively rather than saving up for the substantial cost of Absorb Vis. Instant-speed removal or counter spells are also excellent tools to keep Absorb Vis from resolving. Utilizing cards that can reshuffle your opponent’s graveyard back into their library can diminish the impact of its mana-sinking ability and reduce the chance of them drawing into another Absorb Vis. It’s also beneficial to play around the basic landcycling feature by keeping track of your opponent’s available mana and predicting when they might be searching for the right land to cast it.
Ultimately, understanding the context in which Absorb Vis is most effective and preparing strategies to mitigate those situations can greatly reduce the card’s impact, allowing you to maintain control of the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Absorb Vis MTG card by a specific set like Conflux and Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt, 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 Absorb Vis and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Absorb Vis Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2009-02-06 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Brandon Kitkouski.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-02-06 | Conflux | CON | 40 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski | |
| 2 | 2013-03-15 | Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt | DDK | 31 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski | |
| 3 | 2013-06-07 | Modern Masters | MMA | 71 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski | |
| 4 | 2016-08-26 | Conspiracy: Take the Crown | CN2 | 126 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski | |
| 5 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 558 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski | |
| 6 | The List | PLST | CN2-126 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Brandon Kitkouski |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Absorb Vis has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Absorb Vis card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-02-01 | Basic landcycling is a form of cycling. Any ability that triggers on a card being cycled also triggers on a card being basic landcycled. Any ability that stops a cycling ability from being activated also stops a basic landcycling ability from being activated. |
| 2009-02-01 | Basic landcycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with basic landcycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
| 2009-02-01 | Unlike the normal cycling ability, basic landcycling doesn't allow you to draw a card. Instead, it lets you search your library for a basic land card. You don't choose the type of basic land card you'll find until you're performing the search. After you choose a basic land card in your library, you reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. |
| 2009-02-01 | You can choose not to find a basic land card, even if there is one in your library. |