Rishkar's Expertise MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Draws cards equal to creature power, significantly refilling your hand and resource pool.
  2. Allows free casting of a card with mana cost 5 or less, escalating board presence rapidly.
  3. Requires substantial board presence to optimize its potential, favoring creature-heavy strategies.

Text of card

Draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control. You may cast a spell with mana value 5 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.

"Control the Great Conduit? You might as well try to divert a river with your hands."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rishkar’s Expertise enables players to draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures they control, a significant boost that can often result in a massive refill of your hand, propelling you ahead in gathering resources.

Resource Acceleration: One of the key attractions of this spell is that after drawing cards, you may cast a card with a converted mana cost of 5 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This allows you to potentially put a potent creature, enchantment, or planeswalker onto the battlefield, significantly accelerating your board presence.

Instant Speed: While Rishkar’s Expertise is a sorcery, its vast effect mimics the immediate impact that instant-speed spells have on the game state, often catching opponents off-guard with a sudden wave of card draw and free casting ability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Rishkar’s Expertise does not have a discard requirement, it does necessitate a considerable board presence to be fully effective. Without a creature of substantial power to draw a significant number of cards, its potential diminishes.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost is steeped in the green color, requiring a commitment to green mana sources. Its double green mana cost makes it less accessible for decks that aren’t heavily invested in green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Rishkar’s Expertise demands six mana, with a particular emphasis on green. Despite its powerful effect, the cost is high and might be a setback in fast-paced games where tempo is critical.


Reasons to Include Rishkar’s Expertise in Your Collection

Versatility: Rishkar’s Expertise serves multiple roles within a deck, as it allows you to draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control and play another card with mana cost 5 or less for free. This can be a significant turning point in games, fitting into green-based decks that boast large creatures.

Combo Potential: This card can instantly provide the fuel for various combos predominantly in green decks, facilitating card advantage and board presence without additional costs. Its ability to cast another spell for free synergizes with numerous cards, creating opportunities for explosive turns.

Meta-Relevance: In any meta where building a formidable board is key, Rishkar’s Expertise can offer the powerful swing needed to dominate. Its relevance stretches across various formats where the presence of big creatures can translate directly into game-winning card advantage.


How to beat

Rishkar’s Expertise stands out as an incredible green spell in the vast library of Magic: The Gathering, providing both card draw and the ability to cast another spell for free, up to a certain mana value. Beating this card hinges on timing and strategy. As Rishkar’s Expertise is commonly played in decks that ramp up mana quickly and deploy large creatures, countering it requires a proactive approach. Disruptive spells like Negate or Thoughtseize can prevent it from hitting the field or remove it from the opponent’s hand before it becomes a threat.

Another effective tactic involves limiting the opponent’s board presence. Since the card’s strength is directly tied to the largest power among creatures you control, keeping the board clear of large creatures significantly diminishes its value. Board wipes like Wrath of God or targeted removal such as Fatal Push are pivotal in managing the threat. By controlling the creatures on the battlefield, you mitigate the impact Rishkar’s Expertise can have on the game’s outcome. Ultimately, timely disruption, resource denial, and strategic control of the game’s pace are key to overcoming the advantage this card offers.


Cards like Rishkar's Expertise

Rishkar’s Expertise holds a unique position within the Magic: The Gathering card draw and board impact spells. Harmonize is one oft-mentioned equivalent, offering a straightforward way to draw three cards for a fixed four mana. Unlike Rishkar’s Expertise, Harmonize does not permit casting a spell without paying its mana cost, making it a less versatile option.

Another comparison can be drawn with Garruk, Primal Hunter, which can create a substantial card advantage by drawing cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control. While Garruk offers recurring value as a planeswalker, Rishkar’s Expertise provides immediate impact by allowing for the deployment of a heavy-hitting card mid-game at no extra cost.

Finally, Soul’s Majesty serves a purpose akin to Rishkar’s Expertise, with its ability to draw cards equal to the power of one creature. The absence of the additional casting opportunity found in Rishkar’s Expertise, however, puts Soul’s Majesty a step behind in terms of potential board development.

Ultimately, Rishkar’s Expertise stands out in MTG due to its combined power of card draw and the ability to expand one’s board presence in a single move, making it an exceptional choice for decks that can harness creatures with high power.

Harmonize - MTG Card versions
Garruk, Primal Hunter - MTG Card versions
Soul's Majesty - MTG Card versions
Harmonize - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Garruk, Primal Hunter - Magic 2012 (M12)
Soul's Majesty - Conflux (CON)

Cards similar to Rishkar's Expertise by color, type and mana cost

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Collective Unconscious - MTG Card versions
Verdant Mastery - MTG Card versions
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Strength of the Pack - MTG Card versions
Wolf's Quarry - MTG Card versions
Desert Twister - The List (PLST)
Rebirth - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Collective Unconscious - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Verdant Mastery - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Tuinvale Treefolk // Oaken Boon - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Titania's Command - The Brothers' War Promos (PBRO)
Storm the Festival - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
One Dozen Eyes - Commander 2013 (C13)
Tromp the Domains - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Doubling Chant - Magic 2012 (M12)
Grim Flowering - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Rain of Thorns - Mystery Booster (MB1)
See the Unwritten - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Joraga Invocation - Magic Origins (ORI)
Nissa's Renewal - Commander 2021 (C21)
Verdant Confluence - Commander Masters (CMM)
Selvala's Stampede - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Genesis Storm - Commander 2018 (C18)
Strength of the Pack - Commander Legends (CMR)
Wolf's Quarry - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rishkar's Expertise MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt Promos and Aether Revolt, 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 Rishkar's Expertise and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Rishkar's Expertise Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether Revolt PromosPAER 123s2015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
22017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 1232015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
32020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 1802015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
42021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1702015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
52022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1272015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
62022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 3062015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
72023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 1302015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
82023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2542015normalblackMagali Villeneuve

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rishkar's Expertise has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rishkar's Expertise card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2017-02-09 A card's mana value is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The mana value is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost has mana value 3. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions that could apply to it. A card with no mana cost has a mana value of 0.
2017-02-09 Any triggered abilities that trigger while performing the Expertise spell's first effect won't be put onto the stack until after you're done casting your free spell. They're put onto the stack at the same time as any abilities that triggered while casting that spell regardless of the order in which those abilities triggered.
2017-02-09 Effects that allow you to "cast" a card don't allow you to play a land card.
2017-02-09 If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2017-02-09 If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs, such as emerge costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Cathartic Reunion, you must pay those to cast the card.
2017-02-09 If you control no creatures with power greater than 0 as Rishkar's Expertise resolves, you draw no cards, but you may cast a card with mana value 5 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.
2017-02-09 The greatest power among creatures you control is determined as Rishkar's Expertise resolves.
2017-02-09 While you're casting your free spell, the Expertise spell is still on the stack. It will be put into its owner's graveyard after the free spell is cast. The free spell can't target the Expertise card in your graveyard. It can target the Expertise spell on the stack, but the Expertise spell will become an illegal target before the free spell resolves.
2017-02-09 You may cast one of the cards drawn by Rishkar's Expertise's first effect while performing its second effect.
2017-04-18 The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If an expertise spell allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half or, if that split card has fuse, both halves.

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