Look Skyward and Despair MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Scheme |
| Released | 2010-06-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Archenemy Schemes |
| Set code | OARC |
| Number | 24★ |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Scheme |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Todd Lockwood |
Key Takeaways
- Boosts hand size and options with card drawing, enhancing resource superiority in-game.
- Rapidly grows board presence with token creation, putting opponents on the defensive.
- Instant speed play allows for surprise moves and tactical responses during critical game junctures.
Text of card
When you set this scheme in motion, put a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
"Today I take the reins of destiny itself. Today the Draconic Apocalypse is upon you."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When you play Look Skyward and Despair, the immediate effect of drawing cards can significantly boost your hand, giving you more options and strategies to outmaneuver your opponents. This aligns perfectly with the goal of surpassing your adversary in terms of available resources.
Resource Acceleration: This card can also function as a form of resource acceleration. By creating creature tokens, you can effectively increase your board presence. These additional creatures can be pivotal for defending or applying pressure on your opponents, acting as both a deterrent and an aggressive asset.
Instant Speed: One of the most strategic aspects of Look Skyward and Despair is its ability to be cast at instant speed. This facet of the card allows savvy players to make tactical decisions in response to their opponents’ actions, keeping their adversaries guessing and providing an element of surprise that can turn the tide of the game at critical moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Look Skyward and Despair demands a card discard upon casting. This stipulation can create an unwanted setback, especially when playing from behind or when hand size is crucial for maintaining gameplay options.
Specific Mana Cost: It necessitates a particular mana composition to be played. Decks not heavily invested in the required colors may find it challenging to accommodate the card without disrupting their mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a higher mana cost than several alternative cards in its category, Look Skyward and Despair might often be overshadowed by cards that present more cost-effective threats or provide swifter board impact.
Reasons to Include Look Skyward and Despair in Your Collection
Versatility: Look Skyward and Despair offers flexible play options, fitting seamlessly into decks that capitalize on flying creatures or mass token generation.
Combo Potential: This card creates numerous flying tokens, perfect for synergizing with effects that trigger upon creatures entering the battlefield or enhancing strategies that rely on aerial supremacy.
Meta-Relevance: Considering its ability to quickly populate the board with fliers, Look Skyward and Despair becomes an essential card in a metagame where air control can dictate the pace and outcome of matches.
How to beat
Look Skyward and Despair is an impactful enchantment card in Magic: The Gathering that can pose a significant threat on the battlefield. Its ability to create a powerful creature during each of your upkeeps causes many opponents to struggle. A common strategy against such enchantments involves using targeted removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize that can destroy it before the generated creatures become overwhelming.
Additionally, cards with the counter ability, such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto, could be used to prevent Look Skyward and Despair from ever hitting the field. Players might also lean towards strategies that put pressure on the opponent’s resources, forcing them to make difficult choices about defending or developing their board. Control decks that manage the tempo of the game and consistently prevent key spells from resolving can effectively neutralize the impact of Look Skyward and Despair.
In essence, it’s important to have an answer ready or apply sufficient pressure to avoid getting dominated by Look Skyward and Despair. By incorporating efficient removal, counterspells, and strategic plays, you can maintain control over the game and mitigate the enchantment’s potential to cast despair across the battlefield.
Cards like Look Skyward and Despair
Look Skyward and Despair is an intriguing entry in Magic: The Gathering, sitting alongside other impactful six-mana spells. Much like In Garruk’s Wake, it offers a sweeping effect, destroying creatures and planeswalker opponents control. However, Look Skyward and Despair’s requirement to sacrifice a creature exemplifies its unique twist on devastation.
Casualties of War represents another similar spell, offering a buffet of destruction options. While it lacks the sheer scope of Look Skyward and Despair’s annihilative potential, its flexibility to target artifacts, creatures, enchantments, lands, and planeswalkers provides a tailored removal tool. Plague Wind too shares a resemblance in its ability to decimate creatures your opponents command, yet it distinguishes itself by preserving your own forces from the onslaught.
Assessing Look Skyward and Despair against its peers shows its value in Magic: The Gathering’s realm of mass removal cards. Its power to obliterate creatures and planeswalkers on the opposition while demanding a tribute forms a delicate balance, positioning it as a formidable spell that can potentially turn the tides of a game in dramatic fashion.
Cards similar to Look Skyward and Despair by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Look Skyward and Despair MTG card by a specific set like Archenemy Schemes, 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 Look Skyward and Despair and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
