Toshiro Umezawa MTG Card
2005-02-04 - Number 89
2019-12-02 - Number 261
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Samurai |
| Abilities | Bushido |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Toshiro Umezawa excels at card advantage by casting instants from the graveyard during gameplay.
- Indirect resource acceleration is granted, through the reuse of powerful spells.
- Flexibility in decision-making is enhanced by instant-speed casting in critical game moments.
Text of card
Bushido 1 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) Whenever a creature an opponent controls is put into a graveyard from play, you may play target instant card in your graveyard. If that card would be put into a graveyard this turn, remove it from the game instead.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Toshiro Umezawa shines in providing card advantage. Every time an opponent’s creature dies, you get the opportunity to cast an instant card from your graveyard, ensuring a steady flow of resources and maintaining pressure on your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: While Toshiro Umezawa doesn’t directly accelerate resources, his ability to recast instants can lead to indirect resource acceleration. Reusing powerful spells without expending additional cards from your hand can significantly advance your board state.
Instant Speed: Toshiro Umezawa’s true power lies in his synergy with instants. Casting instants from the graveyard at instant speed allows you to optimize your gameplay, making crucial decisions in response to your opponent’s actions and keeping the element of surprise on your side.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Tapping into Toshiro Umezawa’s abilities often requires you to discard a card, a strategic pitfall during gameplay when hand size is vital. This added cost might leave you at a disadvantage, especially when faced with an opponent who’s adept at hand disruption or when you’re already struggling for card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: As a card that demands a distinct mana arrangement with black symbols, Toshiro Umezawa targets a particular deck archetype, which could deter its integration into multi-colored or less mana-flexible decks. This niche mana requirement sometimes translates to a slower adaptability during the crucial early to mid-game phases.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial mana investment to cast Toshiro Umezawa is seen by some players as quite high for the immediate impact it has on the board. In the competitive scene, there are arguably more cost-effective creatures that may offer an immediate board presence or abilities that have a direct influence on the game’s outcome.
Reasons to Include Toshiro Umezawa in Your Collection
Versatility: Toshiro Umezawa offers a unique ability to capitalize on your opponents’ spells. This legendary creature becomes increasingly useful in games with higher removal counts, allowing you to cast your own instant spells from the graveyard, therefore gaining value from both your cards and your opponents’ actions.
Combo Potential: The card shines in decks that focus on spellslinger strategies or play a high number of instants. With Toshiro, any instant spell you have can potentially be played twice, maximizing your combos and spell interactions to outpace your opponents.
Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts and includes decks that utilize a high volume of creature removal, Toshiro Umezawa becomes a more vital piece. By responding to the prevalent removal spells, you gain the upper hand, turning your enemy’s moves into advantages for yourself.
How to beat
Toshiro Umezawa brings a unique twist to gameplay, distinguishing himself from other commanders and creatures within the realm of Magic: The Gathering. One of the authorized strategies to overcome a card like Toshiro Umezawa is to mitigate his ability to cast instant spells from your graveyard. Unlike other commanders that might benefit from a straightforward removal, Toshiro requires a more nuanced approach.
Enforcing graveyard control is essential. Cards such as Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can prevent players from exploiting their graveyards, directly inhibiting Toshiro’s capabilities. Moreover, taking advantage of instant-speed removal can catch opponents off-guard, disrupting their strategy to utilize Toshiro’s ability during your turn. Overall, keeping Toshiro Umezawa off the board and minimizing graveyard interactions are key tactics to mastering the battle against this formidable MTG card.
Securing victory against a Toshiro Umezawa deck is highly reliant on strategic removal and graveyard disruption, ensuring that his potentially continuous value engine is efficiently stifled. Strategic foresight and optimal use of control elements are paramount in outmaneuvering a player wielding this intricate character.
Cards like Toshiro Umezawa
The Toshiro Umezawa card stands as a unique figure in the MTG realm renowned for its ability to establish control over the flow of the game. This legendary creature echoes the functionalities of cards like Dralnu, Lich Lord, who also manipulates the spell-casting dynamic by allowing you to cast instant spells from your graveyard. Nonetheless, Toshiro Umezawa steps ahead with his lower casting cost and the fact that his ability is triggered by creature deaths, rather than being restricted by Dralnu’s liability of sacrificing lands if damaged.
Diving further into the semblance, Snapcaster Mage emerges as another card in the conversation, gifting your instants flashback only once but instantly when it enters the battlefield. Contrary to Umezawa’s repeatable ability tied to the demise of creatures, Snapcaster’s influence is fleeting, yet immediate. Lastly, Kess, Dissident Mage also merits mention here. Kess grants the casting of spells from your graveyard on each of your turns, aligning with Umezawa’s theme of reusing your magic. However, she permits a broader spectrum of spells at a fixed pace, unlike Umezawa’s trigger-reliant mechanism.
Comparing these MTG luminaries showcases Toshiro Umezawa’s potential for recurring instant-speed interaction and solidifies his place as a formidable entity in the commander format especially. His dynamic spell-casting capability when strategically manoeuvred, carves a niche that might tip the scales in a player’s favor.
Cards similar to Toshiro Umezawa by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Toshiro Umezawa MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers of Kamigawa and Secret Lair Drop, 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 Toshiro Umezawa 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
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Printings
The Toshiro Umezawa Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2005-02-04 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005-02-04 | Betrayers of Kamigawa | BOK | 89 | 2003 | normal | black | Christopher Moeller | |
| 2 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 261 | 2015 | normal | borderless | JungShan |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Toshiro Umezawa has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Toshiro Umezawa card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2005-02-01 | You must still pay the mana cost of the target instant in your graveyard to cast it using Toshiro’s ability. |
| 2011-01-01 | Creatures destroyed by an instant that you cast normally can cause a trigger that allows the instant to be cast again. For example, cast Terror on an opponent’s creature. The creature is destroyed, triggering Toshiro’s ability, and then the Terror is put into your graveyard. You can put Toshiro’s ability on the stack targeting the Terror and then recast it when the ability resolves. |
