Glimpse the Sun God MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Scry
Released	2014-02-07
Set symbol
Set name	Born of the Gods
Set code	BNG
Number	13
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Aleksi Briclot

Key Takeaways

Enables multi-target tapping, disrupting opponent strategies and maintaining board control.
Instant speed allows for flexibility, making it unpredictable during opponents’ turns.
Mana-intensive for full potential, yet offers strategic advantages in creature-heavy metas.

Text of card

Tap X target creatures. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

Better to be beneath Heliod's notice than beneath his heel.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Glimpse the Sun God enables players to tap multiple targets, an ability that can effectively neutralize an opponent’s offensive assets while setting up future strategic plays. This temporary control can lead to gaining card advantage by inhibiting opponent’s options and maintaining your own battlefield presence.

Resource Acceleration: While not providing direct mana acceleration, Glimpse the Sun God can be a form of resource acceleration by delaying opponent’s creatures. This stalling tactic can give you the crucial extra time needed to deploy your own threats or to find the right answers to the board state.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Glimpse the Sun God allows for versatile use, offering the chance to interrupt combat phases, surprise the opponent during their turn, or simply utilize mana in a responsive manner versus committing to a play preemptively.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Glimpse the Sun God doesn’t require a card discard, its payoff may not justify the number of cards you need to hold back for optimal use, potentially causing card disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitates one white mana, which can restrict deck-building options, making it less flexible compared to cards with generic mana costs that can fit into a wider range of strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial cost plus an additional mana for each target, fully exploiting this card’s potential becomes mana-intensive, often resulting in a significant investment for a temporary effect.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Glimpse the Sun God is a card that offers control over the battlefield, making it a versatile pick for decks that aim to dictate the pace of the game. Its ability to tap multiple target creatures can be a game changer in both offensive and defensive situations.

Combo Potential: The potential of this card extends beyond its immediate effects. Combining it with cards that reward you for tapping or untapping creatures can lead to advantageous synergies, making it a potential linchpin in intricate combo strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Glimpse the Sun God may shine by disrupting opponents’ plans. Being able to tap down impactful creatures during combat or before your opponent’s turn can give you an edge in key moments of play.

How to beat

Glimpse the Sun God is a unique card within the intricate tapestry of Magic: The Gathering. It possesses the tactical ability to tap multiple targets, a function that can significantly control the battlefield dynamics. This flexibility makes it well-suited to both offensive maneuvers to clear the way for an attack, and defensive strategies to prevent incoming damage by neutralizing the opponents’ creatures.

To effectively counter Glimpse the Sun God, consider utilizing untap effects or abilities that enable your creatures to sidestep its influence. Pay attention to cards that grant your creatures vigilance, ensuring they remain ready to block or apply pressure despite the tap effect. Additionally, cards offering protection from white, or abilities that prevent targeting like hexproof or shroud, can make your creatures ineligible targets for Glimpse the Sun God’s ability.

Strategic deck building and timing your creature’s activations are crucial when contending with this card. By optimizing your plays around the potential of Glimpse the Sun God being cast, you can maintain tempo and outmaneuver opponents relying heavily on its battlefield manipulation.

Cards like Glimpse the Sun God

In the realm of versatile control cards within Magic: The Gathering, Glimpse the Sun God holds a unique position. It shares similarities with cards such as Holy Day, which also provides the option for a defensive stance by preventing damage from creatures for a turn. Yet, Glimpse the Sun God takes it further by also allowing you to tap target creatures and it does so at instant speed, offering tactical flexibility during your opponent’s turn.

Another related card is Blinding Flare, which lets players tap down opposing creatures to potentially swing games. However, unlike Blinding Flare, Glimpse the Sun God affords players the option to dictate precisely how many creatures to tap based on their available mana, adding a layer of strategy. Cyclonic Rift is yet another comparison point, offering the ability to clear the board of enemy creatures. Although Cyclonic Rift stands out due to its mass board impact, it carries a higher mana cost, especially when leveraged for its Overload cost.

Assessing these cards, Glimpse the Sun God offers a nuanced tool for players seeking to finetune the battlefield to their advantage. It provides a blend of defense and control that can be adapted to a variety of situations, making it a card that shines in the hands of strategic players.

Cards similar to Glimpse the Sun God by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Glimpse the Sun God MTG card by a specific set like Born of the Gods, 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 Glimpse the Sun God and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Glimpse the Sun God has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability’s targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t scry.
2013-09-15	When you scry, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards on the bottom of your library, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them on the bottom.
2013-09-15	You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
2013-09-15	You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, that means you’ll scry last. For others, that means you’ll scry and then perform other actions.
2014-02-01	If you choose zero targets, you’ll just scry 1 when the spell resolves. However, if you choose at least one target and all of Glimpse the Sun God’s targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t scry in that case.