Breath of the Sleepless MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Generates card advantage by imposing life loss based on your creature control, widening the life totals gap.
  2. Offers resource acceleration with a relatively low mana cost, speeding up victory and pressuring opponents.
  3. Despite specific mana requirements, its versatility and combo potential make it a resilient choice in many decks.

Text of card

You may cast Spirit spells as though they had flash. Whenever you cast a creature spell during an opponent's turn, tap up to one target creature.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Breath of the Sleepless shines in this aspect as it enables you to maintain an advantage over your opponent. This MTG card makes sure your opponent loses life equal to the number of creatures you control, creating a substantial gap between you and your opponent’s life totals.

Resource Acceleration: This card also offers resource acceleration. By affording a casting cost of just four mana for a significant life loss to your opponent, it accelerates your progression towards victory. This can be used to speed up your game and swiftly wear down your opponents.

Instant Speed: Despite Breath of the Sleepless not being an instant card, it compensates with its immediate and impactful effect. Once you’ve played this enchantment, the life loss it imposes on your opponent is almost instantaneous, providing no room for your opponents to brace for the impending life loss or prepare a response.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Breath of the Sleepless requires you to pay an additional cost, which could put you at a disadvantage if your resources are tight.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands specific mana for casting, which may confine its utilization to definite decks. In this case, you need white and black mana, which potentially limits the deck type it can integrate with.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a summoning expense of five mana, there are other cards in the MTG universe that may provide better value or more immediate impacts. This high casting cost may restrict you from playing other significant cards.


Reasons to Include Breath of the Sleepless in Your Collection

Versatility: Breath of the Sleepless is not limited to a sole strategy. It suits multiple deck types, particular ones that gain from draining the opponent’s health and elevating yours simultaneously.

Combo Potential: The card syncs well with abilities like lifelink or cards that capitalize on life gain, hence offering you an edge in synergies and deck strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta game full of aggro decks, the life gain from Breath of the Sleepless can provide the critical durability needed to withstand initial onslaughts, and its damage effect can tip games in your favor.


How to beat

Breath of the Sleepless is a compelling card in the realm of MTG. This Orzhov guild card combines life drain and life gain effects, making it pivotal in decks that focus on life total manipulation. The card’s ability, when played in the right circumstances, can cause a significant swing in life totals that’s hard to recover from.

However, Breath of the Sleepless is not invincible. Like all enchantments, it’s vulnerable to enchantment removal spells, such as Disenchant or Naturalize. The key to mitigating the devastating effects of this card is to respond swiftly. Additionally, while Breath of the Sleepless is dominant in life manipulation decks, it may falter against faster, more aggressive decks where life total isn’t as crucial.

Alternative strategies involve the use of Hexproof or Shroud effects that can protect your creatures from being targeted, rendering the card’s life drain ability ineffective. Also, cards like Leyline of Sanctity can provide a player immunity to the life loss part of the effect.

In essence, though dealing with Breath of the Sleepless might require some specific tools, once these are in place, a player can relatively easily neutralize its impact.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the dynamic world of MTG, cards like Breath of the Sleepless are what distinguish an ordinary deck from a formidable one. If you value strategic depth and seek to harness the power of life manipulation within your deck, this enchantment could be a game-changer. By integrating it, you not only amplify your gameplay but also enrich your collection with a card that can provide a surprising edge. Breath of the Sleepless might have its limitations, but its potential in the right build is undeniable. Keen to understand where this card fits in your lineup or how to counteract it? We’ve got insights and strategies that could sharpen your approach. Dive deeper with us to refine your MTG arsenal and outplay the competition.


Cards like Breath of the Sleepless

Breath of the Sleepless casts an intriguing aura on any MTG deck. It embraces competition from spells such as Anya’s Ravager. Both require a significant mana investment, but Breath of the Sleepless justifies it by effectively creating under-costed creatures and rewarding you for playing other spells. Anya’s Ravager, although attacking each turn if able, can’t quite offer the same return.

Comparatively, Ill-Tempered Loner can flip into a deadly creature and cause substantial damage, especially with its nightbound effect. Yet, it lacks the control of creature flow and the constant addition of life points that Breath of the Sleepless assures.

Finally, Parallel Lives can multiply your creature tokens. Still, it amplifies existing tokens rather than creating new ones and lacks the draining life effect of our prime card. Breath of the Sleepless masterfully weaves a balance of adding strength to your battlefield and chipping away at your opponent’s life.

To sum up, Breath of the Sleepless holds its ground confidently among similar cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its powerful token creation and life-draining abilities make it a considerable choice for any MTG game.

Parallel Lives - MTG Card versions
Parallel Lives - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Breath of the Sleepless by color, type and mana cost

Steal Artifact - MTG Card versions
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Annex - MTG Card versions
Leyline of Singularity - MTG Card versions
Steal Artifact - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
Animate Artifact - MTG Card versions
Merseine - MTG Card versions
Zur's Weirding - MTG Card versions
Abduction - MTG Card versions
Zephid's Embrace - MTG Card versions
Browse - MTG Card versions
Opposition - MTG Card versions
Collective Restraint - MTG Card versions
Delusions of Mediocrity - MTG Card versions
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - MTG Card versions
Necroduality - MTG Card versions
Bident of Thassa - MTG Card versions
Coastal Piracy - MTG Card versions
Treasure Trove - MTG Card versions
Mystic Restraints - MTG Card versions
Ambiguity - MTG Card versions
Annex - MTG Card versions
Leyline of Singularity - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Breath of the Sleepless MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Crimson Vow Commander, 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 Breath of the Sleepless and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Breath of the Sleepless Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2021-11-19. Illustrated by Robin Olausson.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 952912015NormalBlackRobin Olausson
22021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 492015NormalBlackRobin Olausson
32021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 112015NormalBlackRobin Olausson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Breath of the Sleepless has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.