Devastation Tide MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Miracle

Key Takeaways

  1. Devastation Tide creates a sweeping reset, potentially turning the tide of the game in your favor.
  2. Miracle cost enables a surprise play, outmaneuvering opponents during critical turns.
  3. Requires strategic deck building around blue mana and early-turn draws to optimize efficiency.

Text of card

Return all nonland permanents to their owners' hands. Miracle (You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn.)

It's hard to argue with a force made of divine will.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Devastation Tide lets you return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands. This reset button can create significant card advantage by negating your opponent’s board developments while preserving the cards in your hand for a follow-up.

Resource Acceleration: By bouncing mana-producing artifacts or creatures your opponents control, Devastation Tide can indirectly slow down their resource acceleration, giving you a chance to take the lead in the game. This tempo shift can be as impactful as accelerating your own resources.

Instant Speed: Although Devastation Tide is a sorcery, its Miracle cost allows you to cast it for a much lower cost at instant speed if it’s the first card you draw for the turn. This surprise factor can be a game-changer, letting you respond to an opponent’s overwhelming presence on the battlefield at a crucial moment.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Devastation Tide requires a mix of generic and blue mana, demanding a substantial blue presence in your deck to be cast reliably.

Discard Requirement: While not a typical discard requirement, the card’s Miracle cost obliges you to have it as the first drawn card in a turn to benefit from the reduced casting cost, which can be unpredictable.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, this card sits at a higher spectrum for board resets, potentially slowing down your tempo when compared to other lower-cost alternatives.


Reasons to Include Devastation Tide in Your Collection

Versatility: Devastation Tide is a flexible card that you can integrate into multiple deck archetypes. Whether you’re piloting a control deck that needs to reset the board or a tempo deck that wants to gain a decisive advantage, this spell can serve a key role in swinging the game to your favor by bouncing all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands.

Combo Potential: This card possesses significant combo potential, particularly in decks that capitalize on casting spells with flashback or those that seek to reuse enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects. In combination with other synergistic cards, Devastation Tide helps you to maximize value from your permanents while disrupting your opponents’ board states.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment crowded with aggressive creature strategies or one where permanents with sticky board presence are common, Devastation Tide becomes a pivotal card. By clearing the way, it allows you to reset the tempo of the game and address problematic board states that are otherwise difficult to overcome.


How to beat

Devastation Tide is a powerful card known for resetting the board in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, it can significantly alter the course of the game. To effectively counter this card, players should prioritize immediate impact plays and maintain hand advantage, ensuring that they can redeploy their threats quickly after a board sweep. Holding onto instant-speed spells and abilities that can be used after Devastation Tide resolves can also help mitigate its effect.

Another strategy involves utilizing cards that can’t be bounced or have beneficial effects when they leave the battlefield. This way, players can maintain their board presence or gain value, despite the temporary setback. Additionally, cards with Flash can be played at the end of your opponent’s turn, allowing you to rebuild your board swiftly. Lastly, consider using counter spells to prevent Devastation Tide from resolving at all, protecting your established board state and maintaining your momentum.

By adopting these tactics, players can effectively navigate the turbulent waters Devastation Tide brings to the game, maintaining control and steering towards victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the capabilities of Devastation Tide offers a refreshingly strategic angle to your MTG gameplay. Whether you’re looking to tilt the scales in a tight match or reset the board for a dramatic comeback, this card can be a potent addition to your arsenal. Delve into the synergies it unlocks, especially in decks that can exploit its Miracle cost for a surprise play. If you’re seeking to navigate the current meta with finesse, understanding and utilizing cards like Devastation Tide are crucial. Come journey with us further into the depths of MTG strategy for more insights and recommendations tailored to boost your game.


Cards like Devastation Tide

Devastation Tide carves its niche in Magic: The Gathering as a monumental reset button. When it comes to sweeping the board clean, it stands alongside the likes of Cyclonic Rift, another card that can return all nonland permanents to their owner’s hands. What sets Devastation Tide apart is its miracle cost, allowing for a potentially game-changing play at a fraction of the normal casting cost.

Evacuation is yet another contender with similar board clearing capabilities. It’s an instant, which offers more flexibility than Devastation Tide, typically a sorcery unless its miracle cost is activated. However, Evacuation only affects creatures, thus not as all-encompassing as Devastation Tide, which targets all nonland permanents. Rout is an alternative option, though it only destroys creatures, yet it can be played as an instant for a higher cost, providing a somewhat different strategic advantage.

Through careful comparison of these alternatives, Devastation Tide emerges as a versatile and potentially cost-effective solution for players looking to reclaim control of a cluttered battlefield within the game. With the right timing, its impact can lead to devastating consequences for opponents, underscoring its value in decks that can manipulate or benefit from such sweeping board resets.

Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Rout - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Evacuation - Stronghold (STH)
Rout - Invasion (INV)

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Heed the Mists - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ribbons of the Reikai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Reduce to Dreams - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Tidings - Commander 2018 (C18)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Devastation Tide MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Commander 2016, 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 Devastation Tide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Devastation Tide Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 482003normalblackRaymond Swanland
22016-11-11Commander 2016C16 872015normalblackRaymond Swanland
32018-08-09Commander 2018C18 852015normalblackRaymond Swanland
42023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 1892015normalblackWarren Mahy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Devastation Tide has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-07-13 If an effect puts a card into your hand without using the word "draw," the card wasn't drawn.
2018-07-13 If the card with miracle leaves your hand before the triggered ability resolves, you won't be able to cast it using its miracle ability.
2018-07-13 It's important to reveal a card with miracle before it is mixed with the other cards in your hand.
2018-07-13 Miracle is an alternative cost to cast the spell with miracle. It can't be combined with other alternative costs, such as casting a spell "without paying its mana cost."
2018-07-13 Multiple card draws are always treated as a sequence of individual card draws. For example, if you haven't drawn any cards yet during a turn and cast a spell that instructs you to draw three cards, you'll draw them one at a time. Only the first card drawn this way may be revealed and cast using its miracle ability.
2018-07-13 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a miracle cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
2018-07-13 You can cast a card for its miracle cost only as the miracle triggered ability resolves. If you don't want to cast it at that time (or you can't cast it, perhaps because there are no legal targets available), you won't be able to cast it later for the miracle cost.
2018-07-13 You can reveal and cast a card with miracle on any turn, not just your own, if it's the first card you've drawn that turn.
2018-07-13 You cast the card with miracle during the resolution of the triggered ability. Ignore any timing rules based on the card's type.
2018-07-13 You don't have to reveal a drawn card with miracle if you don't wish to cast it at that time.
2018-07-13 You still draw the card, whether you use the miracle ability or not. Any ability that triggers whenever you draw a card, for example, will trigger. If you don't cast the card using its miracle ability, it will remain in your hand.

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