Fortunate Few MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers card advantage by sculpting the game and forcing opponents to give up keys assets.
  2. Can slow opponents, giving your deck the upper hand in resource progression.
  3. Its instant speed allows tactical plays that disrupt opponents unexpectedly.

Text of card

Choose a nonland permanent you don't control, then each other player chooses a nonland permanent they don't control that hasn't been chosen this way. Destroy all other nonland permanents.

"...Is it over?"


Card Pros

When discussing the merits of Fortunate Few, an intriguing card from MTG, it’s essential to delve into the specifics that make it a potential game-changer in your deck. Here’s a closer look at its key characteristics:

Card Advantage: Fortunate Few is adept at disrupting the volatile balance of the battlefield while offering you the chance to redefine board presence. By selectively choosing which permanents remain, you not only sculpt the game’s panorama to your advantage, but it also implicitly compels other players to part with their valuable cards, thereby tipping the scales of card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Fortunate Few doesn’t directly produce resources, by effectively resetting the playing field, it can stall your opponents’ development allowing your own resource acceleration measures to shine. In multi-player formats, this can significantly hinder the progression of other decks and give you an opportunity to leap ahead in terms of resources.

Instant Speed: The magic of Fortunate Few is not just in the powerful effect it has on the game, but also in its application. Operating at instant speed provides you with the tactical advantage to disrupt opponents’ strategies during crucial phases of their turn. This element of surprise makes Fortunate Few a formidable card to hold in reserve until the perfect moment arises.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fortunate Few demands that players choose nonland permanents they do not control and then discard them, potentially depleting crucial cards from your hand that could be necessary for future turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a mix of white and blue mana, this card’s casting requirements may restrict deck-building options, favoring only Azorius or other blue-and-white-aligned strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, including three generic and one each of white and blue, Fortunate Few sits at a higher threshold on the mana curve, possibly delaying vital plays or clashing with other high-value spells in your strategy.


Reasons to Include Fortunate Few in Your Collection

Versatility: Fortunate Few offers a unique approach to board control, allowing players to deftly navigate games with it in their deck. It’s not limited to only aggressive or defensive strategies but can adapt to various situations, benefitting virtually any deck type that appreciates selective upheaval of the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to deselect certain permanents opens up avenues for intriguing combinations. It pairs well with cards that benefit from the return of specific permanents to the hand or those strategies designed to exploit opponents’ minimized board states post-cast.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where board state dominance is key, Fortunate Few disrupts equilibrium, giving players a fighting chance against more dominant setups. Its relevancy spikes in metas heavy with tokens or singular powerful threats, potentially swinging the game in your favor with just one cast.


How to beat

Fortunate Few is one of those disruptive cards in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tide of the game by selectively paring down the battlefield. At its core, it’s a powerful game equalizer, often resetting the board state and giving players a chance to start afresh. The challenge lies in overcoming the potential loss of valuable assets when Fortunate Few resolves.

To effectively counter this card, the key is to employ a strategy that minimizes your reliance on a diverse board presence. Utilize cards with hexproof or shroud to make it difficult for opponents to choose your permanents. Additionally, keeping a strong hand and low battlefield profile may lessen the impact of Fortunate Few. Instants allowing you to bounce your own permanents to your hand can save them from being chosen and thus, keep your game plan intact. Another tactic is running counterspells to prevent Fortunate Few from ever resolving, although this requires you to play blue or have access to mana of any color.

Strategic deck-building and knowing when to commit resources onto the board can mitigate the effect Fortunate Few has on your gameplay, ensuring your valuable pieces remain a threat while your opponents are left to work with the fortunate—often sparse—remnants of the board.


Cards like Fortunate Few

Fortunate Few brings a unique twist to the board reset strategies prevalent in Magic: The Gathering. Delving into this effect, we find cards like Tragic Arrogance and Cataclysm, which also force players to choose cards they control and sacrifice the rest. What makes Fortunate Few distinct is its democratic process – all players get to choose, giving it a political angle during gameplay. Tragic Arrogance lets the caster decide, arguably providing more control over the outcome.

Comparing further, Slaughter the Strong echoes these selective culling effects by setting a strict power limit on creatures that can survive, which can sometimes be more predictable than the choice-driven nature of Fortunate Few. While it doesn’t involve the collective decision-making, it comes with a lower mana cost, highlighting a balance between strategic precision and resource efficiency.

Each card offers a tactical approach to disrupting the battlefield, yet Fortunate Few’s unique appeal lies in its potential for careful negotiation and alliance-building among players, setting it apart as a wise choice for those who revel in the game’s social dynamics and seek control over the chaos of a multiplayer game.

Tragic Arrogance - MTG Card versions
Cataclysm - MTG Card versions
Slaughter the Strong - MTG Card versions
Tragic Arrogance - MTG Card versions
Cataclysm - MTG Card versions
Slaughter the Strong - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fortunate Few MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2017, 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 Fortunate Few and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Fortunate Few Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 656732015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 42015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fortunate Few has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2017-08-25 A permanent with indestructible can be chosen this way even though it wouldn’t be destroyed otherwise.
2017-08-25 After you choose a nonland permanent, each other player does so in turn order starting from the player whose turn it is. Each player will know the choice made by previous players.
2017-08-25 Lands can’t be chosen and won’t be destroyed, even if they have other types (such as an artifact land).
2017-08-25 Once Fortunate Few begins resolving, no player may take any actions other than those specified by Fortunate Few until it’s done resolving. Notably, players must act to protect their permanents (such as by activating Kindred Boon) before knowing which permanents will be chosen.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
See more decks