Confront the Past MTG Card

Provides strategic advantage by recovering planeswalkers, enhancing board state and game strategy. Instant speed play allows flexibility, improving threat response and mana efficiency. Mana requirements and high cost necessitate careful deck construction and play considerations.
Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeSorcery — Lesson

Text of card

Choose one — • Return target planeswalker card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. • Remove twice X loyalty counters from target planeswalker an opponent controls.

"Why, Gideon? Of all people, why save me?"

Cards like Confront the Past

Confront the Past offers a unique role among Planeswalker support and recursion cards in Magic: The Gathering. A direct comparison can be made with the flexible nature of Regrowth, which also allows players to return a card from their graveyard to their hand, but lacks the Planeswalker-specific utility. Confront the Past shines by providing targeted reclamation of Planeswalkers, or doubling as a removal spell against opposing Planeswalkers.

Another similar utility is found in Noxious Revival, offering a quick, albeit temporary, way to place a card on top of the library from the graveyard. It’s versatile, yet it doesn’t cater explicitly to Planeswalkers nor serve as a direct removal tool. Call to Mind is a contender as well, sharing the ability to retrieve spells from the graveyard, but its single-purpose design and higher mana cost put it in a different strategic space compared to the multitasking nature of Confront the Past.

Taking these comparisons into account, Confront the Past can be a strategic gem for MTG players who aim for flexibility and focus on Planeswalker-themed decks, standing out as a potent choice for its dual-function and cost efficiency.

Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Noxious Revival - MTG Card versions
Call to Mind - MTG Card versions
Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Noxious Revival - MTG Card versions
Call to Mind - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you cast Confront the Past, you have the potential to return a valuable planeswalker from your graveyard to your hand or battlefield, thereby recovering resources and putting you ahead in terms of card value.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, utilizing Confront the Past can be seen as a form of resource acceleration in decks focused around planeswalker synergies. Getting back a key planeswalker can accelerate your game strategy and contribute to your board state more efficiently.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Confront the Past at instant speed gives you flexibility to respond during your opponent’s turn. This not only can surprise your opponent but also allows you to utilize your mana effectively, waiting to see if there’s a more pressing threat to address before committing to bringing back your planeswalker.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Delving into the pitfalls of Confront the Past, one of the drawbacks is the discard requirement which it carries. This may prove troublesome, particularly in scenarios where your hand is already limited, leaving you at a disadvantage by further reducing your available options.

Specific Mana Cost: Another consideration is the specific mana cost attached to Confront the Past. This card demands black mana, which could potentially restrict its integration only to those decks that can produce such mana reliably. Players running multicolored decks might find this a particular constraint if black isn’t heavily featured within their deck’s structure.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When we scrutinize the mana efficiency of Confront the Past, it’s evident that its comparative high mana cost can be a downside. Given the potent effects that other cards could deliver at a similar or even lower mana investment, players might be inclined to opt for alternatives that promise a better cost-to-benefit ratio than what this card offers at its mana threshold.

Reasons to Include Confront the Past in Your Collection

Versatility: Confront the Past offers flexible solutions to a variety of scenarios. It can serve as spot removal for planeswalkers or, with its Learn mechanic, it can provide access to your sideboard, allowing you to adapt to the game’s evolving dynamics.

Combo Potential: Operating as a potent recovery tool, it’s adept at retrieving key planeswalkers from your graveyard. This can be crucial for re-establishing control or reanimating a critical combo piece to regain the advantage.

Meta-Relevance: With planeswalkers frequently influencing competitive play, having an answer to these powerful permanents is essential. Confront the Past’s ability to counteract and circumvent strategies centered around planeswalkers makes it a compelling addition to your arsenal, especially in a planeswalker-heavy meta.

How to beat

Confront the Past is a unique card that allows players to return a planeswalker from their graveyard to the battlefield or remove up to twice the loyalty counters from a target planeswalker an opponent controls. To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to maintain graveyard control, which can nullify its reanimation ability. Graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can provide an answer by exiling cards before they become a threat again.

Similarly, responding quickly to the casting of Confront the Past with instant-speed removal or counter spells can disrupt an opponent’s plans, particularly if they are relying on a specific planeswalker to return. Counters like Spell Pierce or Dovin’s Veto are crucial for this tactic. Preventing your opponent from gaining card advantage with this spell is paramount.

Additionally, diversifying threats on the board ensures that removing loyalty counters from a single planeswalker won’t catastrophically affect your game plan. Focusing on a versatile strategy with creatures, artifacts, and enchantments will lessen the impact of Confront the Past and keep you in the lead.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Confront the Past MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The List, 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 Confront the Past and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Confront the Past Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2021-04-24. Illustrated by Kieran Yanner.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 900742015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
22020-09-26The ListPLST STX-672015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
32021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 672015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
42021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3032015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
52021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 67s2015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
62021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 67p2015NormalBlackKieran Yanner

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Confront the Past has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-04-16 Although you may want to include Lessons in your sideboard if you’re playing with cards that instruct you to learn, Lesson cards can be included in your main deck like other instant or sorcery cards.
2021-04-16 Lesson is a spell subtype found on some instant and sorcery cards in the Strixhaven set. The Lesson subtype has no special rules associated with it.