Gods Willing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Scry

Key Takeaways

  1. Gods Willing excels in protecting creatures and influencing future draws with its scry 1 ability.
  2. Its instant speed allows for flexible, reactive play, adapting to threats and shaping combat outcomes.
  3. Specific mana cost and proactive use requirement limits its versatility, balancing its protective power.

Text of card

Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

Honor the gods of Theros, and they will return the favor.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gods Willing offers a strategic edge by allowing you to scry 1 after casting, helping to ensure your next draw aligns with your game plan. This subtle form of card selection can be a decisive factor in maintaining the upper hand over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly impacting mana resources, Gods Willing enables the acceleration of your board presence by protecting key creatures. By keeping your creatures on the battlefield and in play longer, you effectively increase the resources at your disposal.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Gods Willing gives you the flexibility to respond to threats during your opponent’s turn, safeguarding your creatures from removal or unfavorable blocks. This reactive capability can greatly alter the pace and outcome of the match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Gods Willing provides invaluable protection, it cannot be overlooked that the effect requires a proactive approach. It doesn’t demand an actual discard, but instead necessitates having the card in hand and ready to use preemptively, which could mean holding back and potentially sacrificing more pressing plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Gods Willing’s casting cost is limited to a single white mana. This requirement restricts its spontaneous usability exclusively to decks with white mana sources, potentially limiting its versatility across the diverse array of MTG decks that may benefit from such an effect.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the cost of using spells for protection, Gods Willing has a mana value of one, which, at first glance, appears economical. However, considering alternative options that might shield multiple creatures or offer additional benefits for the same cost, Gods Willing’s value proposition becomes less striking, especially in formats where deck slots are at a premium.


Reasons to Include Gods Willing in Your Collection

Versatility: Gods Willing is a standout card due to its ability to protect and outmaneuver. This single-mana instant doesn’t just shield your creature from harm; it can also secure the upper hand in combat, ensuring your key pieces survive while you control the flow of the game.

Combo Potential: The card’s scry ability can be a strategic tool for setting up future plays. It synergizes well with heroic mechanisms or any strategy that benefits from targeted spells, making it an essential enabler for combo-centric decks.

Meta-Relevance: In a game meta with targeted removals and heavy creature interaction, Gods Willing becomes an efficient tool for response. It can often be the difference between victory and defeat, as it preserves your significant threats on the board for a pivotal next turn.


How to beat

Gods Willing stands as a stalwart defense in your opponent’s arsenal, offering both protection from a single color and a valuable scry to cement their game plan. Getting past this spell requires strategic finesse and timely play. A robust strategy involves holding onto instant-speed removal that doesn’t target, such as board wipes like Supreme Verdict, which can circumvent Gods Willing’s protective bubble. Alternatively, waiting for the spell to be cast before playing your targeted removal ensures your actions aren’t wasted. It’s also crucial to bait out this spell before committing your key threats to the board, reducing the chances of your most valuable creatures being nullified by its effect.

Discard effects present another angle to undermine Gods Willing. By forcing your opponent to discard cards before they have the chance to use them, you avoid the protective shield it offers. Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek are excellent examples of such preemptive measures. Moreover, counteracting the scry benefit is possible if you’re able to shuffle their library after Gods Willing has been played—effects found in cards like Field of Ruin.

In essence, while Gods Willing provides a temporary safeguard and deck manipulation, its potency can be mitigated by clever play and understanding the opportune moment to strike or disrupt your opponent’s hand and library.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re looking to add a layer of resilience to your deck, Gods Willing is an excellent choice to consider. Its ability to scry 1 further refines your strategy, setting you up for stronger plays. This card is especially potent in a meta filled with targeted removals, offering a cost-effective way to protect your critical creatures. However, it’s important to understand how to outmaneuver its limitations and alternatives. For those dedicated to honing their craft and exploring the depths of MTG strategy, we welcome you to delve deeper with us. Discover strategies to integrate Gods Willing effectively into your arsenal and learn how to counter it when facing it across the battlefield.


Cards like Gods Willing

Gods Willing is a standout spell for creature protection in Magic: The Gathering. It bears a close resemblance to spells like Apostle’s Blessing, offering a similar effect of granting protection from a color of your choice. While Apostle’s Blessing is more flexible, applicable to any permanent and able to shield from artifacts, it requires an additional payment of 2 life if not using white mana.

Another kin to Gods Willing is Sheltering Light. Both instants safeguard your creature and carry a converted mana cost of one. However, Sheltering Light only offers indestructibility, whereas Gods Willing provides protection from a chosen color and allows for a strategic scry 1, nudging it ahead for the savvy player seeking both defense and deck manipulation.

Diving deeper, we find Valorous Stance, a versatile option that either gives indestructibility or destroys a potent enemy creature. Despite its broader range of abilities, it sits at a higher mana point, which can be a determining factor in fast-paced matches where efficiency is key. Therefore, Gods Willing serves as a prime example of protective spells, combining cost-efficiency with the subtle advantage of deck control in MTG.

Apostle's Blessing - MTG Card versions
Sheltering Light - MTG Card versions
Valorous Stance - MTG Card versions
Apostle's Blessing - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Sheltering Light - Ixalan (XLN)
Valorous Stance - Fate Reforged (FRF)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gods Willing MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Gods Willing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Gods Willing Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12013-09-27TherosTHS 162003normalblackMark Winters
22016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 882015normalblackMark Winters
32018-03-16Masters 25A25 162015normalblackMark Winters
42018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 182015normalblackMark Winters
52019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 192015normalblackMark Winters
62019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1252015normalblackMark Winters
72020-09-26The ListPLST UMA-182015normalblackMark Winters
82021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 702015normalborderlessTada
92021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 72015normalborderlessDominik Mayer
102022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 122015normalblackMark Winters
112024-02-23Ravnica: Clue EditionCLU 632015normalblackMark Winters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gods Willing has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
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 choose the color as Gods Willing resolves. Once the color is chosen, it's too late for players to respond.
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.
2019-07-12 If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Gods Willing tries to resolve, the spell doesn't resolve. You won't scry 1. If the target creature becomes an illegal target while Gods Willing is resolving (most likely because you gave it protection from white), you do scry 1.
2019-07-12 You can't choose “artifact” or “colorless” as Gods Willing asks you to choose a color because those are not colors.

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