Contentious Plan MTG Card


Contentious Plan excels in offering card draw plus proliferate, boosting strategy and advantage. Low casting cost enables early game benefits and late-game strategic plays. Requires blue mana, fitting decks focused on proliferate and card draw synergy.
Contentious Plan - War of the Spark
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Proliferate
Released2019-05-03
Set symbol
Set nameWar of the Spark
Set codeWAR
Number46
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byEric Deschamps

Text of card

Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) Draw a card.

Niv-Mizzet had perfected a plan, but he had no control over the mortal minds who had to agree to implement it.


Cards like Contentious Plan

Contentious Plan stands as a unique contender among proliferate spells in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with other proliferate cards such as Flux Channeler, which also increases the number of counters on any number of permanents and/or players. However, Contentious Plan ups the ante by offering an additional feature – the advantage of drawing a card. Flux Channeler, in contrast, does not offer this benefit, even though it brings the benefit of being a creature card.

In the same sphere, we have the card Thrummingbird. It not only proliferates but also serves as a creature card which can deal damage to players. Although it holds these advantages, it lacks the card-draw aspect that characterizes Contentious Plan. Then, we look at another proliferate card – Karn’s Bastion. Karn’s Bastion allows the ability to proliferate at will, by simply paying four mana. It lacks, however, the draw-card aspect of Contentious Plan, even if it is a useful land card in a counter-centric deck.

In conclusion, when comparing intricacies and evaluating worthiness of various alternatives, Contentious Plan indeed places highly among proliferate spells in Magic: The Gathering, partly due to its well-balanced complexity and drawing-card strength.

Flux Channeler - MTG Card versions
Thrummingbird - MTG Card versions
Karn's Bastion - MTG Card versions
Flux Channeler - MTG Card versions
Thrummingbird - MTG Card versions
Karn's Bastion - MTG Card versions

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Time Walk - MTG Card versions
Braingeyser - MTG Card versions
Drain Power - MTG Card versions
Transmute Artifact - MTG Card versions
Forget - MTG Card versions
Piracy - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions
Wind Sail - MTG Card versions
Mana Vapors - MTG Card versions
Turbulent Dreams - MTG Card versions
Quiet Speculation - MTG Card versions
Muse Vortex - MTG Card versions
See the Truth - MTG Card versions
Fae of Wishes // Granted - MTG Card versions
Maddening Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Silver Scrutiny - MTG Card versions
Reshape - MTG Card versions
Eye of Nowhere - MTG Card versions
Train of Thought - MTG Card versions
Skyscribing - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Contentious Plan. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
UBRGUBRG PauperPauper League 2024-05-06
UBGUBG PauperPauper League 2024-03-17
Poison StormPoison Storm PauperMonthly Tournament #38 @ Paper Pauper Magic Discord
URGURG PauperPauper Challenge 32 2024-04-14
Turbo FogTurbo Fog PauperTurbo FogPauper Challenge 32 2024-03-17

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Contentious Plan provides a boon to players by allowing them to proliferate and draw a card. Killing two birds with one stone, you get to to add more counters to your existing permanents or players while also replenishing your hand. This dual-purpose ability offers an edge in gameplay by both enhancing your strategy and maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: The ability to proliferate can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. By adding more counters to your creatures, planeswalkers or other permanents in play, you can leverage existing resources to get ahead faster. Though it doesn’t generate actual mana or tokens, it fuels acceleration through counter multiplication.

Instant Speed: While Contentious Plan is a sorcery and not an instant, its low casting cost allows it to be effectively utilized during earlier turns or combined with other spells during late game. This versatility in timing can be exploited strategically to keep opponents off balance or respond to emerging threats.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Contentious Plan card doesn’t necessitate a discard, but prolonging the game can force you to potentially exhaust your resources as it leans towards a longer-term play strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Contentious Plan calls for a specific Blue mana. This involves adaptability of your deck to incorporate blue, which may restrain it to largely Simic, Izzet, or mono-blue constructs, restricting its application to certain strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although it costs two mana, one of it being Blue, the balance between its pricing and effect (Proliferate then draw a card) might seem underpowered. There are alternative cards available with similar or lesser mana cost that can potentially offer greater value or versatility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Contentious Plan prudently adapts to myriad deck types, most significantly, those prospering from proliferate and card draw mechanics.

Combo Potential: The proliferate capability of Contentious Plan can amplify the performance of decks that thrive on +1/+1 counters or loyalty counters, skyrocketing your game dominance.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta-game sees an emergence of planeswalkers and counter-focused decks, Contentious Plan’s unique blend of card draw and counter multiplication potentially yields noteworthy dividends.


How to beat

Controlling Contentious Plan, a proliferate spell from the War of the Spark set, is an art in Magic: The Gathering. Possessing this spell in your arsenal not only draws you a card but also lets you add an additional counter of each kind already present on a few or as many creatures and/or artifacts you want.

However, to balance the battlefield, it’s vital to have counter strategies in place. This could mean ensuring removal spells like Go for the Throat or Abrade, to eradicate creatures or artifacts that pose threats due to additional counters. Alternatively, you can apply counter-measures that neutralize proliferate effects, such as Solemnity, an enchantment that stops counters from being put on your opponent’s artifacts, creatures, or lands.

Finally, using counter magic like Negate or Spell Pierce can be an effective way to directly deal with Contentious Plan and stop it from resolving. Timing is key here, it’s best to disrupt your opponent’s strategy when they least anticipate it. Master these measures, and you’ll have the upper hand against Contentious Plan and similar spells in your MTG battles.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Contentious Plan, you’re handed a tool that could pivot the tides of your MTG games towards victory. Its potential to advance your board state by proliferating, paired with its card-drawing ability, makes it more than just an ordinary spell—it’s a strategic asset for any blue-centric deck. Whether you’re seeking to bolster your creatures, escalate your planeswalkers, or simply gain an advantage through card economy, embracing this spell could be a game-changer. Dive deeper into the realm of MTG with us, discover how Contentious Plan and similar cards can upgrade your deck, and arm yourself with the right strategies for your next match. The path to mastery awaits, and we’re here to guide your journey.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Contentious Plan MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark, 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 Contentious Plan and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Contentious Plan 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 Contentious Plan card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-03-19 If a permanent has +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it, they’re removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it.
2021-03-19 Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it’s too late for anyone to respond.
2021-03-19 To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can’t choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
2021-03-19 You don’t have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since “any number” includes zero, you don’t have to choose any permanents at all, and you don’t have to choose any players at all.