Dazzling Lights MTG Card

Gain card quality advantage by filtering through your deck with Dazzling Lights, enhancing draw precision. Disrupt opponent’s strategies during combat using Dazzling Lights’ instant-speed capability to full effect. Use Dazzling Lights to surveil and set up graveyard synergies, adding depth to your blue mana deck strategies.

Dazzling Lights - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
2018-10-05 - Number 34

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 343

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number GRN-34

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Surveil

Text of card

Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. Surveil 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)

Cards like Dazzling Lights

Dazzling Lights is a unique addition to the Magic: The Gathering suite of combat trick cards. It bears some similarities to cards like Uncomfortable Chill that also offer an effect on creatures opponents control. Dazzling Lights not only weakens a creature’s power but also grants an added benefit of surveil, providing card selection to potentially improve future draws.

Close parallels can be drawn with the card Writ of Passage, which doesn’t reduce power but makes a creature unblockable for a turn. The slight difference in cost between them can be instrumental in deck strategies. Another card, Veil of Secrecy, provides creature protection and is a fine example of strategies that focus on shielding key creatures rather than debilitating the opponent’s.

Considering the depth of tactical plays available, Dazzling Lights serves not only as a disruption but also as a deck manipulation tool, carving a niche for itself amongst MTG cards that influence combat dynamics and card advantage.

Cards similar to Dazzling Lights by color, type and mana cost

Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions

Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dazzling Lights doesn’t just stall an attacker or potential blocker; it also has a card-filtering mechanism. When you cast Dazzling Lights, you delve deeper into your deck, exploring your next draws and thus gaining a subtle card quality advantage. This can be vital in finding the resources or answers tailored to the current board state.

Resource Acceleration: Although Dazzling Lights doesn’t directly ramp your mana, it indirectly acts as resource acceleration by filtering your deck. This increase in card efficiency ensures that the mana you do spend is put toward the most impactful plays, potentially freeing up your resources for future turns.

Instant Speed: The power of acting at instant speed cannot be overstated. Dazzling Lights can catch an opponent off-guard, potentially disrupting their combat strategy or even their end-of-turn plays. It allows you to react swiftly to threats, keeping your mana untapped until the most opportune moment, which is key in maintaining the element of surprise and tactical advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dazzling Lights requires the caster to have a specific card to discard, which can be a setback when your hand is already depleted. This effect intensifies the challenge of maintaining card advantage during crucial moments of gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Limited by its blue mana requirement, Dazzling Lights is constrained to decks that run blue mana sources. This can cause hiccups in mana flexibility across multicolor deck strategies where blue is not always a priority.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With alternatives available that may lower creature power or tap them for less mana, Dazzling Lights’ cost may seem excessive for its immediate impact on the board state. When optimizing your deck for efficiency, the cost-to-benefit ratio is an essential factor to consider.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dazzling Lights is a versatile inclusion capable of fitting into various control or tempo decks. Its ability to instantaneously reduce a creature’s power can be a game changer during combat, often protecting your life total or disrupting your opponent’s plans.

Combo Potential: Not only does Dazzling Lights decrease a creature’s power, but it also enables you to surveil, setting up the top of your deck and fueling graveyard strategies. This can synergize with cards that capitalize on both graveyard setups and information control.

Meta-Relevance: Given the current landscape where creature-heavy aggro decks are prevalent, Dazzling Lights can be an unexpectedly potent tool. It allows players to navigate through inevitable board stalls and maintain tempo, making it a relevant addition to your arsenal.

How to beat Dazzling Lights

Dazzling Lights is a unique instant spell in Magic: The Gathering that can catch players off guard, primarily due to its ability to not only tap a creature but also force the owner to mill two cards from their library. The strategic use of this card can disrupt an opponent’s attack and potentially unearth critical strategy components from their deck. Defeating this card requires anticipation and preventive strategies.

To counteract Dazzling Lights, instant-speed removal or counterspells are effective. Spells like Negate or Dispel are low-cost options that can stop Dazzling Lights before its effect can disrupt your game plan. Additionally, creatures with hexproof or shroud can be invaluable, as Dazzling Lights cannot target them. Enhancing your creatures’ toughness through instant spells or abilities is another tactic to ensure they survive the potential milling and tapping. Keeping mana open for such responses or playing creatures that can operate effectively even when tapped might be the key to maintaining control against a Dazzling Lights play.

Ultimately, maintaining flexibility in your strategy and being prepared for control elements like Dazzling Lights is crucial for a successful MTG strategy, ensuring your creatures and plan remain unhampered.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dazzling Lights MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica and Mystery Booster, 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 Dazzling Lights and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dazzling Lights Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Robbie Trevino.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2018-10-05	Guilds of Ravnica	GRN	34	2015	Normal	Black	Robbie Trevino
2	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	343	2015	Normal	Black	Robbie Trevino
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	GRN-34	2015	Normal	Black	Robbie Trevino

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dazzling Lights has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-10-05	Some spells that instruct you to surveil require targets. You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t surveil.
2018-10-05	When you surveil, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards into your graveyard, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them into your graveyard.
2018-10-05	You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, you’ll surveil last. For others, you’ll surveil and then perform other actions.