Dissipation Field MTG Card


Dissipation Field offers tactical advantages by disrupting opponents and managing battlefield threats. It indirectly accelerates your game plan by taxing opponents’ resources with repeated returns. As a persistent effect, it provides a continuous strategic presence and influences opponent decisions.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Text of card

Whenever a permanent deals damage to you, return it to its owner's hand.

"Strike me once, shame on you. Strike me twice . . . Well, let's just see if you can." —Kara Vrist, Neurok agent


Cards like Dissipation Field

The Dissipation Field enchantment offers a unique defensive strategy for Magic: The Gathering players. When compared to other bounce mechanics like Unsummon, which affects only one creature at a time, Dissipation Field returns all creatures that deal damage to you back to their owner’s hand. This card can deter opponents from attacking, whereas Unsummon can only provide a temporary reprieve from a single threat.

Another card with a similar global effect is Ætherspouts, which presents a once-off event that can reshape the battlefield profoundly by returning attacking creatures to the top or bottom of their owner’s library. However, this card is reactive and limited to a one-time use, while Dissipation Field is a more constant deterrent, activating every time you are dealt damage.

In essence, dissipation field weaves a persistent shield around your life total, offering a way to protect yourself that can affect the board turn after turn. It’s a unique control tool that excels in prolonging games and frustrating aggressive opponents. But keep in mind, unlike some other one-time control spells, it requires a more strategic deck construction to ensure its maximum potency throughout a match.

Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Dissipation Field provides a unique tactical advantage, offering an effective deterrent that can disrupt your opponent’s combat strategies. Through its ability to return creatures to their owner’s hand upon dealing damage to you, it keeps your hand replenished with potential blockers or threats for subsequent turns.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly influencing mana resources, Dissipation Field can indirectly accelerate your game plan. By repeatedly returning opponent’s creatures to their hands, you force them to spend more resources to redeploy those threats, effectively slowing them down and giving you the upper hand in resource allocation.

Instant Speed: Although Dissipation Field itself is an enchantment, its constant effect on the battlefield can mimic the disruptive impact of an instant. It springs into action whenever you’re dealt damage, ensuring you’re never without a response even if it’s not your turn. This continuous threat can influence your opponent’s decisions, often to your advantage, as they must consider the potential setback of attacking you.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Boasting a mana cost that includes two blue mana symbols, Dissipation Field may be challenging to cast in a multi-colored deck, especially when facing a curve that prioritizes other colors.

Discard Requirement: Unlike some other defensive enchantments, Dissipation Field does not require a player to discard. However, it does necessitate a strategic deck build to ensure the mana cost can be met consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, it’s critical to weigh its defensive benefits against other options. Some players might find that in high-tempo games, the initial investment in setting up Dissipation Field could be better allocated to more proactive and immediate threats or board presence.


Reasons to Include Dissipation Field in Your Collection

Versatility: Dissipation Field is an enchantment that suits a variety of defensive blue-based strategies. It serves as a deterrent by returning any permanent to its owner’s hand after it deals damage to you, thus providing a persistent form of board control.

Combo Potential: This card offers synergy with abilities that activate when a card is returned to the hand or when a permanent enters the battlefield. Combine it with bounce mechanics or enter-the-battlefield effects to capitalize on its unique interaction.

Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with aggressive creatures, Dissipation Field can be an effective tool. It discourages opponents from attacking or using direct damage, allowing you more time to draw into your deck’s key components or set up a game-winning combo.


How to beat

Dissipation Field is a unique enchantment in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, presenting a defensive mechanism by returning all creatures to their owner’s hand each time they deal damage to you. To circumvent this card, strategy is crucial. Focusing on non-creature damage sources, such as spells that direct damage at players or planeswalkers, allows avoidance of the field’s effect. In addition, abilities like hexproof or shroud can protect your creatures by making them untargetable, nullifying the bounce trigger.

Persistent and resolute overwhelms are also viable tactics. Mass creature strategies that flood the board faster than the opponent can re-cast their creatures maintain pressure without overcommitting individual vessels of damage. Deploying indirect win conditions such as mill or combo finishes bypass the field’s influence altogether. Lastly, cards like Disenchant or Naturalize, which directly destroy enchantments, dismantle the dissipation defense swiftly and efficiently. Picking the right countermeasure tailored to your deck’s strengths and your opponent’s weaknesses is the key to triumph over the challenge Dissipation Field poses.


BurnMana Recommendations

The intricacies of MTG are manifold, and incorporating cards like Dissipation Field into your arsenal can redefine your approach to defense and control. Its capacity to reset the field punishes opponents’ aggression and strengthens your tactical game. We recommend considering the synergies and deck types that best harness the power of this unique enchantment. Whether it’s deterring attackers or cleverly pairing with cards that thrive on permanents entering or leaving the battlefield, Dissipation Field has the potential to be a game-changer. Ready to boost your strategic depth? Delve deeper with us and explore the multifaceted applications of Dissipation Field in your deck’s architecture.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dissipation Field MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Dissipation Field and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dissipation Field Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-10-01 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Matt Cavotta.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-10-01Scars of MirrodinSOM 322003NormalBlackMatt Cavotta
22022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 7182015NormalBlackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dissipation Field has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2011-01-01 The ability triggers whenever you're dealt any damage (not just combat damage) by any permanent (not just creatures). This includes permanents you control.