Divine Deflection MTG Card

Saves resources and life points by preventing damage, enhancing board control and strategic leverage. Instant speed allows for reactive play, disrupting opponents’ strategies and preserving tempo. Flexibility in its utility makes Divine Deflection a must-have for both offensive and defensive decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Number	18
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steve Prescott

Text of card

Prevent the next X damage that would be dealt to you and/or permanents you control this turn. If damage is prevented this way, Divine Deflection deals that much damage to target creature or player.

Understanding the Impact of Divine Deflection

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Divine Deflection serves as an intriguing tactical option for players seeking to prevent damage and turn the tides of battle. This instant spell allows players to redirect damage from themselves or their creatures to another target, in a way not unlike that of the renowned card, Comeuppance. However, Divine Deflection is particularly flexible, enabling players to decide exactly how much damage to redirect based on available mana.

Cards like Divine Deflection

Divine Deflection shares its defensive utility with a select group of cards within MTG. A close relation can be found in the card Mirror Strike, which also flips the script on opponents by redirecting damage back at the attacker. The key difference lies in Divine Deflection’s scaling effect, allowing for more control over the damage amount. Another cousin in strategy is Deflecting Palm, which similarly deflects damage, but Conditional Deflection offers a unique versatility not commonly found among its peers.

Managing the battlefield dynamic with these protective spells is critical and often meta-dependent. Cards like Selfless Squire offer similar game-saving potential with a creature’s body attached. Divine Deflection excels in scenarios where precision and resource allocation can make all the difference in a match’s outcome. Therefore, while there are many ways to prevent or redirect damage in MTG, Divine Deflection stands out for its blend of flexibility and precision.

Cards similar to Divine Deflection by color, type and mana cost

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though Divine Deflection itself doesn’t draw cards, it effectively saves resources by preventing damage to your creatures or yourself. This translates to retaining valuable board presence and life points, which can be pivotal in maintaining leverage over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly increasing mana, Divine Deflection can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by protecting key creatures that contribute to your mana generation or preserving your life total, allowing for more aggressive plays and investments on subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: One of the most strategic benefits of Divine Deflection is its instant speed nature. This element of surprise allows you to reactively protect your interests during the opponent’s turn, potentially disrupting their strategy and preserving your standing without sacrificing your turn’s play or telegraphing your plan.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This MTG card necessitates that you have cards in hand, potentially putting you at a disadvantage in late-game scenarios where resources are scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: Divine Deflection requires white mana, which could restrict its inclusion to decks that run white or have a reliable mana base to accommodate white spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Divine Deflection’s effect of redirecting damage is impactful, its mana cost demands a significant investment, which might be more efficiently allocated to other spells or board-presence strategies.

Reasons to Include Divine Deflection in Your Collection

Versatility: Divine Deflection offers a unique form of protection that can shield your life total or key creatures while simultaneously dealing damage to opponents’ creatures or planeswalkers. This versatile card can find a home in a variety of decks, from aggressive strategies that need to protect their momentum to control decks that appreciate the reactive defense it provides.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Divine Deflection can turn a potentially disastrous situation into a game-winning one. It pairs well with effects that allow you to redirect damage or take advantage of prevention effects. The card opens up interesting possibilities for combo decks that aim to utilize life and damage as resources to control the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where direct damage spells and creature-based aggro decks are prevalent, having a card like Divine Deflection can be crucial. It not only prevents damage but can swing the tide of battle in your favor, making it an excellent choice for sideboards or even main decks, depending on the current competitive landscape.

How to beat

Divine Deflection is a versatile card in Magic: The Gathering that serves as both a shield and a sword. When you’re up against an opponent wielding this card, it pays to be strategic. Since it redirects damage from you or permanents you control to a target of your choice, it’s key to bait out this spell early. Encourage your opponent to use it on less critical spells or attacks, thus depleting their resources.

Keep an eye on your opponent’s available mana, as Divine Deflection’s power scales with it. As such, it’s often smart to make your most impactful plays when they’re tapped out or can’t fuel a significant deflection. Additionally, non-damage-based removal like exile or bounce effects circumvent the protection Divine Deflection provides, rendering the card ineffective.

Ultimately, understanding the timing and nuances of your plays can neuter Divine Deflection’s impact. Proper threat assessment and holding back when you suspect your opponent has this card at the ready can mean the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Divine Deflection MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Divine Deflection and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Divine Deflection has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2012-05-01	Divine Deflection can prevent damage from multiple sources dealing damage simultaneously (such as during combat). If the chosen value for X won’t prevent all the damage, you choose which sources to prevent damage from.
2012-05-01	Divine Deflection can prevent damage that would be dealt to you, one or more creatures you control, and/or one or more planeswalkers you control.
2012-05-01	Divine Deflection’s effect is not a redirection effect. If it prevents damage, Divine Deflection (not the original source) deals damage to the targeted permanent or player as part of that prevention effect. Divine Deflection is the source of the new damage, so the characteristics of the original source (such as its color, or whether it had lifelink or deathtouch) don’t affect this damage. The new damage is not combat damage, even if the prevented damage was.
2012-05-01	Divine Deflection’s only target is the permanent or player it may deal damage to. You choose that target as you cast Divine Deflection, not at the time it prevents damage.
2012-05-01	If Divine Deflection can’t deal damage to the targeted permanent or player (because the creature is no longer on the battlefield, or is no longer a creature, or the player is no longer in the game, for example), it will still prevent damage. It just won’t deal any damage itself.
2012-05-01	If Divine Deflection prevents damage, excess damage (if any) dealt by that source is dealt at the same time. Immediately afterward, as part of that same prevention effect, Divine Deflection deals its damage. This happens before state-based actions are checked, and before the spell or ability that caused damage to be dealt resumes its resolution.
2012-05-01	If damage is dealt to multiple permanents you control, or is dealt to you and at least one permanent you control, you choose which of that damage to prevent if the chosen value for X won’t prevent all the damage. For example, if 3 damage would be dealt to you and to each of two creatures you control, and Divine Deflection will prevent the next 3 damage, you might choose to prevent the next 2 damage it would deal to you and the next 1 damage it would deal to one of the creatures, among other choices. You don’t decide until the point at which the damage would be dealt.
2012-05-01	If the targeted permanent or player is an illegal target by the time Divine Deflection resolves, the entire spell doesn’t resolve. No damage will be prevented.
2012-05-01	Whether the targeted permanent or player is still a legal target is not checked after Divine Deflection resolves. For example, if a creature targeted by Divine Deflection gains shroud after Divine Deflection resolves, Divine Deflection can still deal damage to that creature.