Donate MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 1999-06-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Urza's Destiny |
| Set code | UDS |
| Number | 31 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jeff Miracola |
Text of card
Target player gains control of target permanent you control.
Campus pranksters initiate new students with the old "beeble bomb" routine.
Cards like Donate
Donate is a unique spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering, allowing players the rare opportunity to give away any permanent they own to an opponent. This intriguing mechanic is echoed in cards such as Ill-Gotten Gains which resets both players’ hands by forcing a discard and then a redraw of cards, albeit with a more balanced outcome.
Bazaar Trader too shares a semblance with Donate by permitting the transfer of control of permanents, but it restricts this action to happen on your turn only. Meanwhile, Harmless Offering, a card with a devilishly cute kitten on its artwork, can be seen as a direct descendant of Donate. It’s similar in its one-shot transfer of control, with the marked difference that it is limited to creatures and artifacts only.
Evaluating the mechanics and strategies, Donate stands out for its comprehensive capability to offload any unwanted permanent to your adversary. This can dramatically shift the balance of the game and opens up creative avenues for victory, solidifying its role in an array of strategic MTG decks centered around unorthodox win conditions.
Cards similar to Donate by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When you play Donate, the primary benefit is the strategic shift in card ownership, effectively altering the table dynamics and potentially providing an advantage by offloading detrimental permanents or locking a combo into place.
Resource Acceleration: Although Donate does not directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, the indirect acceleration comes from its ability to transfer troublesome cards that might impede your own resource development, ultimately streamlining your path to victory.
Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Donate requires careful planning for execution during your turn, offering a cerebral angle to gameplay as it opens doors to various high-level strategies and interactions that can be pivotal in complex board states.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Using Donate in your game often necessitates discarding another card from your hand. This action depletes your hand size, potentially leaving you with fewer options and strategies on your subsequent turns.
Specific Mana Cost: Donate requires both blue and generic mana, making it a color-specific play. Deck builders need to consider the implications of including such a card in their lineup, as it may not fit the mana base of multi-colored decks without heavy blue influences.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that requires three mana, including one blue, players might find Donate a bit pricey for its effect. There are other cards within the game that allow for similar levels of interaction or advantage at a lower cost, which could lead to a more efficient deck performance.
Reasons to Include Donate in Your Collection
Versatility: Donate is a unique card that allows players to gift permanents to opponents, opening up clever strategies in various decks. This card’s unusual effect can pivot the game’s state and create unpredictable outcomes, making it an exciting addition to any collection.
Combo Potential: This card truly shines when paired with harmful artifacts or enchantments such as Illusions of Grandeur. By donating these detrimental permanents, you can set up game-winning situations, showcasing Donate’s exceptional synergy with cards that have upkeep costs or negative effects.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where players are using cards with huge drawbacks for their powerful effects, Donate can be a meta-defining card. Its ability to disrupt opponent strategies by transferring high-risk permanents can change the tide of matches, especially in more casual or creative playgroups.
How to Beat
Donate is a unique and strategic spell within Magic: The Gathering that allows players to gift a permanent they control to their opponent. This card can potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy or turn the tide of the game when combined with cards that have detrimental effects when controlled. To effectively counteract Donate, it’s crucial to anticipate this transfer of control.
One classic interaction involves the card Illusions of Grandeur, which gains you life upon entering the battlefield but becomes a heavy burden when its cumulative upkeep is not paid. To beat Donate, players should carry enchantment removal like Disenchant or versatile counterspells such as Negate to intercept the exchange or remove the burdensome permanents post-transfer. Additionally, running hand disruption such as Thoughtseize can preemptively remove Donate from your opponent’s hand, crippling their strategy before it unfolds.
Ultimately, the key to overcoming Donate lies in maintaining flexibility in your deck to handle unexpected shifts in the board state, utilizing countermeasures to disrupt your opponent’s combinations, and keeping a vigilant eye on potential game-changing plays. This ensures that when Donate or similar cards appear, you’re prepared to turn the tables in your favor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Donate MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny, 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 Donate and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Donate has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Donate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | If you Donate an Aura, it stays where it is, but the targeted player now controls it. |