Dance of the Skywise MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Instant |
| Released | 2015-03-27 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Dragons of Tarkir |
| Set code | DTK |
| Number | 50 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jack Wang |
Key Takeaways
- Transform creatures into 4/4 Dragons with flying at instant speed, offering surprise combat advantages.
- Requires discarding a nonland card, which can be a drawback in resource-tight situations.
- Enhances decks with its versatile and potentially game-changing creature transformation ability.
Text of card
Until end of turn, target creature you control becomes a blue Dragon Illusion with base power and toughness 4/4, loses all abilities, and gains flying.
The Ojutai believe in the Great Wheel: those who best serve the dragonlord are destined to be reborn as dragons.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dance of the Skywise shines in providing a significant tactical edge, allowing you to transform a creature into a 4/4 Dragon with flying until end of turn. This can lead to advantageous combat scenarios or dodging certain removal spells, ultimately giving you an upper hand in maintaining board presence.
Resource Acceleration: Although not directly impacting your mana resources, using Dance of the Skywise can be a cost-effective way to upgrade a creature’s abilities temporarily without having to invest additional mana into casting a larger creature – a subtle but valuable form of resource optimization.
Instant Speed: Its instant speed is where Dance of the Skywise truly excels. At any point during your, or your opponent’s turn, you can transform an unsuspecting creature into a powerful Dragon in the sky, turning the tides of battle unexpectedly. This strategic flexibility makes it a potent addition to any deck aiming to exploit combat tricks and timing to its advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dance of the Skywise requires you to discard another nonland card from your hand, which can pose a setback when hand size is critically low or if you’re unwilling to lose valuable spells or creatures.
Specific Mana Cost: This spell demands a precise mana cost of two including blue mana. While it fits perfectly into blue-centric or allied color decks, it does restrict deck-building flexibility, potentially excluding it from the strategies not heavy on blue mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of three mana to cast, Dance of the Skywise has a relatively high cost for its effect compared to other cards in the game. Players might find other spells that can change creature types or grant similar benefits without the same investment, leaving more mana available for additional plays during your turn.
Reasons to Include Dance of the Skywise in Your Collection
Versatility: Dance of the Skywise boasts the ability to transform any of your creatures into a powerful 4/4 dragon until end of turn. This card provides flexibility in reactive plays or turning the tide in combat, making it a solid pick for decks that could benefit from a sudden power boost or protection for key creatures.
Combo Potential: With Dance of the Skywise, the possibilities to engage in combos are extensive. Integrating this card into a deck with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield abilities or those that can capitalize on being a Dragon, even temporarily, can create opportunities for significant advantage over your opponent.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where creatures dominate and combat tricks can decisively shift the momentum, Dance of the Skywise can be a game-changer. It can elevate your gameplay significantly against decks that rely on destroying non-Dragon entities or when facing opponents who are ill-prepared for flying threats.
How to beat
Dance of the Skywise is a unique card that can transform a creature into a formidable 4/4 Dragon with flying until end of turn, a handy trick that can bring a surprise element to the combat phase. Facing this card across the battlefield requires strategic planning. One effective strategy to counteract Dance of the Skywise is to maintain instant-speed removal in your hand. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can effectively deal with the transformed creature before significant damage is inflicted.
Another approach is to limit the targets available for transformation. Employing board control tactics through sweepers such as Supreme Verdict or Doomskar can keep the opponent’s creature count low, making Dance of the Skywise less impactful. Moreover, preventing the spell from resolving with counter magic like Mana Leak or Dovin’s Veto can also effectively negate its effect, as the opponent may be relying heavily on that transformation for a combat trick or to evade blockers.
Finally, utilizing creatures with reach or effects that grant reach to your creatures can deter the opponent from using Dance of the Skywise as an offensive measure, knowing that their Dragon will likely be blocked and taken down. By understanding the shift in power that Dance of the Skywise can bring, you can prepare and adjust your strategy accordingly to maintain control of the game.
Cards like Dance of the Skywise
Dance of the Skywise is a unique spell in the vast collection of Magic: The Gathering. It shares a kindred spirit with cards like Turn to Frog, both offering a temporary transformation for creatures. Dance of the Skywise stands out by turning a creature into a powerful 4/4 Dragon with flying until end of turn – a boost that can swiftly turn the tides in your favor. In contrast, Turn to Frog aims to diminish a creature’s abilities by transforming it into a harmless 1/1 without any special abilities.
Looking at another related card, Polymorphist’s Jest, we see a mass transformation effect, turning adversaries’ creatures into mere 1/1 Frogs. While this card can affect multiple targets, Dance of the Skywise focuses on empowering a single creature with the majestic might of dragonhood. Lastly, there’s Mirror Entity, a versatile card that, while not directly transforming creatures, allows you to change all your creatures’ types and stats, potentially offering a similar power surge depending on the activated ability’s cost.
Assessing these cards together, Dance of the Skywise offers a balance between offensive enhancement and surprise factor, making it a valuable inclusion in MTG decks aimed at reigniting the draconic might at pivotal moments.
Cards similar to Dance of the Skywise by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dance of the Skywise MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Dance of the Skywise and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Dance of the Skywise has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dance of the Skywise card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | After Dance of the Skywise resolves, the creature can gain abilities as normal. |
| 2015-02-25 | Dance of the Skywise overrides all previous effects that set the creature’s power or toughness to specific values. However, effects that set its power or toughness to specific values that start to apply after Dance of the Skywise resolves will override this effect. |
| 2015-02-25 | Effects that modify the power or toughness of the creature, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Hall of Triumph, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change the creature’s power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness. |
| 2015-02-25 | The target creature will lose all other colors and creature types and be blue, a Dragon, and an Illusion. It will retain any other types it may have had, such as artifact. |
| 2015-02-25 | The target creature will lose any abilities it may have gained prior to Dance of the Skywise resolving. Notably, if the creature is a face-down creature with morph or megamorph, you can’t turn it face up, as it wouldn’t have a morph or megamorph cost when face up (because it’s lost all abilities other than flying). |
