Dispatch MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Metalcraft

Key Takeaways

  1. Dispatch provides indirect card advantage and strategic control by efficiently removing threats on the board.
  2. Affords resource acceleration without a mana cost under the metalcraft condition, allowing faster and impactful gameplay.
  3. Instant speed affords strategic flexibility, enabling significant shifts in gameplay at crucial moments.

Text of card

Tap target creature. Metalcraft — If you control three or more artifacts, exile that creature.

Venser wondered if it could still be called a teleportation spell if the destination is oblivion.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dispatch doesn’t directly contribute to drawing extra cards, but by efficiently removing a threat, it enables you to maintain a superior board position. This translates to indirect card advantage since it can mitigate the need to use multiple spells on a single problematic creature.

Resource Acceleration: While Dispatch doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional mana-generating sense, it frees up resources by potentially costing you nothing if you meet its metalcraft condition. This allows you to deploy other spells sooner and with greater impact on the game.

Instant Speed: Dispatch operates at instant speed, presenting the strategic flexibility to react during the opponent’s turn or at the most opportune moment. The ability to disrupt opponents’ plays at critical junctures can lead to significant shifts in the flow of the match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Dispatch provides a potent effect by tapping or removing a creature from the game, it demands a specific board state to use its alternative cost. You need three or more artifacts to unlock its full potential, which can restrain its inclusion in decks not heavily based on artifacts.

Specific Mana Cost: Dispatch has a single white mana cost, which can restrict its integration into multicolored decks that might not always have the corresponding mana available at critical moments. This limitation nudges players towards mono-white or artifact-heavy strategies to ensure consistent access to white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In scenarios where you cannot meet the metalcraft condition, a mana investment of one white might not seem much, but it does influence its viability. Alternatives such as Path to Exile provide a similar exile effect without the artifact reliance, potentially offering a more cost-effective removal in diverse situations.


Reasons to Include Dispatch in Your Collection

Versatility: Dispatch offers an unparalleled level of control in artifact-centric decks with its ability to either tap a creature or, if you have metalcraft, remove a threat from the game entirely.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, Dispatch can act as a linchpin in a combo, enabling clear paths for attacks or safeguarding your own life total. In decks that quickly achieve metalcraft, Dispatch transitions from a simple tap effect to a powerful exile tool almost effortlessly.

Meta-Relevance: Dispatch holds its ground in metas with heavy creature-based strategies. Its low mana cost and the potential for unconditional removal make it a key card against large threats or in response to pivotal combat phases.


How to Beat

Dispatch presents a unique challenge as a removal spell in MTG. It’s a versatile tool often found in artifact-heavy decks where it can tap or remove a creature from the game so long as metalcraft is achieved — conditionally requiring the control of three or more artifacts. This can turn Dispatch into a key play for those adept at swarming the field with artifacts, changing the tide of battle in an instant.

For those facing Dispatch, the key to overcoming this control is disrupting artifact synergy. Cards like Vandalblast or Shattering Spree can neatly dismantle the artifact basis before metalcraft is active, neutralizing Dispatch’s potential. Furthermore, employing instant-speed hexproof or shroud effects such as Blossoming Defense or Lightning Greaves can render your creatures immune to Dispatch’s touch, maintaining your board integrity and preserving your strategy, even when your opponent seems set for a takedown.

Ultimately, while Dispatch can indeed swing games in favor of artifact-savvy players, understanding and interrupting the metalcraft mechanic is crucial. Keeping these strategies in mind will help players safeguard their creatures and assert dominance on the battlefield, despite the threat this powerful white instant represents.


BurnMana Recommendations

Armed with insights from the strengths and weaknesses of Dispatch, incorporating this versatile card into your MTG deck could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Optimizing its use in artifact-rich environments can tilt crucial moments in your favor, locking down victory with precise timing and metalcraft mastery. Assess your current collection and the strategies that rule your gameplay; if Dispatch aligns with your tactics, it may elevate your deck’s performance significantly. If you’re intrigued by the flexible power of Dispatch and its role in artifact dominance, visit BurnMana to explore deeper strategies and combinations that could redefine your MTG experience.


Cards like Dispatch

Dispatch is a unique tool in the arsenal of artifact-based decks in Magic: The Gathering. Sharing a color identity with the renowned Swords to Plowshares, Dispatch offers potential removal without the downside of granting the opponent life. While Swords to Plowshares exiles any creature unconditionally, Dispatch requires metalcraft – control of three or more artifacts – to achieve similar unconditional removal. However, without metalcraft, Dispatch only taps a creature, which pales in comparison to the permanent solution provided by Swords to Plowshares.

Path to Exile is another white spell often paralleled with Dispatch. Although it exiles a creature at the same mana cost without any precondition, it does compensate the opponent with a basic land. This difference is pivotal for decks that aim to minimize opponent advantage. In contrast, Dispatch, under proper conditions, can offer clean removal without any form of compensation. Then, we look at Declaration in Stone, which can address multiple threats at once in exchange for providing the opponent with Clue tokens, potentially giving them card advantage later.

Conclusively, Dispatch can be incredibly powerful in artifact-centric strategies in Magic: The Gathering. It balances the need for immediate removal while offering the potential of no drawbacks, occupying a unique niche among white removal spells.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Declaration in Stone - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Path to Exile - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)
Declaration in Stone - Shadows over Innistrad Promos (PSOI)

Cards similar to Dispatch by color, type and mana cost

Death Ward - MTG Card versions
Blaze of Glory - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Purelace - MTG Card versions
Guardian Angel - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Righteousness - MTG Card versions
Indestructible Aura - MTG Card versions
Glyph of Life - MTG Card versions
Warning - MTG Card versions
Heal - MTG Card versions
Anoint - MTG Card versions
Reaping the Rewards - MTG Card versions
Rally the Troops - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Orim's Touch - MTG Card versions
Pollen Remedy - MTG Card versions
Sacred Rites - MTG Card versions
Pay No Heed - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Death Ward - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Blaze of Glory - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Healing Salve - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Purelace - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Guardian Angel - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Swords to Plowshares - Fallout (PIP)
Righteousness - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Indestructible Aura - Chronicles (CHR)
Glyph of Life - Legends (LEG)
Warning - Ice Age (ICE)
Heal - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Anoint - Tempest (TMP)
Reaping the Rewards - Exodus (EXO)
Rally the Troops - Portal Second Age (P02)
Enlightened Tutor - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Orim's Touch - Invasion (INV)
Pollen Remedy - Planeshift (PLS)
Sacred Rites - The List (PLST)
Pay No Heed - Torment (TOR)
Path to Exile - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dispatch MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia and Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New Phyrexia, 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 Dispatch and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dispatch Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2011-05-13 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-05-13New PhyrexiaNPH 72003normalblackErica Yang
22011-05-14Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New PhyrexiaTD2 232003normalblackErica Yang
32015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 152015normalblackErica Yang
42020-09-26The ListPLST NPH-72003normalblackErica Yang
52021-04-23Commander 2021C21 882015normalblackErica Yang
62022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 832015normalblackErica Yang
72024-03-08FalloutPIP 1592015normalblackZezhou Chen
82024-03-08FalloutPIP 6872015normalblackZezhou Chen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dispatch has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-06-01 If you control three or more artifacts when Dispatch resolves, you'll tap the creature, then exile it.

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