Concentrate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Concentrate offers a significant card advantage by allowing you to draw three cards.
  2. The influx of cards from Concentrate accelerates your game plan and resource access.
  3. Strategic play is required as Concentrate is cast during your main phase.

Text of card

Draw three cards.

"The treasure in my mind is greater than any worldly glory."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Concentrate grants you the power to draw three cards, a substantial boon in the realm of MTG, as it propels you ahead by deepening your pool of options and strategies during play. Having more cards in hand is equivalent to having more pathways to victory, making it a formidable tool for outsmarting opponents.

Resource Acceleration: While Concentrate itself doesn’t directly produce additional resources, the influx of cards can lead to faster access to land drops and the acceleration of your game plan. By pulling more cards, you’re increasing the likelihood of hitting your land drops on time or finding the key spells that catalyze your strategy into action.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Concentrate requires strategic planning for optimal use during your main phase. This encourages thoughtful gameplay, allowing you to maximize turns by making informed decisions when to refill your hand and refresh your resources. Its place in your curve is essential, demanding you to weigh the value of developing your board against restocking your hand for future maneuvers.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Concentrate forces you to drop other plans as it demands full attention during your crucial turn, potentially discarding strategic options you may need later.

Specific Mana Cost: Concentrate locks you into a blue mana commitment that can strain mana bases not geared towards heavy blue or multicolor, limiting deck versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three blue mana and one generic, this card competes with other powerful four-mana spells, potentially overshadowing it in a deck’s strategic curve.


Reasons to Include Concentrate in Your Collection

Versatility: Concentrate is a versatile spell, capable of integrating seamlessly into various blue-based decks that prioritize drawing cards. Its straightforward effect of drawing three cards means it can fuel hand replenishment in control, combo, or even aggro decks that can afford to splash blue.

Combo Potential: This card helps dig deeper into your library, increasing the likelihood of hitting combo pieces or essential spells at crucial moments. It acts as an engine in combo decks to maintain momentum and string together game-winning interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where long games dominate and card advantage is king, Concentrate shines. It keeps your options plentiful and your threats consistent, helping to outlast opponents in drawn-out battles by ensuring your hand never runs dry.


How to Beat Concentrate

Concentrate is known for its potent card draw ability in MTG, granting a significant boost to a player’s hand by drawing three cards for four mana. Unlike flashier card draw spells, Concentrate is straightforward – it doesn’t come with additional benefits or requirements. However, this simplicity can be exploited when facing an opponent who relies on Concentrate.

To counteract Concentrate’s efficiency, you can apply pressure early in the game. Since it’s a sorcery, players must wait for their turn to cast it, giving you an opportunity to gain the upper hand while their mana is tied up. Utilizing instant-speed disruption like counterspells or discard effects can also be critical. Negate or Thoughtseize can interfere with their plans, wasting a turn and maintaining your momentum.

Additionally, pressuring your opponent’s resources can diminish Concentrate’s impact. Incorporating land destruction or mana denial strategies hampers their ability to cast it on curve. In sum, staying proactive and disrupting your opponent’s game plan can effectively nullify the advantages of Concentrate and tip the scales in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

The art of deck building in MTG can be as nuanced as the game itself, and understanding the role of cards like Concentrate is crucial. This potent card draw tool can shape the tide of a match, offering strategic depth and flexibility. Whether you’re optimizing your current build or exploring new strategies, the inclusion of card advantage mechanisms such as Concentrate can be a game-changer. Dive deeper into the MTG multiverse with us and unlock the secrets to harnessing the full potential of your deck. Let’s turn those card draws into victories together. Explore with BurnMana and upgrade your gameplay.


Cards like Concentrate

Concentrate is notable in Magic: The Gathering for being a pure card draw engine. Players who use Concentrate gain the advantage of drawing three cards outright, putting it in direct comparison with other draw spells such as Harmonize. Although Harmonize shares the same mana cost and effect, it notably crosses into green’s slice of the color pie—a rarity for such a direct draw effect.

Looking at blue’s own suite of spells, we encounter Jace’s Ingenuity. This instant offers the same card draw volume but at a steeper cost of five mana. The instant speed provides flexibility, allowing players to keep mana open for counterspells or other interactions during an opponent’s turn. Nevertheless, the increased cost makes it less mana-efficient than Concentrate.

Lastly, Tidings is another comparison point, delivering a substantial four-card draw. However, its higher mana cost makes it less efficient compared to Concentrate. While Tidings might yield a larger hand boost, budgeting for the higher mana cost can be critical in fast-paced matches. These comparisons underscore Concentrate’s balanced position in terms of cost-to-draw ratio, affirming its role as a reliable card advantage tool in the MTG universe.

Harmonize - MTG Card versions
Jace's Ingenuity - MTG Card versions
Tidings - MTG Card versions
Harmonize - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Jace's Ingenuity - Magic 2011 (M11)
Tidings - Starter 1999 (S99)

Cards similar to Concentrate by color, type and mana cost

Juxtapose - MTG Card versions
Baki's Curse - MTG Card versions
Touch of Brilliance - MTG Card versions
Polymorph - MTG Card versions
Diminishing Returns - MTG Card versions
Counterintelligence - MTG Card versions
Ransack - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Scrying - MTG Card versions
Wash Out - MTG Card versions
Dematerialize - MTG Card versions
Deep Analysis - MTG Card versions
Tempted by the Oriq - MTG Card versions
Inscription of Insight - MTG Card versions
Airborne Aid - MTG Card versions
Peer Pressure - MTG Card versions
Mouth to Mouth - MTG Card versions
Sift - MTG Card versions
Distant Melody - MTG Card versions
Sleep - MTG Card versions
Argivian Restoration - MTG Card versions
Juxtapose - Masters Edition (ME1)
Baki's Curse - Homelands (HML)
Touch of Brilliance - Portal Second Age (P02)
Polymorph - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Diminishing Returns - Masters Edition (ME1)
Counterintelligence - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Ransack - Starter 1999 (S99)
Rhystic Scrying - Prophecy (PCY)
Wash Out - IDW Comics 2014 (PI14)
Dematerialize - Odyssey (ODY)
Deep Analysis - Commander Masters (CMM)
Tempted by the Oriq - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Inscription of Insight - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Airborne Aid - Onslaught (ONS)
Peer Pressure - Onslaught (ONS)
Mouth to Mouth - Unhinged (UNH)
Sift - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Distant Melody - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Sleep - Magic 2011 (M11)
Argivian Restoration - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Concentrate MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Eighth Edition, 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 Concentrate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Concentrate Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 781997normalblackGlen Angus & Arnie Swekel
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 682003normalwhiteGlen Angus & Arnie Swekel
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 68★2003normalblackGlen Angus & Arnie Swekel
42012-06-01Planechase 2012PC2 162003normalblackrk post
52014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1032015normalblackrk post
62016-11-25Planechase AnthologyPCA 162015normalblackrk post
72017-10-24Duel Decks: Merfolk vs. GoblinsDDT 42015normalblackrk post
82017-11-24Explorers of IxalanE02 92015normalblackrk post
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 3272015normalblackrk post
102020-09-26The ListPLST E02-92015normalblackrk post

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Concentrate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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