Warped Devotion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances drawing capabilities and reuses enter-the-battlefield effects by returning permanents to your hand.
  2. Challenges mono-color decks with its specific blue mana requirement and potential field disruption.
  3. Acts as a keystone in combo decks, turning bounce effects into a consistent advantage.

Text of card

Whenever a permanent is returned to a player's hand, that player discards a card from his or her hand.

"Before the glory of Yawgmoth, yes, even this makes sense." —Urza, to Gerrard


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Warped Devotion enhances your drawing capabilities by returning your own permanents to your hand, potentially reusing their enter-the-battlefield effects for additional benefits.

Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes with strategies that bounce permanents, allowing you to reset your board for more efficient plays and denying opponents the resources they’ve invested in their permanents.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Warped Devotion pairs well with instant-speed bounce spells, giving you the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategies during their turn and at crucial moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Warped Devotion necessitates that players return a permanent they control to their hand whenever an opponent’s spell or ability causes them to discard it. This can be a significant drawback when your hand is filled with essential cards, potentially forcing you to sacrifice field presence or disrupt your own game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes two specific blue mana, integrating Warped Devotion into a deck can be challenging outside of mono-blue or two-color decks. Its requirement for blue mana can constrain its inclusion solely to decks that can consistently produce enough of this specific mana type.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, two of which are color-specific, Warped Devotion has a comparatively high cost for the effect it provides. Players may opt for other enchantments or spells that have a more immediate or impactful board presence for a similar investment.


Reasons to Include Warped Devotion in Your Collection

Versatility: Warped Devotion offers a unique ability that allows players to turn any bounce effect into a potential advantage. This makes it a diverse tool in decks that are focused on controlling the board and keeping opponents guessing.

Combo Potential: This card can be the lynchpin in a deck built around returning cards to a player’s hand. Combine it with various bouncing spells or effects to disrupt your opponent’s game plan while maintaining card advantage and board presence yourself.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy with permanent-based strategies, Warped Devotion can be a sleeper hit. It adds an additional layer of value to interactions that would already set your opponents back, further skewing the game in your favor.


How to beat

Warped Devotion is a unique enchantment card in Magic: The Gathering that can turn the tide of a game by returning permanents to a player’s hand whenever they’re the target of a spell or an ability. It can be quite a challenge to face, especially in a game that relies on tailored strategies and permanent setups. However, overcoming Warped Devotion involves a few key strategies. One is to rely less on targeting abilities and, instead, use global or mass removal effects that don’t target specific permanents. Cards like Wrath of God or Supreme Verdict can clear the board without triggering Warped Devotion’s effect.

Another effective approach is to utilize direct damage spells or abilities that reduce life totals without requiring a target, such as Earthquake or Price of Progress. These bypass Warped Devotion’s return-to-hand strategy entirely. Alternatively, take advantage of the enchantment yourself by using opponent’s targeting effects to recycle your own enter-the-battlefield triggers. This way, you turn their Warped Devotion against them. Though it may not be an easy card to play against, clever deck-building and a strategic approach can help you maintain control of the game.


Cards like Warped Devotion

Warped Devotion stands out as a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, enticing players with its ability to turn opponents’ bounced permanents into sources of pain. The card can be likened to Bloodchief Ascension in its potential to disrupt an opponent’s board state, albeit through different mechanics. Bloodchief Ascension requires life loss to be effective, while Warped Devotion capitalizes on returned cards.

Considering Recoil as well, a card that combines discard and bounce mechanics, Warped Devotion leverages the bounce aspect to a higher level of disruption. Recoil forces a single discard, yet Warped Devotion applies its effect continuously, affecting every returned card. Another analogue is Overburden, which punishes players for playing creatures but doesn’t have the recursive disruption capability that Warped Devotion possesses. Overburden only targets creatures, while Warped Devotion has a broader scope, hitting all permanent types when they’re bounced.

To sum up, as an engine of annoyance, Warped Devotion can stealthily dominate the game, forcing opponents to think twice before returning their own permanents. It’s this strategy-amplifying trait that sets Warped Devotion apart among MTG cards that play in the realm of hand and battlefield manipulation.

Bloodchief Ascension - MTG Card versions
Recoil - MTG Card versions
Overburden - MTG Card versions
Bloodchief Ascension - Zendikar (ZEN)
Recoil - Invasion (INV)
Overburden - Prophecy (PCY)

Cards similar to Warped Devotion by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Demonic Embrace - MTG Card versions
Gloom - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Season of the Witch - The Dark (DRK)
Tourach's Gate - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Withering Wisps - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Funeral March - Homelands (HML)
Casting of Bones - Alliances (ALL)
Blanket of Night - Visions (VIS)
Necropotence - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Hecatomb - Masters Edition (ME1)
Megrim - Stronghold (STH)
Recurring Nightmare - Exodus (EXO)
Contamination - Urza's Saga (USG)
Maggot Therapy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Murderous Betrayal - Nemesis (NEM)
Noxious Field - Prophecy (PCY)
Tainted Well - Invasion (INV)
Phyrexian Arena - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Gravestorm - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Mortiphobia - Torment (TOR)
Demonic Embrace - Core Set 2021 (M21)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Warped Devotion MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift 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 Warped Devotion and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Warped Devotion Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2003-07-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-02-05PlaneshiftPLS 571997normalblackDany Orizio
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 172★2003normalblackEric Peterson
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1722003normalwhiteEric Peterson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Warped Devotion has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 This card can trigger on itself being returned to a player’s hand.

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