Etali's Favor MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Discover,Enchant |
| Released | 2023-11-17 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan |
| Set code | LCI |
| Number | 149 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Matt Stewart |
Key Takeaways
- Etali’s Favor swings card advantage by potentially exiling multiple cards from opponents’ libraries for your use.
- Resource acceleration is a key benefit; high-cost spells can be cast for free, speeding up your gameplay.
- The card allows for strategic instant-speed interactions, offering unexpected plays and disrupting opponents.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Etali's Favor MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Etali's Favor 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
Text of card
Enchant creature you control When Etali's Favor enters the battlefield, discover 3. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value 3 or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.) Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Etali’s Favor provides an exceptional boon in the form of potentially exiling several cards off the top of each opponent’s library. This could result in multiple spells available for you to play, thus drastically tipping the card advantage in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: When Etali’s Favor triggers, you not only get access to new spells but also effectively bypass their mana costs. Putting high-cast spells into play without paying their mana cost accelerates your resource pool, allowing you to deploy threats or effects earlier than usual.
Instant Speed: With Etali’s Favor’s ability to set up your next turn by casting spells at the ideal moment, it grants you flexibility. While it may not be cast at instant speed itself, it interacts with other instant speed cards to possibly provide you with options during unintended phases of the game, disrupting your opponents’ plans and keeping them guessing.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Etali’s Favor requires you to discard a card, which can be detrimental if your hand is already depleted or if you’re holding onto key pieces for your strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a rigorous red mana investment, potentially restricting its inclusion to decks with a heavy red presence or necessitating a mana base tailored to accommodate such costs.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Etali’s Favor can influence the battlefield substantially, its mana cost is on the higher end. Players might encounter more mana-efficient alternatives for achieving similar results, possibly reducing this card’s appeal in fast-paced games where mana efficiency is paramount.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Etali’s Favor enhances any deck seeking to leverage the power of randomness and chaos. This card shines in Commander where its impact can be felt across a multiplayer game. Whether you’re looking to cast spells for free or just love the thrill of the unpredictable, Etali’s Favor fits into a range of strategies that appreciate a little excitement.
Combo Potential: Etali’s Favor has strong synergy with cards that manipulate the top of your library, allowing you to more reliably play impactful spells without paying their mana cost. This opens up opportunities to create powerful combos with scry effects or with cards that stack your deck.
Meta-Relevance: This card can potentially disrupt your opponents’ plans by casting their spells, which is particularly potent in a meta heavy with high-value cards. Etali’s Favor aligns well with a red color strategy that seeks to keep opponents off balance while providing you with additional resources and surprises.
How to beat
Etali’s Favor can be a powerful force in MTG, especially when coupled with creatures sporting high power. The card allows players to strike at opponents’ resources while simultaneously bolstering their own, a double-whammy that can quickly tilt the game balance. It manages to carve itself a niche not just through direct assault, but as a catalyst for advantageous exchanges, amplifying the value of each attack.
Confronted with Etali’s Favor, the strategy shifts towards minimizing the blow. Counterspells are the first line of defense; a timely Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent Etali’s Favor from ever taking hold. Control decks can play a pivotal role with board wipes like Shatter the Sky or Doomskar to clear the path before Etali’s Favor reaps its benefits. Removal spells, such as Fatal Push or Heartless Act, become crucial to swiftly deal with any creatures poised to trigger Etali’s Favor.
Despite Etali’s Favor posing a significant threat, a well-prepared player can neutralize this card effectively. Careful deck construction, anticipating such enchantments, and maintaining vigilance with removal and counters will keep you two steps ahead, nullifying the favor Etali would bestow upon your opponent.
Cards like Etali's Favor
Etali’s Favor introduces a unique spin on unleash effects within the MTG realm. The card connects with others like Uncaged Fury, as both deliver that crucial double strike ability. Yet, Etali’s Favor nudges ahead with its additional Trample effect, ensuring that excess damage pierces through to the opponent. This distinction amplifies the potential damage output significantly compared to Uncaged Fury, which focuses solely on doubling striking power.
When evaluating alongside Samut’s Sprint, both cards offer the perk of haste, allowing creatures to swing into action without the usual summoning sickness wait. Etali’s Favor, however, takes it up a notch with ongoing benefits extending past the current turn, while Samut’s Sprint’s advantages vanish at the end of turn. Against Instigator’s Gambit, another related card, Etali’s Favor shines by providing a persistent boost without forcing your creatures to attack each turn, unlike the Gambit that mandates continuous aggression, potentially leading to unfavorable clashes.
In essence, Etali’s Favor carves out its niche among MTG’s combat trick cards, enriching a strategy with its durable buffs, a combination that rivals simply can’t replicate in full. This makes it a notable choice for players looking to sustain an aggressive stance throughout the match.
Cards similar to Etali's Favor by color, type and mana cost
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Etali's Favor has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Etali's Favor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-10 | "Discover N" means "Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value N or less. That card is the "discovered" card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost if the resulting spell's mana value is less than or equal to N. If you don't cast it, put that card into your hand. Put the remaining exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order." |
| 2023-11-10 | A spell's mana value is determined only by its mana cost. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions. |
| 2023-11-10 | If the discovered card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you can't cast the discovered card (perhaps because there are no legal targets for the spell), you'll put it into your hand. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost", you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast it. |
| 2023-11-10 | If you discover an adventurer card, split card, or modal double-faced card, you might be able to cast that card with either set of characteristics depending on the effect's discover value. For example, if you discover 4 and reveal Galvanic Giant (an adventurer card from Wilds of Eldraine with a mana value of 4), you could cast Galvanic Giant, but not Storm Reading (its Adventure, which has a mana value of 7). If you discover 7 and reveal Galvanic Giant, you could cast either Galvanic Giant or Storm Reading. |
| 2023-11-10 | Some spells and abilities that cause you to discover may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and you won't discover. |
| 2023-11-10 | The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If discover allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half (as long as its mana value is less than or equal to the effect's discover value) but not both halves. |
| 2023-11-10 | When you discover, you must exile cards. The only optional part of the ability is whether you cast the exiled card or put it into your hand. |
| 2023-11-10 | You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them. |