Dualcaster Mage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Flash
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Dualcaster Mage provides card advantage by copying spells, increasing utility and threat levels.
  2. Instant speed allows for surprise plays and reactive strategies, enhancing game interactions.
  3. A specific mana cost may limit deck inclusion, demanding careful resource management.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash When Dualcaster Mage enters the battlefield, copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.

"It has been my experience that disasters like to strike in pairs."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dualcaster Mage enables a unique form of card advantage, as it allows you to copy a valuable instant or sorcery spell. This can potentially turn a single spell into a multifaceted threat or solution, giving you more utility out of your existing resources.

Resource Acceleration: While Dualcaster Mage itself does not directly accelerate your resources, it effectively saves mana by duplicating your or your opponent’s spells. This can lead to significant tempo swings and resource savings, essentially doubling the impact of your spells without paying their mana cost a second time.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Dualcaster Mage’s ability is one of its strongest assets. It allows for reactive play during your opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn, maintaining the element of surprise. You can seamlessly integrate it into your strategy, waiting for the most opportune moment to maximize the impact of spell-copying.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Dualcaster Mage does not inherently require you to discard a card, you may find yourself needing to discard for other instant or sorcery spells to capitalize on its ability, which can deplete your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Dualcaster Mage requires a precise mana combination, including two red mana, which restricts its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce red mana, potentially excluding it from multicolored strategies that don’t favor red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including the specific red requirement, Dualcaster Mage can be costly compared to other spells with similar effects. This can be troubling especially when you need to be mana-efficient in a game where tempo plays a crucial role.


Reasons to Include Dualcaster Mage in Your Collection

Versatility: Dualcaster Mage is a flexible choice that can be integrated into numerous deck archetypes. Whether you’re casting it for its ability to copy instant or sorcery spells, it can adapt to a myriad of game situations and strategies.

Combo Potential: This card opens the door to powerful combinations, especially with spells that can be recast or those that benefit from having multiple instances on the stack. It shines in scenarios where you can turn the tide by duplicating a game-changing spell.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where stack interaction and instant-speed plays are key, Dualcaster Mage proves to be incredibly useful. Its ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies while advancing your own is a significant advantage in many competitive formats.


How to Beat Dualcaster Mage

Dualcaster Mage, a versatile card from Magic: The Gathering, brings both challenge and opportunity to the battlefield. Often used in combinations to copy some of the most powerful spells in a player’s arsenal, it can turn the tide of a match almost instantly. However, there are strategies to overcome this cunning card.

One effective tactic is employing instant-speed removal spells at the right time. Casting a removal spell like Fatal Push or Path to Exile in response to the Dualcaster Mage’s enter the battlefield ability can negate the copied spell before it takes effect. Another strategy is to limit the targetable spells for Dualcaster Mage, by either playing less impactful instants and sorceries or holding onto your spells until your opponent is tapped out or the Dualcaster Mage has been safely dealt with.

Moreover, understanding the decks that utilize Dualcaster Mage and their combo pieces can allow players to anticipate and disrupt their game plan, making this powerful card much less daunting. Knowing when to apply pressure and when to hold back for the right moment are keys to mastering the game against a card like Dualcaster Mage, which relies on timing and synergy for maximum effect.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unlocking the true potential of Dualcaster Mage in your Magic: The Gathering collection calls for insight, strategy, and the right timing. As it mirrors powerful spells and adds firepower to your gameplay, this mage can be your gateway to thrilling victories and clever plays. We encourage you to further leverage its capabilities by discovering innovative combos and mastering the art of instant speed. Ready to weave Dualcaster Mage into your deck and exploit its full power tactically? Dive deeper with us and harness the strategies that will sharpen your edge on the battlefield. Let’s take your MTG experience to the next level together.


Cards like Dualcaster Mage

Dualcaster Mage has carved out a niche in matches, known for its instant-speed interactivity and ability to copy spells. Standing toe-to-toe with this power player is Naru Meha, Master Wizard. Although Naru Meha also copies instant or sorcery spells, it includes wizard synergy and a static ability to boost other wizards. Yet, it demands a more specific deck build compared to the more flexible Dualcaster Mage.

Then there’s Fork, a classic spell with a similar copy effect, albeit at a fixed red mana cost. Fork clearly aligns with Dualcaster Mage’s intent but lacks the creature presence that adds a body to the board. On the other side of the spectrum, Reiterate provides the copy functionality with buyback, allowing repeated use at a higher initial investment, offering long-term utility that the Dualcaster Mage forgoes for immediate board impact.

Evaluating these alternatives shows Dualcaster Mage’s standalone strengths in versatility and immediate value, highlighting its place as a valuable combo piece and reactive play in Magic: The Gathering’s dynamic environment.

Naru Meha, Master Wizard - MTG Card versions
Fork - MTG Card versions
Reiterate - MTG Card versions
Naru Meha, Master Wizard - Dominaria (DOM)
Fork - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Reiterate - Time Spiral (TSP)

Cards similar to Dualcaster Mage by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
Wall of Lava - MTG Card versions
Brassclaw Orcs - MTG Card versions
Imperial Recruiter - MTG Card versions
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Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions
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Stinkdrinker Daredevil - MTG Card versions
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Dwarven Warriors - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Raging Bull - Legends (LEG)
Wall of Lava - Ice Age (ICE)
Brassclaw Orcs - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Imperial Recruiter - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Uthden Troll - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Goblin Rabblemaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nosy Goblin - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Sky Raider - Onslaught (ONS)
Cosmic Larva - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ghost-Lit Raider - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Goblin Chariot - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Balduvian Barbarians - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Basalt Gargoyle - Time Spiral (TSP)
Orcish Artillery - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - Lorwyn (LRW)
Blind-Spot Giant - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mudbutton Torchrunner - Duel Decks: Elves vs. Goblins (DD1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dualcaster Mage MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander 2014, 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 Dualcaster Mage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dualcaster Mage Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2014-11-07 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by Matt Stewart.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 558682015normalblackMatt Stewart
22014-11-07Commander 2014C14 342015normalblackMatt Stewart
32016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 1272015normalblackMatt Stewart
42017-06-16Archenemy: Nicol BolasE01 462015normalblackMatt Stewart
52018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 942015normalblackMatt Stewart
62020-04-17Commander 2020C20 1502015normalblackMatt Stewart
72020-07-17JumpstartJMP 3132015normalblackMatt Stewart
82020-08-07Double Masters2XM 1242015normalblackMatt Stewart
92020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 4122015normalblackMatt Stewart
102021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1652015normalblackMatt Stewart

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dualcaster Mage has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-06-08 As Dualcaster Mage's triggered ability resolves, it creates a copy of a spell on the stack. The copy isn't cast, so abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger.
2016-06-08 Dualcaster Mage's triggered ability can target (and copy) any instant or sorcery spell, not just one with targets. It doesn't matter who controls it.
2016-06-08 If the copy says that it affects "you," it affects the controller of the copy, not the controller of the original spell. Similarly, if the copy says that it affects an "opponent," it affects an opponent of the copy's controller, not an opponent of the original spell's controller.
2016-06-08 If the spell has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Earthquake does), the copy has the same value of X.
2016-06-08 If the spell is modal (that is, it says "Choose one —" or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can't choose a different one.
2016-06-08 The copy will have the same targets as the spell it's copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
2016-06-08 You can't choose to pay any additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any additional or alternative costs paid for the targeted spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy.

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