Fate Transfer MTG Card

It offers tactical advantage by enabling versatile counter distribution, enhancing board control. Instant cast timing allows disruption or enhancement during critical gameplay moments. Demands specific mana and may compete with other spells for resources during play.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	161
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne England

Text of card

Move all counters from target creature onto another target creature.

"The cinders find strength in suffering, the elves in beauty. But if you make an elf suffer, he gets weaker. I wonder what happens if you make a cinder beautiful?" —Hrugash, leech bonder

Cards like Fate Transfer

Fate Transfer stands out as a unique instant in MTG that offers a twist on counter manipulation. It allows players to move all counters from one target creature to another. In comparison to other counter-interaction cards like Bioshift, which also transfers counters, Fate Transfer can target any creature on the battlefield, not just those you control, providing a much broader range of tactical applications. Unlike Bioshift, Fate Transfer comes with the added flexibility of affecting all kinds of counters, not just +1/+1, but it’s also priced higher at three mana.

Another similar card is Leech Bonder, which can move counters around but requires untapping and has a single-shot effect per turn without additional support. Conversely, Fate Transfer does its job instantly and in whole, but with higher cost and as a one-time spell. To compare further, Corrupted Zendikon also manipulates counters and can weaken an opponent’s creature while empowering your own, however, it’s limited to -1/-1 counters and stands as a permanent rather than an instant.

These comparisons reflect the distinctiveness of Fate Transfer in the MTG landscape, offering a blend of strategic counter play and versatility, albeit at a higher mana investment.

Cards similar to Fate Transfer by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Fate Transfer provides a unique tactical edge by allowing you to shift counters from one creature to another. This ability to redistribute resources works to both nullify threats and strengthen your position on the board.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly impacting your mana pool, strategically transferring counters with Fate Transfer can accelerate the pace at which your creatures become threats. This can lead to achieving your win conditions more rapidly than your opponent anticipates.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Fate Transfer gives you the flexibility to disrupt opponent strategies during their turn or to make last-minute enhancements to your creatures before damage is dealt. The timing of this card can be everything, ensuring you are always in control of the flow of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fate Transfer lacks this drawback, which is a point in its favor. Not having to discard means retaining more options in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Catering to blue and black mana pools, this card requires a precise balance of both to be cast, potentially complicating its inclusion in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana, including one blue and one black, can be considered steep for transferring counters. In the heat of the game, there may be more pressing spells to cast with such resources.

Reasons to Include Fate Transfer in Your Collection

Versatility: Fate Transfer offers flexibility in deck building by allowing players to shift counters from one creature to another. This can be useful in a variety of situations, such as moving +1/+1 counters to a creature with evasion or moving -1/-1 counters off a valuable creature to keep it in play.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combo-oriented decks that utilize counters as a resource. By transferring counters at the right moment, players can maximize the impact of ETB effects, proliferate strategies, or conserve valuable traits like undying or persist.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where counter manipulation plays a key role, Fate Transfer has the potential to be a game-changer. It can disrupt opponent strategies that rely on counter placement or bolster your own strategic plays, making it a card worth considering for inclusion in your deck arsenal.

How to Beat Fate Transfer

Fate Transfer presents a unique strategy in the Magic: The Gathering environment, offering players the ability to shift counters from one creature to another. To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to understand its dynamic utility. Unlike spells that outright remove or reduce creature power, Fate Transfer could actually save a creature from destruction by moving detrimental counters or even move beneficial ones to an opposing creature.

The key to overcoming Fate Transfer lies in timing and disruption. Consider utilizing instant-speed removal spells that can target creatures in response to Fate Transfer being cast. This mitigates the card’s impact by ensuring the counters have nowhere to go, effectively wasting your opponent’s card and mana investment. Additionally, spells and abilities that counter target spells also prove effective, nullifying Fate Transfer before it can alter the state of the battlefield. It’s also advantageous to maintain a board presence that is less reliant on counters, thus diminishing the value your opponent gets even if Fate Transfer resolves.

Strategically, maintaining pressure on your opponent’s resources and creatures will often leave them with less optimal choices for the usage of Fate Transfer, thereby diminishing its potential role in their strategy. Ensuring you have a versatile and adaptable plan will help you stay ahead and negate the advantages Fate Transfer might otherwise provide.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fate Transfer MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Fate Transfer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fate Transfer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-05-01	Fate Transfer moves any kind of counters, not just -1/-1 counters.
2008-05-01	If either one of the targets becomes illegal (because it leaves the battlefield or for any other reason) by the time Fate Transfer resolves, the counters don’t move. If both targets become illegal, Fate Transfer doesn’t resolve.
2008-05-01	This effect may result in useless counters being placed on a creature. For example, if an age counter is moved from a creature with cumulative upkeep to a creature without cumulative upkeep, it will have no effect on the new creature.