Fortifying Draught MTG Card

Fortifying Draught - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Number	132
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Andrey Kuzinskiy

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage by drawing extra, potentially shifting the momentum of the game in your favor.
Instant speed offers tactical flexibility, allowing for reactionary plays or end-of-turn surprises.
Mana acceleration from Fortifying Draught enables casting of high-impact spells ahead of time.

Text of card

You gain 2 life. Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

"If a seedling can push through solid stone, there's no limit to what I could do."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Provides a vital boost in card access by allowing players to draw an additional card. This sustains hand size and can tip the scales toward victory in prolonged matches.

Resource Acceleration: Offers a single-use mana production which can be crucial for casting high-impact spells earlier than usual or enabling multiple spell turns.

Instant Speed: Flexibility is always a game-changer. By being able to cast this at instant speed, players can adapt to the evolving state of the game, using it to react to opponents’ actions or at the end of their turn for maximum efficiency.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In order to cast Fortifying Draught, you will need to discard a card. This cost can put you at a disadvantage, particularly if you are already behind and lacking card advantage. Discarding may force you to make tough decisions about which cards to keep and which to sacrifice, potentially impacting your strategy and gameplay negatively.

Specific Mana Cost: Furnishing the mana needed for Fortifying Draught can be tricky as it has a color-specific requirement. This could restrict the card’s inclusion only to decks that can reliably produce the requisite mana. Players running multicolored decks or ones that don’t align with this cost might find it challenging to accommodate the card without adjusting their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating Fortifying Draught’s mana cost against its benefits, some players might find it lacking. There are alternative options within the MTG universe that offer either similar effects or more cost-effective solutions for life gain or creature strengthening. This may lead to Fortifying Draught being overlooked in favor of other cards that achieve more impactful results or offer more flexibility with lower mana investments, making it less appealing for deck building.

Reasons to Include Fortifying Draught in Your Collection

Versatility: Fortifying Draught shines in its ability to adapt to multiple game scenarios. As an instant, it can seamlessly fit into decks that prioritize both life gain and surprise boosts in creature power.

Combo Potential: This card can significantly enhance combo strategies that revolve around lifelink or power-dependent triggers. With its instant speed, it can catch opponents off-guard during combat.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-based aggro decks often leading the fray, Fortifying Draught can be a game-changer by offsetting damage and tipping combat in your favor, making it a card worth considering in the current competitive landscape.

How to beat

Fortifying Draught is a notable card that can catch players off guard in MTG, with its ability to unexpectedly strengthen a creature and gain life in a tight situation. To effectively counter this card, players should focus on removal spells that can be cast in response to Fortifying Draught, such as instant-speed removal like Murder or Heartless Act. It’s crucial to time these spells after Fortifying Draught is cast but before it resolves, preventing the creature from becoming an immediate threat and nullifying the life gain.

Additionally, employing counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can also disrupt your opponent’s strategy by preventing Fortifying Draught from ever taking effect. Keep a close watch on your opponent’s mana and the potential creatures that could gain from the card. A strategic approach and carefully chosen responses can provide an upper hand, ensuring that Fortifying Draught doesn’t tip the scales in your opponent’s favor during gameplay.

Moreover, understanding the deck archetype you’re up against and predicting when Fortifying Draught might be played are key elements in mitigating its impact. Always be ready with a plan to counteract the card’s benefits, maintaining the tempo and balance on your side of the battlefield.

Cards like Fortifying Draught

Fortifying Draught is a unique addition to the suite of life-gain spells in Magic: The Gathering. When you ponder upon its closest relatives, you might think of cards such as Moment of Craving. Moment of Craving also provides a boost to your life total while impacting the board by giving a creature -2/-2. However, Fortifying Draught offers something different with its ability to increase a creature’s power, adding more offensive capabilities to your war chest.

Another comparison could be drawn with Feed the Clan. Both cards are capable of bolstering your life total considerably under certain conditions. Though Feed the Clan can potentially grant you a staggering 10 life, it lacks the element of surprise and the combat trick potential that Fortifying Draught provides with its instant speed and power boost. Alas, there’s also Revitalize – a straightforward and efficient spell that gains you 3 life and allows you to draw a card. What it gains in card advantage, it sacrifices in the combat enhancements provided by Fortifying Draught.

Each of these spells has its place depending on the game situation, but Fortifying Draught clearly carves out its niche with its hybrid functionality, serving both offensive and defensive roles in a player’s strategy in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fortifying Draught MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Fortifying Draught and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fortifying Draught has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-04-16	Fortifying Draught counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 2 life and gained 3 life earlier in the turn, you will gain 2 more life from Fortifying Draught and the target creature will get +5/+5.