Unexplained Disappearance MTG Card

Unexplained Disappearance - Guilds of Ravnica

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Surveil
Released	2018-10-05
Set symbol
Set name	Guilds of Ravnica
Set code	GRN
Number	56
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Izzy

Key Takeaways

Provides crucial tempo by returning creatures to the hand at instant speed.
Surveil mechanic aids in deck and graveyard manipulation strategies.
Despite versatility, better removal options may exist depending on the deck.

Text of card

Return target creature to its owner's hand. Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)

The first thing the mist chills is the mind. Victims never cry out or even murmur in surprise.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Unexplained Disappearance, you can return a creature to its owner’s hand, potentially saving you from an unfavorable battle or resetting a creature with valuable enter-the-battlefield effects. This can disrupt your opponent’s strategy and provide you with an edge in the match.

Resource Acceleration: Though Unexplained Disappearance doesn’t directly produce additional mana or tokens, it acts as a form of tempo acceleration. By returning an opponent’s creature to their hand, you effectively delay their plans, giving you the opportunity to pull ahead and deploy your resources more efficiently.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Unexplained Disappearance at instant speed offers tremendous flexibility. You can navigate through your turn without committing mana until you have full information about your opponent’s actions, making it easier to pinpoint the optimal moment to cast this spell and maximize its impact on the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the case of Unexplained Disappearance, while there is no discard requirement involved which can often be perceived as a con, it does however cost you a card from hand to effectively temporarily deal with a threat, rather than permanently solving the problem.

Specific Mana Cost: The specific mana cost to cast Unexplained Disappearance requires one blue mana which can restrict its inclusion to certain decks, typically limiting it to those that run blue or have a versatile mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of one colorless and one blue mana, Unexplained Disappearance is seen as having a comparatively high mana cost for an effect that merely bounces a creature to its owner’s hand. Other options in MTG might offer more permanent removal or additional effects for a similar or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Unexplained Disappearance in Your Collection

Versatility: Unexplained Disappearance offers flexibility in gameplay, providing both creature disruption and a surveil option. This allows you to adapt to various situations, whether you’re protecting your own board or stalling your opponent’s strategy.

Combo Potential: With its surveil mechanic, you can set up your next draw or fuel graveyard-based strategies, making it a tactful component in combo decks that capitalize on card and graveyard synergy.

Meta-Relevance: Given the dynamic nature of MTG’s competitive scene, reactive cards like Unexplained Disappearance remain relevant by offering an instant-speed response to threats while simultaneously sculpting your hand and library for future turns.

How to beat

Unexplained Disappearance packs a punch in MTG, acting as a versatile tool for dealing with any creature that threatens to tip the game. This instant allows players to return a target creature to its owner’s hand, disrupting opponent strategies and tempo. What sets it apart from similar cards is its surveil ability — providing the added advantage of deck manipulation to draw into better answers or key cards.

To effectively counter this card, timing and strategic choices are critical. One way is to maintain a diverse battlefield, minimizing the impact of a single creature being bounced. Also, having counterspells or hexproof abilities at the ready can prevent Unexplained Disappearance from resolving or targeting key creatures. Another tactic is to play creatures with enter the battlefield effects, turning a potential setback into a benefit by re-triggering those abilities.

Understanding when to bait out this card can also turn the table in your favor. Introducing less essential creatures before committing more valuable ones can exhaust your opponent’s resources. In essence, the key to besting Unexplained Disappearance in MTG is to play around it by thoughtfully deploying creatures and employing countermeasures that make it less disruptive to your game plan.

Cards like Unexplained Disappearance

Unexplained Disappearance plays a tactical role in the blue control arsenal of Magic: The Gathering, much like other instant speed removal spells. Comparable to cards like Vapor Snag, which also returns a creature to its owner’s hand, Unexplained Disappearance stands out by providing the player with the surveil mechanic, thus allowing for deck manipulation which Vapor Snag lacks.

Blink of an Eye is another card that shares similarities, offering the kick option that can draw you a card at the expense of extra mana. While it doesn’t allow for deck rearrangement as Unexplained Disappearance does, this can compensate for the mana difference when you’re in need of more cards. Into the Roil is in the same family, offering flexibility with its kicker cost and potential card draw, yet it misses the surveil synergy that bolsters graveyard strategies.

Utilities like these enhance strategic gameplay, with Unexplained Disappearance paving the way for savvy plays that shape the battlefield while subtly sifting through the next layers of your deck, making it a valued piece in the complex puzzle of Magic: The Gathering match play.

Cards similar to Unexplained Disappearance by color, type and mana cost

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Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unexplained Disappearance MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Unexplained Disappearance and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Unexplained Disappearance has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-10-05	Some spells that instruct you to surveil require targets. You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t surveil.
2018-10-05	When you surveil, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards into your graveyard, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them into your graveyard.
2018-10-05	You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, you’ll surveil last. For others, you’ll surveil and then perform other actions.