Hard Cover MTG Card

Hard cover cards provide damage resilience, preserving crucial spells in your deck for game-defining moments. Instant speed capability offers versatile protection, tactically shielding your investments during pivotal turns. Despite their advantages, these cards can lead to hand depletion and require specific mana investments.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Number	63
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	PINDURSKI

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +0/+2 and has ": Draw a card, then discard a card."

A good book is a refuge, but a great book is a fortress.

Cards like Hard Cover

The Hard Cover card holds its own unique space in the array of enchantment options within Magic the Gathering. Like Hard Cover, Curiosity is an enchantment that provides a player with the ability to draw extra cards. While Curiosity triggers upon dealing damage to an opponent, Hard Cover focuses on tapping the enchanted creature, offering a different strategic angle for card draw. Another enchantment, Sixth Sense, is similar to Curiosity with the combat damage trigger but lends itself to a narrower range of creatures.

Moving on to more nuanced similarities, there’s Sage’s Reverie which not only draws cards but also buffs the enchanted creature based on the number of auras you control. This makes Sage’s Reverie a powerhouse in aura-focused decks. In stark contrast, Hard Cover’s appeal lies in its capacity to provide card draw almost at will and at a lower mana cost, though without the additional buff. It serves as a subtle and efficient tool for any player seeking to maintain card advantage with consistent and controlled force.

To sum up, the strategic utility and card advantage offered by Hard Cover certainly makes it a solid choice among its brethren in the MTG arsenal, complementing different styles of play that rely on different triggering conditions to draw cards.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A hard cover card enhances your deck’s resilience by shielding your key spells from common damage sources, effectively increasing the longevity of your game-defining resources.

Resource Acceleration: By safeguarding your investments on the battlefield, these cards ensure that your mana-intensive creatures or planeswalkers can influence the game state without the constant threat of removal, fostering a quicker progression to your strategic endgame.

Instant Speed: The utility of hard cover cards often comes with the ability to be played at instant speed, offering flexible protection in response to threats, therefore maximizing your tactical advantage over the course of a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Protecting cards with a hardcover option often necessitates discarding another card. This can put players at a disadvantage, especially during moments when maintaining a full hand is crucial to their strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Many protective card sleeves are designed with a specific mana cost in mind, such as the hardcover variety. Decks not utilizing the required mana type may find these protective measures inaccessible, potentially requiring a reevaluation of mana bases or even entire deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Opting for hardcover protection comes at a higher mana cost compared to other card safety measures. While safeguarding valuable cards is important, the investment can lead to a slower deck tempo and potentially put players behind their opponents who may leverage more mana-efficient protection solutions.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hard cover MTG cards are not restricted to any single deck archetype, fitting seamlessly into a variety of strategies. Their robustness makes them an excellent choice for decks that see frequent play, as they endure handling without easily succumbing to wear and tear.

Combo Potential: These cards often pave the way for intriguing interactions. By maintaining their condition over time, they ensure that intricate combos remain viable and consistent whenever you decide to unleash them during gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where the competitive environment is ever-evolving, hard cover MTG cards sustain their usability and appeal. Their enduring nature means that they remain a steadfast part of your collection, capable of adapting to the shifting demands of the meta.

How to beat

Dealing with the Hard Cover card in your Magic: The Gathering matches requires a clear strategy. As an enchantment, it can turn an ordinary creature into a formidable blocker or a pesky threat, all the while offering its controller incremental card advantage. The key to overcoming this nuisance is to neutralize the enchanted creature or remove the Hard Cover itself.

Direct removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize are excellent tools to dismantle this enchantment before it generates too much value for your opponent. Alternatively, employing a board wipe can reset the playing field, negating the protective benefits Hard Cover provides. Counterspells can also play a critical role – by anticipating your opponent’s play and countering Hard Cover directly, you maintain tempo and prevent any potential card draw synergy it might create. Moreover, since Hard Cover requires tapping the enchanted creature to draw cards, keeping the board clear or applying pressure can inhibit your opponent from safely utilizing its ability.

While Hard Cover is certainly a card that can fortify an opponent’s position, with thoughtful play and proper answers at the ready, you can ensure it doesn’t become an insurmountable obstacle in your path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hard Cover MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Hard Cover and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hard Cover has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-07-12	Once the ability granted by Hard Cover has been activated, it will resolve even if Hard Cover leaves the battlefield before that ability resolves.
2019-07-12	You draw and discard all while the granted ability is resolving. Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions.