Otherworldly Gaze MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Flashback,Surveil

Key Takeaways

  1. Otherworldly Gaze primes future draws, offering control over upcoming turns in MTG matches.
  2. Instant speed provides flexibility, making it a responsive play against opponents.
  3. The card’s synergy with graveyard strategies can amplify combo potential in a deck.

Text of card

Surveil 3. (Look at the top three cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.) Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Otherworldly Gaze affords players the opportunity to peer into their future draws, arranging the top three cards of their library. This selective process indirectly offers card advantage by increasing the quality of upcoming draws.

Resource Acceleration: While Otherworldly Gaze may not directly produce mana, it does enable a form of resource acceleration by smoothing out draws. Efficiently sifting through the library can help players find key lands or spells faster, accelerating their game plan.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Otherworldly Gaze at instant speed is a noteworthy boon. It gives players flexibility to use their mana wisely, respond to opponent’s actions, or set up their next turn after gaining more information.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In utilizing Otherworldly Gaze, players need to be mindful of its graveyard synergy, as not all decks benefit equally from discarding cards. In some cases, the discard can be more harmful than helpful, especially for strategies that rely on maintaining a full hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Otherworldly Gaze has a specific mana requirement that entirely consists of blue. This can restrict its inclusion primarily to decks that run blue or have a mana base capable of consistently producing blue mana, potentially excluding it from a variety of other decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the initial cost is low, the flashback cost is significant for its effect. Considering its overall impact, players might find that dedicating three mana for its later use might not be the most mana-efficient play when compared to other draw or scry effects available.


Reasons to Include Otherworldly Gaze in Your Collection

Versatility: Otherworldly Gaze is a card that provides flexibility for various deck builds. Being able to manipulate the top cards of your library allows for better draw quality, aligning with strategies that prioritize card efficiency and synergy.

Combo Potential: It opens up possibilities for combos with graveyard mechanics or cards that interact with the top of the library. Its ability to mill can be tactically used in self-mill strategies to set up powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where knowledge of the next draw is crucial and graveyard strategies are prevalent, Otherworldly Gaze holds its ground as a utility spell. It enables players to stay ahead by setting up their upcoming turns, making it a relevant addition to any collection aimed at competitive play.


How to beat Otherworldly Gaze

Otherworldly Gaze can be a subtle yet impactful blue instant in MTG, known for manipulating the top cards of a library and providing graveyard setup for various strategies. To counteract Otherworldly Gaze effectively, incorporate instant-speed graveyard disruption or spell-counters to neutralize its benefits. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt offer a zero-cost opportunity to exile an opponent’s graveyard, disrupting the synergy that Otherworldly Gaze aims to establish.

Strategic deck shuffling effects can also undermine the set-up performed by Otherworldly Gaze. Utilizing cards such as Field of Ruin forces a player to shuffle their deck, which can invalidate the careful planning of their upcoming draws. Moreover, having cards with the ability to exile the top of a player’s library, such as Lantern of Insight combined with Codex Shredder, can remove key components that have been placed on top by Otherworldly Gaze.

In essence, while Otherworldly Gaze lays down the groundwork for powerful graveyard plays, a vigilant opponent can adapt their deck with precise graveyard hate and shuffle effects to mitigate its advantages and maintain control over the game’s flow.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re looking to enhance your gameplay and delve deeper into strategic deck manipulation, understanding the delicate art of card advantage and deck setup is vital. Mastering cards like Otherworldly Gaze can tip the scales in your favor, selecting top-quality draws and setting the stage for powerful future moves. Whether you are tweaking your own deck or looking to fortify your collection for competitive play, exploring the intricacies of library and graveyard interaction is essential. Dive into our comprehensive guides and discussions where you’ll find insightful tips and techniques to optimize your MTG experience. Advance your knowledge and skills with us and take on any challenger with confidence.


Cards like Otherworldly Gaze

Otherworldly Gaze is a unique spell in MTG that delves into manipulating deck order and card selection. Comparatively, cards like Opt present a concise alternative, offering immediate card drawing paired with scrying, yet they don’t allow multiple card interactions. Otherworldly Gaze, distinct with its nightbound feature, offers a deeper look into your deck both upon casting and later in the game cycle.

Peek is another spell that grants insight into what lies ahead, giving instant intel on an opponent’s hand but lacks the graveyard interaction that Otherworldly Gaze facilitates. Strategic Planning, in a different lane, allows the selection of a card from the top three of your library immediately, but it neither affects deck order nor offers a repeated ability akin to Otherworldly Gaze’s was.

While analyzing these spells and understanding the intricacies of deck manipulation in MTG, Otherworldly Gaze emerges as a card for those interested in long-term planning and graveyard synergies, marking its spot in the realm of strategic library manipulation spells.

Opt - MTG Card versions
Peek - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions
Opt - MTG Card versions
Peek - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Otherworldly Gaze MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Otherworldly Gaze and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Otherworldly Gaze Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Chris Cold.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 672015NormalBlackChris Cold
22022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 672015NormalBlackChris Cold
32024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 1152015NormalBlackChris Cold

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Otherworldly Gaze has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-09-24 "Flashback
-ost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."
2021-09-24 A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-09-24 If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-09-24 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-09-24 You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-09-24 You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.

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