Piercing Light MTG Card
2021-11-19 - Number 30
2022-01-28 - Number 297
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Scry |
Key Takeaways
- Piercing Light provides indirect card advantage and optimizes mana usage by handling creatures efficiently.
- Its instant speed adds a layer of strategic flexibility, allowing for reactive plays during opponents’ turns.
- While restricted to white mana decks, its low cost and tactical nature make it a versatile option.
Text of card
Piercing Light deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
"Creatures of the night dissolve like shadows in the light of faith." —Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Piercing Light, while not directly offering card draw, provides an indirect form of card advantage by dealing with an opponent’s creatures efficiently. This allows you to maintain board presence and potentially outpace your opponent in resources.
Resource Acceleration: While Piercing Light doesn’t produce additional mana or tokens, it serves as resource acceleration by impacting the board at a low cost. This optimal mana investment helps you preserve your resources for other crucial spells and actions within your turn.
Instant Speed: Piercing Light’s instant speed grants you the flexibility to respond to threats on your opponent’s turn or at the end of their phase, ensuring your mana isn’t wasted if no immediate threats arise. This responsiveness enhances your strategic options throughout the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Piercing Light may necessitate discarding an additional card to achieve its full potential, which can prove detrimental in situations where hand preservation is crucial for maintaining strategic advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s white mana cost restricts its integration, making it exclusively viable within white or multicolor decks, potentially limiting its playability across the diverse MTG meta.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When weighed against other options in the game, Piercing Light might be seen as having a relatively steep mana cost for its effects, possibly relegating it as a less favorable choice in a player’s arsenal where efficiency is key.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Piercing Light shines as a flexible option for any deck requiring swift removal options. Its low casting cost enables players to efficiently manage early threats, paving the way for a stable board presence.
Combo Potential: This card can easily slip into synergistic strategies where spell casting count matters, accumulating value with every cast. Its ability to power up spell-based synergies or trigger prowess-like effects makes it a tactical pick for spell-focused decks.
Meta-Relevance: With a format that’s constantly adapting, having low-cost, quick-response cards like Piercing Light can be critically important. It edges out in utility in a meta dense with aggressive creatures and can be a decisive factor in the fast-paced gameplay this game is known for.
How to beat
Piercing Light is an intriguing card in the realm of MTG due to its potential for thwarting early aggressive creatures. Its ability to target attacking or blocking creature for 2 damage often proves invaluable in staving off fast-paced adversaries, similar to the mechanics found in Shock. The difference lies in its specificity for combat, which could limit its flexibility compared to the more versatile Shock that can target any creature or player at any time.
Notably, as players aim to counteract the effects of Piercing Light, they might look towards cards such as Ranger’s Guile or Blossoming Defense. These options not only protect their creatures from being removed by such spells but also provide a boost to their power, offering a competitive edge over Piercing Light. For those who wish to retain their offensive momentum, the key lies in anticipating and smartly navigating around spells like Piercing Light, thus securing their creatures’ position on the battlefield and maintaining pressure on the opponent.
Overall, while Piercing Light presents a unique challenge, especially in combat situations, understanding its limitations and strategizing accordingly can turn the tides in favor of those who wield creatures with caution and tactical acumen.
Cards like Piercing Light
Piercing Light is a tactical choice for players looking to bolster their deck’s ability to handle creatures. In comparison, Sunlance offers a similar functionality, dealing 3 damage to target non-white creature. While Sunlance’s damage output is higher, Piercing Light’s scry 1 provides strategic deck maneuvering, making Piercing Light not just a removal but also a tool for card quality control. Revoke Existence is another card warranting attention. Though not a direct damage dealer, it exiles target artifact or enchantment, useful in disabling non-creature threats.
Looking towards a blend of defense and card advantage, Defend the Campus stands out. It either destroys target creature with power 4 or greater or boosts the defense of your own creatures. This flexibility can be a game-changer, yet it lacks Piercing Light immediate creature targeting efficiency and scrying ability. Lastly, Gideon’s Reproach is a noteworthy mention with a similar damage-dealing effect but its 4 damage to an attacking or blocking creature aligns it more with combat-specific scenarios unlike the broader utility offered by Piercing Light.
In evaluating these cards alongside Piercing Light, it’s evident that Piercing Light holds a unique place, intricately blending creature control with deck sifting capabilities, distinguishing it as a versatile pick in the strategic landscape of MTG.
Cards similar to Piercing Light by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Piercing Light MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow 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 Piercing Light and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Piercing Light Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Donato Giancola.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-11-19 | Innistrad: Crimson Vow | VOW | 30 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Donato Giancola | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 297 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Donato Giancola |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Piercing Light has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
