Sword-Point Diplomacy MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers a chance for significant card draws, potentially shifting the game’s momentum in your favor.
  2. A double-edged sword that can both advance resources and impose strategic restrictions on deck building.
  3. Its unique mechanics demand savvy play to leverage its full potential within a collection.

Text of card

Reveal the top three cards of your library. For each of those cards, put that card into your hand unless any opponent pays 3 life. Then exile the rest.

"Take my blood if you want. Just don't take my gold!"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sword-Point Diplomacy provides a unique opportunity to potentially draw three additional cards, offering a significant boost in resources and thus a chance to outpace your opponent in terms of available options during the game.

Resource Acceleration: Through its negotiation mechanic, where an opponent can choose to pay life rather than giving you the card, this can indirectly accelerate your resources by dealing damage, thereby pressuring your opponent’s life total.

Instant Speed: Although Sword-Point Diplomacy is played at sorcery speed, the ability to present multiple cards simultaneously can create immediate decision points for your opponent, effectively performing a similar strategic role as an instant by forcing your opponent to act on your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Sword-Point Diplomacy is the forced discard condition it can sometimes impose on you. While this can be used to your advantage in some strategies, it may also backfire by reducing your hand when you least expect it. Understanding when to play this card is crucial to avoid self-sabotage.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and red mana, Sword-Point Diplomacy demands a commitment to a Rakdos-colored deck or at least a reliable mana base capable of producing both colors. This requirement can restrict your deck-building options and may not fit with every strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card comes with a relatively high cost for casting, which could limit its playability in fast-paced games. Three mana is significant, especially when the outcomes rely partially on an opponent’s choices. In many cases, there could be more mana-efficient alternatives for card advantage or direct damage that do not give your opponent the same level of control over the card’s impact.


Reasons to Include Sword-Point Diplomacy in Your Collection

Versatility: Sword-Point Diplomacy aligns with various strategies that thrive on card advantage and psychological play. It can integrate smoothly into aggressive, midrange, or even some control decks that seek to maximize each card’s impact.

Combo Potential: This card can work well with discard or punisher mechanics, amplifying the consequences of your opponent’s choices. It fits into decks that capitalize on opponents discarding cards or can set up damaging combos with life loss.

Meta-Relevance: With a meta that leans towards efficient card draw and damage, Sword-Point Diplomacy can pressure opponents while providing you with crucial resources. Its ability to potentially draw three cards makes it a contender in various matchups.


How to Beat Sword-Point Diplomacy

Sword-Point Diplomacy can be an intriguing challenge to overcome in the MTG landscape. The card presents an interesting dynamic where the decision power shifts to your opponent, nudging them to choose between letting you draw three cards or taking a hit to their life total for each card they don’t want you to have. What sets it apart is the psychological play it brings into the game, making it not just a matter of resources but also of wills. Unlike other straightforward draw spells, Sword-Point Diplomacy turns card advantage into a strategic dialogue.

The key to beating this spell lies in maintaining a solid life buffer and strategic foresight. As an opponent, carefully weigh the potential impact of the cards revealed. A high life total gives you the flexibility to take the life loss comfortably, denying your opponent crucial cards. On the other side, when playing against it, consider the right timing. Deploy it when your opponent’s life is under pressure or when their resources to respond are limited, maximizing the potential for drawing needed cards or inflicting significant life total damage.

In summary, defeating Sword-Point Diplomacy demands tactical discernment and timing, making it a complex but beatable MTG card when approached with care and strategy.


Cards like Sword-Point Diplomacy

Sword-Point Diplomacy stands out in the roster of risky card advantage options in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often weighed against the likes of Risk Factor, which presents an opponent with a persistent threat but relies on repeated casting for optimal effect. Sword-Point Diplomacy, however, offers a one-time, potent choice for three cards at once, giving it a distinctive burst potential.

Another comparable selection is the infamous Painful Truths, offering a reliable three cards for three life, without the uncertainty inherent to Sword-Point Diplomacy. Where the latter card may yield variable results based on an opponent’s decisions, Painful Truths provides a guaranteed return, albeit with a fixed life cost.

Browbeat is yet another relative, an older card with a similar ‘punisher’ mechanic. It gives opponents the choice between damage or card advantage, but falls short of the potential card quantity that Sword-Point Diplomacy can reveal. The MTG community often regards these choices as player-dependent, making the situation-specific evaluation of Sword-Point Diplomacy critical to its success.

Considering the gamble of giving an opponent control, Sword-Point Diplomacy is a formidable card when maneuvered wisely, with the capacity to create intimidating game states against opponents forced to make disadvantageous decisions.

Risk Factor - MTG Card versions
Painful Truths - MTG Card versions
Browbeat - MTG Card versions
Risk Factor - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Painful Truths - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Browbeat - Judgment (JUD)

Cards similar to Sword-Point Diplomacy by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Crippling Fatigue - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Portal (POR)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 1999 (S99)
Grim Tutor - Starter 1999 (S99)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Crippling Fatigue - Hachette UK (PHUK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sword-Point Diplomacy MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan Promos and Ixalan Promos, 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 Sword-Point Diplomacy and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sword-Point Diplomacy Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2017-09-29. Illustrated by Eric Deschamps.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-09-29Ixalan PromosPXLN 126p2015normalblackEric Deschamps
22017-09-29Ixalan PromosPXLN 126s2015normalblackEric Deschamps
32017-09-29IxalanXLN 1262015normalblackEric Deschamps

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sword-Point Diplomacy has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-09-29 In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order chooses whether to pay life for one card before proceeding to the next card. You choose the order to perform this process for the cards, but opponents may discuss them before making any choices. Opponents will then know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices.
2017-09-29 You reveal all three cards before opponents choose whether to pay life for any of them.

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