Dictate of the Twin Gods MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Flash

Key Takeaways

  1. Increase combat and spell damage significantly, turning the tide of battle in your favor effortlessly.
  2. Enhances potential for combos and synergies, making it a dynamic addition to various deck types.
  3. Flexibility to cast at instant speed offers strategic depth and unexpected gameplay twists.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash If a source would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals double that damage to that permanent or player instead.

Iroas and Mogis are as different in appearance as they are in personality.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dictate of the Twin Gods doesn’t directly let you draw cards, but its power amplification can lead to significant in-game advantages, offering you more leverage with every spell and creature that deals damage. This card sets the stage for strategies that can quickly overwhelm an opponent, potentially turning single instances of damage into game-ending moves.

Resource Acceleration: While not providing traditional mana acceleration, Dictate of the Twin Gods accelerates your board state’s lethality. By doubling the damage output, you effectively increase the resources your creatures and spells bring to the battlefield. This can translate to a faster pace in achieving victory, saving resources in your hand for future turns.

Instant Speed: This enchantment can be played at the end of your opponent’s turn, just before yours begins, due to its Flash ability. This allows you to surprise your opponent by suddenly doubling the damage potential of your board, which can lead to unexpected wins. The instant-speed nature of this card also lets you keep mana available for reactions on your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Dictate of the Twin Gods doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, playing it requires careful hand management to ensure you have an impactful board presence when it comes into play. It’s crucial to balance keeping the necessary cards in hand while trying to leverage the doubling effect of its ability.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands a commitment to red mana with its 3RR mana cost, which could potentially restrict its inclusion to decks that are heavily invested in red or dual-color decks that can conveniently produce red mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: A five mana enchantment is significant and may take up an entire turn’s worth of resources. In aggressive red decks, this means slowing down your tempo in hopes of a future payoff. For a player looking for immediate board impact or those playing in faster-paced matches, Dictate of the Twin Gods may be seen as a prohibitive investment.


Reasons to Include Dictate of the Twin Gods in Your Collection

Versatility: Dictate of the Twin Gods offers flexibility to any player’s arsenal. It can amplify the damage of creature attacks, direct damage spells, and even double-edge effects that may otherwise be detrimental, turning them into potential game-enders.

Combo Potential: This enchantment can enhance a wide variety of combos, such as pairing with cards that prevent damage to you or redirect damage to opponents, multiplying the impact of a single well-placed strike significantly.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where games can swing in a single turn, Dictate of the Twin Gods capitalizes on this dynamic. It’s particularly impactful in formats where aggressive decks strive to close games quickly or where control decks wait for the opportune moment to unleash a devastating blow.


How to Beat

Dictate of the Twin Gods is a potent enchantment that can turn the tides of a Magic: The Gathering duel with its damage amplifying ability. It doubles the damage from any source, setting up scenarios for explosive plays or even unexpected defeats. To best this card, timing is crucial. Playing around it involves careful management of your life total, as any damage can be lethal with Dictate of the Twin Gods in play.

Consider including instant-speed removal or counter spells in your deck to deal with Dictate of the Twin Gods before it can influence the game. Holding back on delivering non-lethal damage when you suspect your opponent has this card can also prevent you from inadvertently setting up their win condition. Since the effect applies to all damage sources, spread the damage across multiple turns when possible, or use strategies that bypass damage altogether, such as mill or direct exile effects, to safely navigate around this double-edged sword.

Ultimately, beating Dictate of the Twin Gods requires caution, timing, and strategic adjustment to your play style. Recognize the pivotal moment to disrupt your opponent’s plans and ensure that this powerful enchantment does not dictate the outcome of the match in their favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Wrapping up our deep dive into Dictate of the Twin Gods, it’s clear this card can leave a scorching impact on the board. Whether you’re looking to double the damage of your red spells or seeking to amplify an already aggressive strategy, it’s a unique enchantment that can end games in the blink of an eye. Keep in mind its versatility, strategic timing with Flash, and don’t forget to consider the other side of the coin—your opponent’s potential responses. Now, step into our realm of MTG expertise. Delve deeper into strategy, elevate your deck-building skills, and harness the true potential of your collection. Learn more and let Dictate of the Twin Gods fuel your path to victory.


Cards like Dictate of the Twin Gods

Dictate of the Twin Gods is a powerful enchantment from Magic: The Gathering that can quickly turn the tide of a game. It bears resemblance to Furnace of Rath, as both cards have the effect of doubling damage dealt to creatures and players. However, Dictate of the Twin Gods differentiates itself with flash, allowing you to cast it at any time, surprising your opponents and setting up potential game-winning moves.

Another comparable card is Gratuitous Violence, which also doubles the damage your creatures deal to players or creatures, though it lacks the same impact on your opponents’ creatures and doesn’t double damage dealt to players themselves. Quest for Pure Flame is yet another alternative, capable of doubling damage but with the requirement of fulfilling a quest condition first, making it more of a delayed threat compared to the immediacy of Dictate of the Twin Gods.

In evaluating these cards, Dictate of the Twin Gods stands out in terms of versatility and sudden impact, which in the right deck can be exploited for devastating effect. Its ability to dictate the pace of the game and offer unexpected plays makes it a worthwhile inclusion in decks built around damage amplification strategies.

Furnace of Rath - MTG Card versions
Gratuitous Violence - MTG Card versions
Quest for Pure Flame - MTG Card versions
Furnace of Rath - Tempest (TMP)
Gratuitous Violence - Onslaught (ONS)
Quest for Pure Flame - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Dictate of the Twin Gods by color, type and mana cost

Conquer - MTG Card versions
Curse of Marit Lage - MTG Card versions
Bulwark - MTG Card versions
Rumbling Crescendo - MTG Card versions
Burning Sands - MTG Card versions
Unpredictable Cyclone - MTG Card versions
Court of Ire - MTG Card versions
Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded - MTG Card versions
Double Vision - MTG Card versions
Aether Charge - MTG Card versions
Gratuitous Violence - MTG Card versions
Extra Arms - MTG Card versions
Confusion in the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Yet Another Aether Vortex - MTG Card versions
Blockbuster - MTG Card versions
Mindmoil - MTG Card versions
Where Ancients Tread - MTG Card versions
Rumbling Aftershocks - MTG Card versions
Heretic's Punishment - MTG Card versions
Curse of Bloodletting - MTG Card versions
Conquer - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Curse of Marit Lage - Ice Age (ICE)
Bulwark - Urza's Saga (USG)
Rumbling Crescendo - Urza's Saga (USG)
Burning Sands - Odyssey (ODY)
Unpredictable Cyclone - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Promos (PIKO)
Court of Ire - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded - Theros Beyond Death (THB)
Double Vision - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Aether Charge - Onslaught (ONS)
Gratuitous Violence - Onslaught (ONS)
Extra Arms - Scourge (SCG)
Confusion in the Ranks - Mirrodin (MRD)
Yet Another Aether Vortex - The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) (ULST)
Blockbuster - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Mindmoil - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Where Ancients Tread - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rumbling Aftershocks - Worldwake (WWK)
Heretic's Punishment - Innistrad (ISD)
Curse of Bloodletting - Dark Ascension (DKA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dictate of the Twin Gods MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Journey into Nyx 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 Dictate of the Twin Gods and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dictate of the Twin Gods Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-04-26 and 2014-05-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 523342003normalblackChase Stone
22014-04-26Journey into Nyx PromosPJOU 93★2003normalblackChase Stone
32014-05-02Journey into NyxJOU 932003normalblackJaime Jones

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dictate of the Twin Gods has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2014-04-26 Dictate of the Twin Gods applies to any damage, not just combat damage. It also doesn't matter who controls the source of the damage that's being dealt.
2014-04-26 If more than one Dictate of the Twin Gods is on the battlefield, damage dealt will double for each one (two of them will end up multiplying the damage by four, three of them by eight, and four of them by sixteen).
2014-04-26 If multiple effects modify how damage will be dealt, the player being dealt damage or the controller of the permanent being dealt damage chooses the order to apply the effects. For example, the ability of Decorated Griffin says “Prevent the next 1 combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn.” Suppose you would be dealt 3 combat damage and you activate the ability of Decorated Griffin. You can either (a) prevent 1 damage first and then let Dictate of the Twin Gods's effect double the remaining 2 damage, for a result of being dealt 4 damage, or (b) double the damage to 6 and then prevent 1 damage, for a result of being dealt 5 damage.
2014-04-26 The source of the damage doesn't change. A spell that deals damage will specify the source of the damage, often the spell itself. An ability that deals damage will also specify the source of the damage, although the ability itself will never be that source. Often the source of the ability is also the source of the damage.

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