Telekinetic Bonds MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set name	Judgment
Set code	JUD
Number	52
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jim Nelson

Key Takeaways

Provides card advantage and interactive play by drawing cards at opponent’s spell cast.
Disrupts opponents by bouncing creatures, thus slowing down their tempo.
Requires careful balancing due to discard conditions and specific mana costs.

Text of card

Whenever a player discards a card from his or her hand, you may pay o1o U. If you do, tap or untap target permanent.

"Nature's been fired. The oceans are under new management." —Ambassador Laquatus

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Telekinetic Bonds enables you to potentially draw a card each time an opponent casts a spell, keeping your hand replenished and outpacing your opponent’s resources. It’s a robust enabler in control decks looking to sustain card quality and quantity.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, Telekinetic Bonds can disrupt your opponents’ tempo by bouncing their creatures to their hand. This slowing of their board development can indirectly accelerate your position by buying you time to deploy your own resources unimpeded.

Instant Speed: The card’s reactionary nature means it operates at instant speed, allowing for strategic plays during an opponent’s turn. It synergizes well with decks that prioritize maintaining open mana to respond to threats immediately, which can be a pivotal advantage during critical moments of a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Telekinetic Bonds requires a player to discard a card every time they wish to activate its effect. This can be a steep price to pay, especially in longer games where maintaining hand advantage is crucial. Players must carefully weigh the benefits against the potential downside of diminishing their own resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Telekinetic Bonds demands a specific combination of blue mana to cast. This mana requirement restricts it to being played primarily in blue-focused or blue-inclusive decks, which may not be an optimal fit for every playstyle or strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of five mana to cast, Telekinetic Bonds is on the higher end of the spectrum. It competes with numerous other impactful cards at a similar cost range. Players might find that other options could provide more immediate or impactful advantages without the additional baggage of a discard mechanic.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The card Telekinetic Bonds shows great versatility by slotting into control decks that favor disruption and denying opponents’ plays. Its ability to bounce a creature whenever you draw a card means it can be integrated into strategies that capitalize on draw mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in combo decks that aim to generate a high volume of card draw. Pairing Telekinetic Bonds with cards that draw multiple cards per turn can create a situation where opponents find it challenging to keep a board presence.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Telekinetic Bonds gains relevance as a powerful control tool. Its ability to consistently interfere with the opponent’s battle plan makes it a noteworthy inclusion in decks aiming to dominate the game’s pace.

How to beat

Telekinetic Bonds is an intriguing blue enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering that can trip up many players. Tapping down an opponent’s permanents whenever they draw a card creates a unique control environment. Despite its disruptive potential, clever plays and strategic deck building can effectively overcome it.

Countering Telekinetic Bonds before it hits the battlefield is the most direct strategy, emphasizing the importance of keeping mana open for counter spells like Negate or Dispel. Post-enchantment, focus shifts to removing it from play. Enchantment removal spells like Naturalize or Disenchant are key, as they can quickly neutralize the Bonds’ control effect. Alternatively, utilizing cards that limit drawing, such as Spirit of the Labyrinth, can also negate the Bonds’ tapping ability by restricting card draw entirely.

Another strategy involves taking advantage of the card’s trigger. Playing cards with untap abilities like Vizier of Tumbling Sands can turn a potential drawback into a benefit. By embracing a reactive playstyle and preparing for the potential roadblocks that Telekinetic Bonds may present, players can maintain the upper hand and keep their game plan on track.

Cards like Telekinetic Bonds

Telekinetic Bonds presents a unique twist in the control archetype of Magic: The Gathering, being analogous to cards that also manipulate the game’s flow. As an instance, compare it with Icy Manipulator, a card that allows you to tap a target artifact, creature, or land. While Icy Manipulator affects the board by targeting single entities, Telekinetic Bonds takes this a step further. It can potentially freeze multiple threats, given that every time you draw a card, you may tap target untapped creature, thereby disrupting opponent’s strategies more comprehensively.

Examine also Opposition, a similar enchantment that taps creatures to control the battleground. Unlike the passive nature of Icy Manipulator, Opposition actively utilizes your creatures as resources to tap opposing permanents. Telekinetic Bonds shares this proactive disruption approach but does so as a triggered effect linked to card draw, thereby not requiring the tapping of your creatures as a cost.

Ultimately, in the realm of denying resources and controlling the pace, Telekinetic Bonds stands out by combining card drawing engines with a repeatable tapping mechanic. While each control card has its situational advantages, Telekinetic Bonds offers continual and broad-reaching effects that can potentially dominate a game’s tempo.

Cards similar to Telekinetic Bonds by color, type and mana cost

Heightened Awareness - MTG Card versions

Reflections of Littjara - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Telekinetic Bonds MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Telekinetic Bonds and other MTG cards: