Rhystic Study MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 16 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Rhystic Study imposes a mana tax or grants card draw, providing a subtle yet significant resource boost.
  2. Its instant speed effect increases hand size on opponents’ turns, enhancing strategic flexibility.
  3. While restrictive in mana cost, it’s a versatile staple in spell-heavy metas with high synergy potential.

Text of card

Whenever an opponent plays a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays o1.

Friends teach what you want to know. Enemies teach what you *need* to know.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rhystic Study provides an exceptional opportunity for steady card advantage. By imposing a choice on your opponents to pay an extra mana or let you draw a card whenever they cast a spell, you can greatly increase the resources available to you over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: While Rhystic Study itself may not directly produce mana or accelerate resources, the card advantage it provides can quickly lead to a snowballing effect where the additional cards drawn afford you access to more lands or mana-producing spells, thus indirectly contributing to resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although Rhystic Study is an enchantment that requires being played at sorcery speed, its perpetual effect operates at instant speed. This means you potentially draw cards during your opponents’ turns, effectively increasing your hand size and options at any moment in the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Rhystic Study card doesn’t have a discard requirement, which offers flexibility in retaining important cards in your hand, but this also means that you might miss out on potential synergies or benefits that could be derived from discarding as part of the cost.

Specific Mana Cost: Rhystic Study requires specifically blue mana for casting, which could restrict its integration into multi-color decks that may have a strained mana base or in situations where blue mana is not readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of 2 and a single blue mana, Rhystic Study’s upfront investment is relatively high when you compare it to other low-cost card draw options available in the format. This could potentially slow down your game plan, especially in the early phases when mana resources are limited.


Reasons to Include Rhystic Study in Your Collection

Versatility: Rhystic Study is a card that seamlessly integrates into a multitude of deck styles, serving as a consistent source of card advantage in any game where spells are cast regularly by opponents.

Combo Potential: This enchantment plays well with decks that strive to draw numerous cards, potentially unlocking synergies with cards that capitalize on large hand sizes or those that benefit from drawing additional cards each turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to penalize opponents for casting spells without paying the optional cost, Rhystic Study remains highly relevant in metas abundant with spell-slinging decks, making it a strategic inclusion for players seeking to keep pace with the current competitive environment.


How to beat

Rhystic Study is a powerful card advantage engine in Magic: The Gathering, renowned for its ability to potentially draw you a card whenever an opponent casts a spell unless they pay an additional one mana. While the card can cascade into an overwhelming advantage, defeating it is not without possibilities. One of the most effective strategies is to negate the card draw by consistently paying the one mana tax. This minimizes the benefit your opponent gains, promoting a more balanced match.

Alternatively, targeting Rhystic Study directly with enchantment removal spells like Disenchant, or using a catch-all like Beast Within can permanently remove the threat. If your deck contains counter magic, keeping a counterspell ready when your opponent is likely to cast Rhystic Study can preemptively stop it from hitting the battlefield. In addition to targeted strategies, simply speeding up your game plan to outpace the potential card advantage Rhystic Study offers can be a valid way to reduce its impact. A faster deck could pressure a Rhystic Study player before they leverage the additional cards into a win.

In summary, combating Rhystic Study involves strategic choices – paying the tax, prioritizing its removal, countering it effectively, or racing past its ability to affect the game dramatically.


Cards like Rhystic Study

Rhystic Study stands out in the world of Magic: The Gathering as a premier card draw engine. It shares similarities with Mystic Remora, which likewise offers continuous card advantage but incurs a cumulative upkeep cost instead. Rhystic Study edges ahead with its ability to linger on the battlefield without the upkeep cost, putting pressure on opponents to carefully consider their spell casts.

Consecrated Sphinx is another behemoth in the card advantage arena. Though it comes with a higher mana cost, it provides immediate and potentially massive card draw. Unlike Rhystic Study, it does not tax your opponents but doubles down on card gain whenever an opponent draws. Then there’s Insight, a more subtle and potentially long-term but less impacting card as it only triggers on green spell casts, offering targeted rather than universal card draw like Rhystic Study.

When evaluating the capacity for consistent card advantage, Rhystic Study competently holds its ground. By imposing a tactical tax on your adversaries and encouraging a more controlled game flow, the Study proves itself to be a card of incomparable value for players who prioritize strategic depth and resource accumulation.

Mystic Remora - MTG Card versions
Consecrated Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Insight - MTG Card versions
Mystic Remora - Ice Age (ICE)
Consecrated Sphinx - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Insight - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Rhystic Study by color, type and mana cost

Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Gaseous Form - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Propaganda - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Veiled Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions
Feedback - Fifth Edition (5ED)
In the Eye of Chaos - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Undertow - Legends (LEG)
Mana Vortex - The Dark (DRK)
Energy Flux - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Gaseous Form - The List (PLST)
Mesmeric Trance - Ice Age (ICE)
Soul Barrier - Ice Age (ICE)
Puppet Master - Chronicles (CHR)
Propaganda - Commander 2020 (C20)
Intruder Alarm - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Equilibrium - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Mana Breach - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Checks and Balances - Unglued (UGL)
Douse - Urza's Saga (USG)
Veiled Crocodile - Urza's Saga (USG)
Charisma - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Traveler's Cloak - Invasion (INV)
Shifting Sky - Planeshift (PLS)
Threads of Disloyalty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rhystic Study MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy and Magic Online 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 Rhystic Study and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Rhystic Study Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 2000-06-05 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by 6 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-06-05ProphecyPCY 451997normalblackTerese Nielsen
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 699432015normalblackPaul Scott Canavan
32002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 479752003normalblackTerese Nielsen
42010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A311997normalblackTerese Nielsen
52012-11-02Commander's ArsenalCM1 152003normalblackTerese Nielsen
62015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 322015normalblackTerese Nielsen
72018-01-01Judge Gift Cards 2018J18 72015normalblackPaul Scott Canavan
82019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 4681997normalblackTerese Nielsen
92019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 4782015normalblackRiot Games
102020-07-17JumpstartJMP 1692015normalblackTerese Nielsen
112020-09-26The ListPLST PCY-451997normalblackTerese Nielsen
122022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 1142015normalblackTatiana Kirgetova
132023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting TalesWOT 912015normalborderlessFuzichoco
142023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting TalesWOT 712015normalborderlessFuzichoco
152023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine Art SeriesAWOE 792015art_seriesborderless
162023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting TalesWOT 252015normalborderlessSerena Malyon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rhystic Study has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderBanned
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The player gets the option to pay when this triggered ability resolves. This will be after the spell is announced, but before it resolves.
2004-10-04 You don’t have to decide whether or not you are drawing until after the player decides whether or not to pay.

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