Just the Wind MTG Card

Serves as a disruption tool, potentially negating an opponent’s progress and controlling the game. At instant speed, it adds strategic flexibility and surprise to gameplay. Mandatory discard for madness cost poses a strategic deck-building challenge.

Just the Wind - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
2016-04-08 - Number 71

Ultimate Masters (UMA)
2018-12-07 - Number 60

Just the Wind - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
2021-08-26 - Number 205

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Madness

Text of card

Return target creature to its owner's hand. Madness (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

"There's nothing to worry about."

Cards like Just the Wind

Just the Wind is a versatile bounce spell in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of other spells like Unsummon. Both Unsummon and Just the Wind allow players to return target creature to its owner’s hand, but Just the Wind has the added advantage of the Madness mechanic. This means if you discard Just the Wind, you can cast it for its Madness cost, allowing strategic plays that can combine well with other cards that reward discarding.

Another card worth comparing is Vapor Snag, which also causes a creature to return to its owner’s hand but inflicts 1 life point of damage as well. Though this card costs the same as Just the Wind, the life point loss can be crucial in closing a tight game. However, it doesn’t offer the flexibility of Madness which can be a pivotal asset in decks designed to exploit such mechanics.

Considering the advantages of Madness and the adaptability it offers, Just the Wind stands out as an exceptional tool for players aiming to control the board and capitalize on discard synergies within their MTG strategies. It’s a subtle yet powerful card that can fit into various game plans seamlessly.

Cards similar to Just the Wind by color, type and mana cost

Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions

Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: “Just the Wind” serves as a potent tool for disrupting your opponent’s board presence. By returning a creature to its owner’s hand, it can potentially negate an entire turn’s worth of progress for your adversary, helping you to maintain control of the game flow.

Resource Acceleration: Although it may not provide direct mana acceleration, the utility of “Just the Wind” can result in indirect resource savings. By bouncing an opponent’s creature, you force them to spend more mana to re-cast it, effectively slowing them down and giving you a tempo advantage.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast “Just the Wind” at instant speed provides substantial flexibility. You can strategically play it at the end of your opponent’s turn, or in response to an opponent’s action, keeping them off balance and preserving the element of surprise for your tactics.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Just the Wind presents a deckbuilding challenge as it necessitates the discard of another card for its madness cost, making it less appealing when you’re running short on hand options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a blue color dependency which could restrict its integration in multi-color decks, potentially conflicting with mana base optimization strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its bounce effect, Just the Wind’s mana cost is on the higher side when compared to similar effects found in MTG which could lead to less efficient tempo plays.

Reasons to Include Just the Wind in Your Collection

Versatility: Just the Wind is a flexible card that can serve various roles in different decks. It acts as an efficient means to disrupt your opponent by returning creatures to their hand, allowing for tempo plays that can hinder their strategy and maintain board control.

Combo Potential: This card works well within decks that capitalize on casting multiple spells in a single turn or that recycle instants and sorceries. It can be an integral part of a combo that repeatedly clears the board of opposing threats or uses returned creatures to leverage enter-the-battlefield effects.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment dominated by creature-based strategies, Just the Wind offers an affordable solution to temporarily remove problematic creatures and can be a key card for sideboards or main decks alike. As the meta shifts, the ability to send creatures back to an opponent’s hand never loses value, ensuring that Just the Wind remains a relevant tool in various competitive settings.

How to beat

Just the Wind is a simple yet strategic instant card in MTG that allows a player to return a target creature to its owner’s hand. This card shines in situations where evading powerful creatures or disrupting an opponent’s board setup is crucial. To effectively counter Just the Wind, consider using low-cost, non-creature spells that cannot be bounced or deploying creatures with beneficial enter-the-battlefield effects. These creatures turn Just the Wind into a disadvantage for the opponent, essentially giving you a free cast of the beneficial effect.

Moreover, implementing cards with hexproof or utilizing spells that grant your creatures hexproof will render Just the Wind inefficient as it relies on targeting. Transitioning to a strategy less reliant on single high-value creatures and more on a wide presence can also minimize the setback from this bounce effect. Lastly, cards that punish the opponent for casting noncreature spells can serve as a deterrent, making the use of Just the Wind less appealing in matchups.

By leveraging these approaches, you can mitigate the impact of Just the Wind and keep your board state secure against such disruption tactics within the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Just the Wind MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Ultimate Masters, 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 Just the Wind and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Just the Wind Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Christopher Moeller.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2016-04-08	Shadows over Innistrad	SOI	71	2015	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller
2	2018-12-07	Ultimate Masters	UMA	60	2015	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller
3	2021-08-26	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons	J21	205	2015	Normal	Black	Christopher Moeller

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Just the Wind has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-04-08	A spell cast for its madness cost is put onto the stack like any other spell. It can be countered, copied, and so on. As it resolves, it’s put onto the battlefield if it’s a permanent card or into its owner’s graveyard if it’s an instant or sorcery card.
2016-04-08	Cards are discarded in a Magic game only from a player’s hand. Effects that put cards from a player’s library into that player’s graveyard do not cause those cards to be discarded.
2016-04-08	Casting a spell for its madness cost doesn’t change its mana cost or its converted mana cost. You just pay the madness cost instead.
2016-04-08	Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its madness cost, too.
2016-04-08	If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it’s put into your graveyard. You don’t get another chance to cast it later.
2016-04-08	If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability, that card’s madness trigger (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.
2016-04-08	If you discard a card with madness while resolving a spell or ability, it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability—the card is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness trigger will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.
2016-04-08	Madness works independently of why you’re discarding the card. You could discard it to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or even because you have too many cards in your hand at the end of your turn. You can’t discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.
2016-04-08	When you cast a card with madness, it was still discarded. If it was discarded to pay a cost, that cost is still paid. Abilities that trigger when a card is discarded will still trigger.