Keep Safe MTG Card


Keep Safe grants card advantage by protecting key strategies while disrupting opponents. Its instant speed allows real-time response, shielding crucial plays from interference. Though offering strategic protection, it requires careful mana planning and can prompt critical resource trade-offs.
Keep Safe - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set nameIkoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set codeIKO
Number56
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byEkaterina Burmak

Text of card

Counter target spell that targets a permanent you control. Draw a card.

"Coppercoats think they understand duty and loyalty, but they can't begin to fathom the depths of my bond."


Cards like Keep Safe

Protecting your hand in Magic: The Gathering is vital, and Keep Safe offers a unique approach to this strategy. It’s often compared to other counter spells such as Counterspell itself, which straightforwardly negates any spell for two blue mana. Keep Safe, however, adds a layer of utility by also letting you draw a card if the spell is successfully countered.

Another card that resonates with Keep Safe’s philosophy is Disallow. Both serve as counters, but Disallow has the versatility to target more than just spells—it can also counter activated or triggered abilities. This makes it a broader defensive option, although it doesn’t provide the card draw that Keep Safe offers. There is also Negate, which, like Keep Safe, is cost-efficient and focused on noncreature spells; however, it lacks the card draw bonus.

In analyzing Keep Safe alongside these alternatives, it stands out as a strategic option for players who value not just the denial of opposition spells but also the continuous flow of their own resources. Its combination of defense and drawing power shapes it as a distinctive pick among counter spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Disallow - MTG Card versions
Negate - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Disallow - MTG Card versions
Negate - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Providing protection for your hand, Keep Safe ensures that the key components of your strategy remain undisclosed and unscathed by opponents’ targeted disruptions, thus maintaining a card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By thwarting an opponent’s spell with Keep Safe, you effectively negate the resources they spent, indirectly accelerating your own position while preserving your assets for future turns.

Instant Speed: The power of Keep Safe lies in its flexibility. Casting it at instant speed means you have the opportunity to respond to threats in real-time, ensuring your important plays are shielded from interruption at crucial moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For players who treasure their hand, the need to discard a card to activate a Keep Safe card can be detrimental, particularly when your hand size is dwindling and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Keep Safe cards often require a precise mix of mana to cast, including not just generic but also specific mana types. This can inconvenience decks that run three or more colors and potentially delay a critical defense when you need it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing a significant amount of mana to protect your other cards can be a trade-off. There are scenarios where the mana used for a Keep Safe card could have been allocated towards advancing your board state or disrupting your opponent’s game plan, especially when the cost is high in relation to the card’s effect.


Reasons to Include Keep Safe Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Keep Safe is a flexible card that can be a valuable addition to various deck archetypes. It adeptly serves as a protective measure for your key creatures or other permanents, shielding them from targeted removal or disruption.

Combo Potential: As a card that counters targeted spells, Keep Safe can work seamlessly within combos that aim to safeguard crucial combo pieces. Its ability to draw a card when it counters also helps maintain card advantage and cycle through your deck to reach essential cards faster.

Meta-Relevance: With interactive decks commonplace in many meta environments, the reactive nature of Keep Safe can significantly hinder your opponents’ attempts to interfere with your board state. Ensuring your strategies remain uninterrupted can be the edge you need for victory.


How to beat

Keep Safe is a well-known card in MTG that offers players a unique defensive capability, protecting their assets from targeted spells or abilities. Its primary function allows you to counter a spell that targets a permanent you control, and as a bonus, you get to draw a card. This advantage can be vital when safeguarding key creatures or other permanents that are central to your strategy on the battlefield.

To outmaneuver Keep Safe, consider using spells or abilities that affect multiple targets or do not target at all. Board wipe spells or global effects bypass Keep Safe’s protective measure since it only counters spells that target a single permanent. Furthermore, casting spells during a window when your opponent is tapped out or low on mana can reduce the chances of Keep Safe being successfully cast. Lastly, hand disruption tactics can remove Keep Safe from your opponent’s hand before it’s ever a threat, stripping away their line of defense and leaving their permanents vulnerable.

In summary, while Keep Safe can be a formidable shield in MTG, its effectiveness depends largely on the context of the match and plays happening on the board. By focusing on non-targeted approaches and timing your spells strategically, you can effectively neutralize the card’s protective measures and maintain the upper hand in your MTG games.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding when and how to protect your MTG assets is crucial for any player looking to maintain an edge in the game. Keep Safe offers this invaluable strategic advantage by shielding your key cards at the right moment. We recommend considering this card for decks that prize uninterrupted play and seek to thwart targeted disruptions with finesse. Grasping the subtle tactics to circumvent its protection can also turn the tides in your favor. Dive deeper into mastering the art of MTG card defense and offense with us, and discover how cards like Keep Safe can solidify your path to victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Keep Safe MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Keep Safe and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Keep Safe has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-04-17 A spell that can’t be countered is a legal target for Keep Safe. That spell won’t be countered when Keep Safe resolves, but you’ll still draw a card.
2020-04-17 If the permanent you control targeted by the target spell leaves the battlefield, that spell is no longer a legal target for Keep Safe. On the other hand, if that target permanent becomes an illegal target for the target spell but remains on the battlefield under your control, the target spell is still a legal target for Keep Safe.
2020-04-17 Keep Safe can target a spell that has multiple targets, as long as at least one of those targets is a permanent you control.