Lens of Clarity MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact
Released	2014-09-26
Set symbol
Set name	Khans of Tarkir
Set code	KTK
Number	223
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Raymond Swanland

Key Takeaways

Lens of Clarity lets players foresee the top library card and face-down creatures, aiding strategic decisions.
Although it doesn’t offer direct resource acceleration, it fosters efficient long-term planning in MTG.
It has its drawbacks, such as not generating card advantage and potential mana curve disruption.

Text of card

You may look at the top card of your library and at face-down creatures you don't control. (You may do this at any time.)

"Water shifts and confuses, but as ice it holds the stillness of truth." —Arel the Whisperer

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Lens of Clarity doesn’t directly increase the number of cards in your hand, it offers a different form of card advantage by allowing you to peek at the top card of your library and at face-down creatures in play. This gained information can assist you in making better-informed decisions about which cards to play and when, potentially leading to a more efficient use of your cards.

Resource Acceleration: Lens of Clarity itself doesn’t accelerate your resources in the traditional sense of providing mana or additional resources. However, the foresight it provides can help you plan your turns for maximum resource efficiency, ensuring that you’re always a step ahead in preparing your strategy and managing your resources better than your opponent.

Instant Speed: While the activation of Lens of Clarity’s ability isn’t at instant speed, knowing the next card you will draw or understanding what creatures your opponent has face-down at any given time allows you to keep up with instant-speed plays more effectively. This knowledge can influence the timing and effectiveness of your responses, as well as the threats you choose to address at a moment’s notice.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Lens of Clarity allows you to peek at the next card to be drawn or an opponent’s face-down creature, it requires you to have it on the battlefield to use this ability. Without any inherent card advantage, it can be a dead draw when you are in need of actionable cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Lens of Clarity costs one colorless mana which does offer flexibility in mana usage. However, the specificity of needing a colorless mana can be restrictive in multicolored decks that rely on vivid color mana bases—potentially causing mana curve issues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its low absolute mana cost, in terms of the card’s utility, the cost may be judged as high. Given that MTG has numerous low-cost artifacts and spells that provide more immediate board or hand advantage, Lens of Clarity’s passive ability may not justify a slot in a streamlined deck.

Reasons to Include Lens of Clarity in Your Collection

Versatility: Lens of Clarity is an artifact that can easily slide into various deck archetypes. Its ability to let you look at the top card of your library and at face-down creatures being cast keeps you one step ahead of the game without additional cost after it’s played.

Combo Potential: While not a combo piece in the traditional sense, Lens of Clarity can work with cards that manipulate the top of the library or involve morph mechanics. Its inclusion ensures you make better-informed decisions on when to use your shuffle effects or interact with face-down creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where morph and manifest cards see extensive play, Lens of Clarity helps you make more strategic plays and bluffs. Understanding what’s coming your way can be crucial in matchups where information is power.

How to beat

Lens of Clarity is an interesting artifact in MTG, offering players an unusual form of card knowledge. It allows players to look at the top card of their library and face-down creatures in play at any time. In a gameplay scenario, this transparency can give an edge by removing the mystery of morph or manifest strategies and informing your next moves. However, these advantages can be circumvented.

To effectively counteract Lens of Clarity, consider using shuffle effects to constantly change the top card of your library, thus minimizing the informational advantage it provides. Employing instant speed spells can also disrupt the card’s utility, as opponents won’t be able to plan accurately for your plays. Additionally, focus on direct and decisive plays that render the opponent’s knowledge less impactful; after all, knowing what’s coming doesn’t always equate to being able to stop it. Remember, artifacts can be vulnerable, so sideboarding in artifact destruction or using versatile removal spells can dismantle the lens, shattering your opponent’s clarity and their strategic advantage.

Adapting your MTG strategy to anticipate these types of artifacts can put you ahead in the game, ensuring that a card like Lens of Clarity doesn’t divert your path to victory.

Cards like Lens of Clarity

Lens of Clarity is an intriguing artifact in Magic: The Gathering that offers players a unique ability to look at face-down creatures and cards in libraries when they would be drawn. This card finds its similarities in the ecosystem of ‘peek’ effects, such as with the card, Wizened Arbiter. The Arbiter allows a player to look at the top card of their library at any time, reminiscent of the Lens’s peeking capability.

An even closer relative might be Glasses of Urza. Both artifacts grant the wielder the insight to see hidden information. However, Glasses of Urza solely focuses on an opponent’s hand, unlike Lens of Clarity that provides intel both on the stack and the deck without sacrificing the element of surprise. Then there’s Crystal Ball, which not only allows the player to peer into the future by scrying but requires them to actively control what will be drawn next—a different angle of strategy compared to the passive observation offered by Lens of Clarity.

In analyzing the role of these cards, Lens of Clarity may not alter the course of the game as dramatically as its scrying counterparts but does serve as a valuable tool for strategy and planning for those who wish to anticipate their opponents’ moves without changing the draw.

Cards similar to Lens of Clarity by color, type and mana cost

Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lens of Clarity MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir, 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 Lens of Clarity and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lens of Clarity 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 Lens of Clarity card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2014-09-20	Lens of Clarity doesn’t let you look at face-down spells you don’t control on the stack.
2014-09-20	Lens of Clarity doesn’t stop your opponents from looking at face-down creatures they control.
2014-09-20	Lens of Clarity lets you look at the top card of your library and at face-down creatures you don’t control whenever you want, even if you don’t have priority. This action doesn’t use the stack. Knowing what those cards are becomes part of the information you have access to, just like you can look at the cards in your hand.