Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro MTG Card


Life of Toshiro Umezawa ensures versatile gameplay through strategic graveyard use. Memory of Toshiro enables instant card plays, mimicking the samurai’s tactical acumen. Proper countermeasures against Toshiro can significantly mitigate his battlefield influence.
Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Saga
Abilities Transform
Released2022-02-18
Set symbol
Set nameKamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Set codeNEO
Number108
Frame2015
LayoutTransform
BorderBlack
Illustred bySidharth Chaturvedi

Text of card

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.) I, II — Choose one — • Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. • Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. • You gain 2 life. III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.


Cards like Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro

The enigmatic focus of Life of Toshiro Umezawa taps into the rich lore of Magic: The Gathering, much like the iconic exploits of Toshiro himself. This card resonates with a legacy similar to that of Hero’s Downfall and Go for the Throat, two spells known for their precise creature removal capabilities. Yet, Life of Toshiro Umezawa brings a unique historical twist, combining removal with a peek into the past through its ability to cast legendary spells.

Comparing it to something like Murderous Rider highlights the distinction. Whilst Murderous Rider offers creature removal with lifelink on the creature side, Life of Toshiro Umezawa offers versatility in utilizing the graveyard as a resource. Furthermore, Ob Nixilis’s Cruelty is another creature removal spell that can be lined up for comparison. Similar in removal efficiency, it eliminates the possibility of indestructible creatures coming back. However, it doesn’t grant the added value of replaying legendary spells—a hallmark niche for Life of Toshiro Umezawa.

Indeed, when assessing singular prowess versus strategic depth, Life of Toshiro Umezawa not only excels in removing threats but also in capitalizing on the historic might of legends, setting it apart in gameplay dynamics and deck building strategy.

Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro by color, type and mana cost

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Brain Maggot - MTG Card versions
Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Oversold Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Lingering Death - MTG Card versions
Cover of Darkness - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Brain Maggot - MTG Card versions
Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Oversold Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Lingering Death - MTG Card versions
Cover of Darkness - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Delves into the rich lore of Toshiro Umezawa, enhancing the depth of gameplay with every associated card drawn. It offers players the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of Kamigawa and strategically utilize Toshiro’s legacy to gain an upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: The Memory of Toshiro card can lead to potential resource acceleration by unlocking special abilities or interactions, which can pivot the flow of the match in your favor, ensuring that the story of this adept samurai fuels not just the imagination but also the momentum on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: Reflecting Toshiro’s cunning and swift decision-making, cards like Memory of Toshiro can be played at instant speed, offering flexibility to respond to threats or opportunities in real time and thus maintaining the element of surprise, much like the celebrated tactician himself.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cards like Memory of Toshiro demand a discard from the player, which may force them to lose valuable hand assets, thus depleting their strategic possibilities.

Specific Mana Cost: Memory of Toshiro necessitates a specific mana combination, which could be difficult to generate in a multi-colored deck, constraining its integration to certain builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given the mana investment required for Memory of Toshiro, players may find this cost substantial when compared to other options that facilitate utility or provide creature control at a lower mana curve.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Life of Toshiro Umezawa offers flexibility across various deck archetypes, as its ability to delve into the graveyard can be applied to strategies prioritizing recursion or self-milling.

Combo Potential: This card can serve as a lynchpin in combo decks designed around casting spells from the graveyard, potentially leading to turns where multiple spells are cast, thereby gaining significant advantage over the opponent.

Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard-based tactics are often present in competitive play, including Life of Toshiro Umezawa in your collection ensures that you have a card that remains relevant and impactful in evolving metagames.


How to beat

Life of Toshiro Umezawa elevates strategic depth in your MTG gameplay. This legendary figure has earned his renown for good reason. To effectively navigate against this card, it’s crucial to consider appropriating disruption tactics – think removals or counters. Imagine Toshiro as a tenacious general on the battlefield; you’ll want to stymie his influence before his cunning can take root. Aim to disrupt strategies centered around him early on to keep his powerful recursion abilities in check.

Moreover, staying vigilant about graveyard activities becomes essential. If Toshiro’s ability to cast Instant spells from the graveyard is the concern, graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can shut down those ambitions. It’s the classic battle of foresight versus guile. Evaluate the opponent’s graveyard as a resource just as they do and you’ll stay one step ahead. In sum, neutralizing Toshiro Umezawa’s potential necessitates a blend of proactiveness and grave awareness – manage these elements well, and you can diminish the memory of Toshiro’s impact in your MTG matches.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro MTG card by a specific set like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, 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 Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Life of Toshiro Umezawa // Memory of Toshiro has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-02-18 A transforming double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or you cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.
2022-02-18 Each face of a transforming double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a transforming double-faced permanent is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.
2022-02-18 Each transforming double-faced card in this set is cast face up. In every zone other than the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. If it is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's up; the other face's characteristics are ignored.
2022-02-18 If you are instructed to put a card that isn't a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, it will not enter the battlefield at all. In that case, it stays in the zone it was previously in. For example, if a single-faced card is a copy of Azusa's Many Journeys, the chapter III ability will cause it to be exiled and then remain in exile.
2022-02-18 The back face of a transforming double-faced card usually has a color indicator that defines its color.
2022-02-18 The mana value of a transforming double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, no matter which face is up.