Mana Vapors MTG Card

Mana Vapors can lead to card advantage by disrupting opponent’s land, possibly causing forced discards. Instant speed casting provides strategic control over the timing of when to hinder your opponent’s mana. Though it requires careful mana planning, Mana Vapors offers unique gameplay advantages and combo potential.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set name	Prophecy
Set code	PCY
Number	38
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Romanoski

Text of card

Lands target player controls don't untap during his or her next untap step.

The scent of magic can rob you of your senses, blinding you to the world.

Cards like Mana Vapors

Mana Vapors presents an interesting dynamic in the realm of resource denial in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like Exhaustion, which also prevents your opponent from untapping their permanents. Mana Vapors, temporarily freezing a land’s ability, can be seen as a milder, more targeted approach. In contrast, Exhaustion affects all of the opponent’s permanents but requires an additional blue mana to play.

Another kindred spell is Stifle, adept at neutralizing abilities as well. Stifle boasts a lower cost and broader scope, capable of countering any activated or triggered ability. This key difference enables it to address a vast array of strategies beyond just land abilities. Conversely, Mana Short, another card in this category, completely taps out a player on their turn, providing a more aggressive form of control. Although Mana Short costs one more mana than Mana Vapors, the extended reach over an opponent’s mana resources can be crucial in certain match-ups.

While weighing utility and timing against similar cards, Mana Vapors offers a unique niche. Its capability to disrupt opponent’s early game without heavy investment makes it a tactical option in control decks.

Cards similar to Mana Vapors by color, type and mana cost

Fae of Wishes // Granted - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mana Vapors can disrupt your opponent’s play by temporarily freezing their land resources, which may lead to card advantage as your opponent might be forced to discard if they exceed the maximum hand size.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, Mana Vapors can provide an indirect benefit. By slowing your opponent down, you effectively get ahead, allowing you to play higher-cost cards quicker relative to your opponent’s board.

Instant Speed: The power of Mana Vapors lies in its ability to be played at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to choose the most strategic moment to set back your opponent’s mana base, typically during their upkeep before they draw.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Holding Mana Vapors in your hand means you need to plan ahead to ensure its casting won’t disrupt your hand by forcing a discard that might have been more useful if played.

Specific Mana Cost: Mana Vapors requires both colorless and blue mana to play, making it somewhat restrictive; it’s not as flexible for splash in multicolor decks that don’t have a heavy blue presence.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana requirement that isn’t trivial, slots into your deck might be better served by other cards that can lock down resources or provide control without such a significant mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mana Vapors is a card that’s adaptable across various gameplay scenarios. It has the unique ability to temporarily lock down an opponent’s lands, which can be crucial for disrupting their strategy regardless of what type of deck you’re facing.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with strategies that capitalize on opponents being mana strapped. When combined with cards that punish players for not casting spells or for having untapped lands, Mana Vapors can act as a force multiplier in your combo’s effectiveness.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where fast-paced decks are dominant, slowing down the competition even for a single turn can be a game-changer. Mana Vapors’ ability to halt your opponents’ tempo makes it a tactical inclusion against a variety of popular deck types.

How to beat

Mana Vapors is an intriguing card in the world of Magic: The Gathering that can momentarily setback an opponent by freezing their lands, preventing them from untapping during the next untap step. The card can throw a wrench in your opponent’s plans, especially if they rely heavily on specific mana timings to execute their strategy. To counteract Mana Vapors, flexibility in mana management is key. Playing lands consistently and having a variety of low-cost spells or abilities that can be activated during your opponent’s turn can mitigate the disruption caused by this card.

Moreover, running instant-speed interaction allows you to play on your opponent’s turn, lessening the impact of your lands not untapping. Consider cards that can untap your lands like Voyaging Satyr or cards with untap abilities, which can be critical in sidestepping the stall caused by Mana Vapors. Additionally, having a diverse mana base with artifacts or creatures that can produce mana can also ensure that your play isn’t hindered. By planning ahead and having a deck with versatile mana solutions, you can effectively neutralize the potential setbacks caused by Mana Vapors and maintain control of the game.

Ultimately, it’s about expecting the unexpected and having a deck that’s designed to handle various disruptions, ensuring that even when your lands are temporarily out of commission, your game plan isn’t completely derailed.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mana Vapors MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Mana Vapors and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mana Vapors has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-08-01	No land controlled by the player will untap during their next untap step. This includes lands which entered the battlefield after Mana Vapors resolved.