March of Swirling Mist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides a board reset and protection from threats, maintaining tactical advantage over opponents.
  2. Instant speed allows for surprise disruptions and adapting to rapid changes in game dynamics.
  3. Discard and specific mana requirements may limit the card’s versatility and strategic utility.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may exile any number of blue cards from your hand. This spell costs less to cast for each card exiled this way. Up to X target creatures phase out. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. Each one phases in before its controller untaps during their next untap step.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: March of Swirling Mist provides the benefit of potentially removing multiple threats from the battlefield and resetting the board, setting opponents behind while you maintain the upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: By temporarily exiling your own creatures, you can evade detrimental spells or effects from opponents, effectively bypassing costly re-casting from hand and fostering strategic reentry of creatures with enter-the-battlefield abilities.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of March of Swirling Mist allows for a reactive playstyle, enabling you to adapt to the changing game state and surprise opponents with a timely board disruption during the most pivotal moments of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: March of Swirling Mist demands players to discard upon casting. This can pose a strategic setback, especially in situations where maintaining hand advantage is crucial for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two blue mana to activate, this card is tailored for decks that heavily lean on blue resources, potentially limiting its inclusion in more diverse or multicolored strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its cost resting at three and a blue mana, some players may find it steep when evaluating its impact on the board state against other options available within the same mana range.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: March of Swirling Mist offers flexibility in gameplay, seamlessly fitting into decks that need temporary removal options. Its ability to phase out creatures can help you effectively bypass your opponent’s defenses or protect your own board from detrimental effects.

Combo Potential: This card can create powerful synergy within strategies that exploit phasing mechanics. It can trigger leave-the-battlefield effects without permanently losing board presence, setting the stage for potent combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given the pace of the current competitive scene, the capacity to disrupt combat or evade removal spells makes March of Swirling Mist highly relevant. With the right timing, it can turn the tide of a match by negating key threats or surprise attacks.


How to beat

March of Swirling Mist is a card that demands finesse and strategic timing from its opponent. This blue instant allows players to phase out any number of target creatures they control, effectively shielding them from harm’s way until your next turn. To successfully counter this evasive maneuver, the smart play is to find ways to deal with threats before they become untouchable. Look towards instant speed removals or counterspells that can disrupt your opponent’s plan before they cast March of Swirling Mist.

Prioritize cards that can’t be phased out or that penalize your opponent for casting spells. Exploit their turn structure by eliminating their key creatures during upkeep or at the end of their turn, minimizing the effectiveness of their strategic phasing. Flexibility is key, and having removal or counterspells in hand during the critical phase of the game can turn the tide in your favor, rendering March of Swirling Mist insufficient for your well-prepared strategy. Remember, vigilance and preparedness will always be your best defense against the swirling mists.


BurnMana Recommendations

The depth of MTG is immense, with strategies and card synergies forming the game’s exciting core. March of Swirling Mist exemplifies the kind of tactical decision-making that can elevate your gameplay. Understanding its strengths and weaknesses, as discussed, is key to harnessing its power effectively. Embrace the flexibility it provides in deck-building and stay ahead of the meta by integrating it with a well-thought-out strategy. Looking to deepen your knowledge and refine your deck with March of Swirling Mist or similar cards? Delve into our comprehensive guides and discussions to become a more formidable player in the MTG realm.


Cards like March of Swirling Mist

March of Swirling Mist enters a realm of tempo spells in Magic: The Gathering that enable players to delay or protect their creatures from threats. It shares its core functionality with spells like Unsummon, which also serves to return target creature to its owner’s hand. However, March of Swirling Mist distinguishes itself with the ability to target multiple creatures and phase them out until the next turn, providing a wider protection against board wipes.

Curve-fitting with cards like Siren’s Ruse, which also phases out creatures albeit with the added benefit of triggering enter-the-battlefield abilities, can be found. The allure of March of Swirling Mist lies in its broader applicability to save an army of creatures rather than one. Ghostly Flicker is another related card, but it excels in re-triggering enter-the-battlefield effects rather than protection. This instantaneous evasiveness versus the re-triggering potential sets apart players’ strategic choices in deck building and gameplay.

As we analyze and compare alternatives, March of Swirling Mist stands out in its tactical versatility and defensive prowess, carving a unique space for itself among MTG tempo tools.

Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Ruse - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Flicker - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Ruse - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Flicker - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to March of Swirling Mist by color, type and mana cost

Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Sea Kings' Blessing - MTG Card versions
Enchantment Alteration - MTG Card versions
Riptide - MTG Card versions
Winter's Chill - MTG Card versions
Mind Bend - MTG Card versions
Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Jump - MTG Card versions
Sleight of Mind - MTG Card versions
Twiddle - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Siren's Call - MTG Card versions
Power Sink - MTG Card versions
Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Spell Blast - MTG Card versions
Magical Hack - MTG Card versions
Sea Kings' Blessing - MTG Card versions
Enchantment Alteration - MTG Card versions
Riptide - MTG Card versions
Winter's Chill - MTG Card versions
Mind Bend - MTG Card versions
Denied! - MTG Card versions
Hydroblast - MTG Card versions
Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Trickery - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase March of Swirling Mist MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos, 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 March of Swirling Mist and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The March of Swirling Mist Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2022-02-18 and 2022-02-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 979272015NormalBlackIris Compiet
22022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty PromosPNEO 61s2015NormalBlackIris Compiet
32022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 612015NormalBlackIris Compiet
42022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 3722015NormalBlackHaku Tatsufuchi
52022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon DynastyNEO 4472015NormalBlackIris Compiet
62022-02-18Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty PromosPNEO 61p2015NormalBlackIris Compiet

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where March of Swirling Mist has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering March of Swirling Mist 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 An attacking or blocking creature that phases out is removed from combat.
2022-02-18 Any continuous effects with a “for as long as” duration, such as that of Mind Flayer, ignore phased-out objects. If ignoring those objects causes the effect's conditions to no longer be met, the duration will expire.
2022-02-18 As a creature is phased out, Auras and Equipment attached to it also phase out at the same time. Those Auras and Equipment will phase in at the same time that creature does, and they'll phase in still attached to that creature.
2022-02-18 Choices made for permanents as they entered the battlefield are remembered when they phase in.
2022-02-18 If an opponent gains control of one of your creatures, that creature phases out, and the duration of the control-change effect expires before it phases back in, that creature phases in under your control as that opponent's next untap step begins. If they leave the game before their next untap step, it phases in as the next untap step begins after their turn would have begun.
2022-02-18 Permanents phase back in during their controller's untap step, immediately before that player untaps their permanents. Creatures that phase in this way are able to attack and pay a cost of during that turn. If a permanent had counters on it when it phased out, it will have those counters when it phases back in.
2022-02-18 Phased out permanents are treated as though they don't exist. They can't be the target of spells or abilities, their static abilities have no effect on the game, their triggered abilities can't trigger, they can't attack or block, and so on.
2022-02-18 Phasing out doesn't cause permanents to leave or re-enter the battlefield, so no “leaves the battlefield” or “enters the battlefield” abilities will trigger.
2022-02-18 The mana value of March of Swirling Mist while it's on the stack is the value chosen for X plus 1, no matter how much mana you actually paid to cast it.
2022-02-18 You may exile more cards than necessary for March of Swirling Mist's first ability, but you can't reduce the mana it costs to less than this way.