Meditation Puzzle MTG Card

Grants significant life advantage at instant speed, crucial for outlasting opponents in drawn-out games. Demands high mana cost and card discard, potentially offsetting the life gain benefits in tight situations. A strategic asset in life gain decks, it can dictate match outcomes when played at the right moment.

Magic 2015 (M15)
2014-07-18 - Number 19

Meditation Puzzle - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Mystery Booster (MB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 176

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number M15-19

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Convoke

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) You gain 8 life.

Find your center, and you will find your way.

Cards like Meditation Puzzle

Meditation Puzzle stands as a unique spell in the realm of life-gaining cards within Magic: The Gathering. With the capability of granting its caster a substantial life boost, this card is often compared to other significant spells like Rest for the Weary. Rest for the Weary also offers a life gain opportunity; however, it does so at a lower cost and with possible landfall enhancements.

Another card often brought into the discussion is Feed the Clan. This spell not only provides life increments similar to Meditation Puzzle, but can potentially double its effect with the ferocious condition, fortifying a player’s resilience in a game. However, Feed the Clan does require a creature-heavy playstyle to maximize its potential.

When evaluating Meditation Puzzle against its counterparts, it’s worth noting its convoke mechanic, which permits players to tap creatures to pay the mana cost. This ability to spread the cost across multiple resources is what naturally distinguishes Meditation Puzzle in gameplay strategies, particularly in creature-focused decks that can afford to tap out without compromising defense.

Cards similar to Meditation Puzzle by color, type and mana cost

Scars of the Veteran - MTG Card versions

Charge Across the Araba - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Meditation Puzzle provides a valuable swing in card accumulation by granting you four life for each card you’ve drawn this turn. This can be critical in outpacing an opponent in longer, more drawn-out contests where sustaining resources is paramount.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, the life gained can indirectly accelerate your resources. In MTG, life can be a resource, and with the right setup, additional life gained can be transformed into other advantages, fitting into strategies that benefit from high life totals or can convert life into card draw or creature growth.

Instant Speed: Casting Meditation Puzzle at instant speed gives you the flexibility to wait until the most strategically advantageous moment. This could be after a large draw to maximize life gain or in response to an adversary’s attack to surprise them with a sudden life bump, potentially foiling their calculations and turning the tide of battle in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Meditation Puzzle demands discarding a card to activate its effect. This can be a steep price to pay, especially when a player’s hand is nearly depleted or holding crucial gameplay pieces.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost demanding three white mana symbols, Meditation Puzzle may not seamlessly fit into multi-colored or colorless decks. This restricts the card’s flexibility and can be a barrier in deck-building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of five mana, Meditation Puzzle’s cost-to-benefit ratio may not always be favorable compared to other healing options or spells with similar effects but more manageable costs.

Reasons to Include Meditation Puzzle in Your Collection

Versatility: Meditation Puzzle can be a significant inclusion in decks that focus on life gain or need emergency health stabilization. Its ability to gain a considerable amount of life makes it a flexible card in the late game where it can turn the tides in your favor.

Combo Potential: The instant nature of Meditation Puzzle allows for surprise plays and synergizes well with cards that feed off life gain or spells being cast. It can greatly enhance strategies centered around life total triggers or instant spell combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive decks are prevalent, Meditation Puzzle provides a life buffer that can buy the necessary time to deploy your winning strategy. As the battlefield dynamics shift, having an ace like this card can adapt you to a range of competitive scenarios.

How to beat

Meditation Puzzle is one of those unique spells in Magic: The Gathering that can be a surprising game-changer in the right circumstances. It invites a strategic approach from opponents due to its life-gaining ability, providing a whopping 8 life when you cast it with convoke. The convoke mechanic allows you to tap creatures you control to help pay for the spell, making this a potential game-turner in decks that swarm the battlefield with creatures.

To efficiently counteract Meditation Puzzle, consider running cards that limit your opponent’s ability to cast it. Spotlight removal spells or effects that can clear the board or keep creature counts low. Hand disruption can also be a deciding factor, as it can extract the spell from an opponent’s hand before they have the chance to deploy it. Additionally, incorporating cards that prevent life gain or punish the opponent for it, like Erebos, God of the Dead or Tainted Remedy, can effectively negate the benefits of Meditation Puzzle. The key is to maintain pressure and manage the battlefield, ensuring that the potential 8 life gain doesn’t swing the tide against you.

In essence, maintaining control and being proactive about your opponent’s creature presence are crucial strategies. Through thoughtful play and tailored deck building, Meditation Puzzle’s impact can be mitigated, keeping you on the path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Meditation Puzzle MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Mystery Booster, 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 Meditation Puzzle and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Meditation Puzzle Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Mark Winters.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2014-07-18	Magic 2015	M15	19	2015	Normal	Black	Mark Winters
2	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster	MB1	176	2015	Normal	Black	Mark Winters
3	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST	M15-19	2015	Normal	Black	Mark Winters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Meditation Puzzle has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-07-18	Because convoke isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2014-07-18	Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost.
2014-07-18	If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped when you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2014-07-18	Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature’s colors.
2014-07-18	The rules for convoke have changed slightly since it last appeared in an expansion. Previously, convoke reduced the cost to cast a spell. Under current rules, you tap creatures at the same time you pay the spell’s costs. Tapping a creature this way is simply another way to pay.
2014-07-18	When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated.
2014-07-18	When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Chord of Calling (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two red creatures, you’ll have to pay .