Lose Focus MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Replicate
Released	2021-06-18
Set symbol
Set name	Modern Horizons 2
Set code	MH2
Number	49
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Martina Fačková

Key Takeaways

Lose Focus offers card advantage and strategic play disruption with a potentially self-replicating counter.
Its instant speed is key to dynamic play, though it’s constrained by a specific blue mana demand.
Lose Focus excels in versatility and meta relevance, presenting a scalable solution in counter-strategy.

Text of card

Replicate (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.) Counter target spell unless its controller pays .

The spell wavered, caught on the tip of his tongue and at the edge of his awareness.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lose Focus is designed to not only disrupt your opponent’s strategic plays but also to create card advantage for you. By replicating itself under the right conditions, it can provide more control over the game flow, ensuring you’re not falling behind in hand resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Lose Focus doesn’t directly generate resources, the strategic preservation of your spells can lead to longer-term resource acceleration. By countering key spells of your opponent, you sustain your board state and gradually establish a stronger presence with fewer resources spent over time.

Instant Speed: The utility of Lose Focus is significantly enhanced by its instant speed, enabling you to make dynamic decisions based on the state of play. This allows for sophisticated plays where you can wait for the optimal moment to disrupt your opponent’s strategy, keeping them guessing and maintaining control of the game’s pace.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Lose Focus is the discard condition attached to its replicate ability. In order to copy the spell, you must also discard, which can be a considerable disadvantage when your hand is already running low on cards. This can set back your game plan, especially in situations where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Lose Focus demands a blue mana, which means it’s naturally slotted into blue-centric or blue-inclusive decks. Without access to blue mana, this spell cannot be played, thus limiting it to specific archetypes or decks that run blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the base mana cost for Lose Focus might seem reasonable, the potential mana investment grows rapidly with each use of its replicate ability. Decks that aim for high efficiency may find the escalating cost burdensome compared to other disruption spells in MTG that have a lower fixed cost and can be equally, if not more, effective in certain scenarios.

Reasons to Include Lose Focus in Your Collection

Versatility: Lose Focus is a unique counter spell that finds its place in various Blue-inclusive decks. It’s adaptable, able to counter spells or activated abilities while also scaling with the game thanks to its replicate ability.

Combo Potential: This card is excellent for decks that interact with casting spells, allowing you to clone the counter for each additional mana you pay, synergizing with strategies that aim to disrupt opponents’ plays multiple times in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where spells are the pivot points of winning strategies, Lose Focus grants you the power to control the flow of the game, making it a potent tool against combo decks and essential in a spell-heavy meta.

How to beat

Lose Focus is a spell that presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering. As a countermeasure, it provides versatility by disrupting opponents’ strategies with its replicate ability. This can make it a tough card to play against, especially when you’re attempting to execute crucial spells. To gain the upper hand, it’s important to bait out Lose Focus with less essential spells or wait until your opponent is low on mana. This strategy forces them to make difficult choices, conserving your more important spells for when the path is clear.

Timing is key when facing Lose Focus. Playing spells during your opponent’s end step can pressure them to use Lose Focus at a less opportune time, potentially leaving them open during your turn. Additionally, including cards in your deck that can’t be countered or spells with flashback from the graveyard can significantly diminish the impact of Lose Focus on your game plan. By outmaneuvering your opponent and forcing them to waste their resources at inopportune times, you maintain momentum and mitigate the control Lose Focus might have over the game’s flow.

Adapting to Lose Focus requires a blend of foresight and carefully planned tactics. It’s not just about having the right cards, but also about mastering the art of patience and strategic spellcasting. This is what sets skilled players apart, ensuring that even against disruptive cards like Lose Focus, their strategy remains unshaken.

BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is a engaging journey that often involves intricate spells like Lose Focus. This card boasts utility and disruption capabilities that can pivot the course of any match. Its power lies in versatility and the ability to scale the effect through its replicate ability, making it a formidable asset in your control arsenal. For players looking to refine their decks or enhance their strategy against spell-heavy opponents, Lose Focus is a smart addition. Discover more about optimizing your deck’s potential and countering the meta with insightful strategies at BurnMana. Tap into your strategic mind and let’s navigate to victory together.

Cards like Lose Focus

Lose Focus is an intriguing spell that offers players a versatile response in the realm of counter magic in Magic: The Gathering. Drawing parallels, this card can be likened to the widely-used spell Mana Leak, as both require the opponent to pay an additional three mana to secure their spell’s resolution. Lose Focus, however, provides an adaptable edge through its replicate ability, allowing you to pay its cost multiple times to counter spells with more significant mana resources.

Another comparable card is Remand, which also interrupts the casting process, but instead of permanently countering the spell, it returns the spell to its owner’s hand and draws a card. This can provide a momentary reprieve rather than a definitive solution. Disrupt, a card with a lower cost compared to Lose Focus, offers a two-in-one deal of counter and draw but is constrained by its requirement of targeting a spell with a single mana cost.

Each of these spells delivers a unique balance of control and potential advantage. However, Lose Focus carves out its niche through its scalability, empowering players to customize their response based on the developing game state and available mana, a noteworthy aspect among its counterparts.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lose Focus MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2, 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 Lose Focus and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lose Focus has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-06-18	As the replicate triggered ability resolves, you'll copy Lose Focus for each time you paid its replicate cost, even if the original spell is no longer on the stack at that time (perhaps because it was countered).
2021-06-18	The copies that replicate creates are created on the stack, so they're not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger.