Cyclonic Rift MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Overload

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage with Cyclonic Rift can overwhelm opponents by forcing discards and clearing the board.
  2. Provides strategic flexibility, especially with instant-speed use during critical gameplay moments.
  3. High mana cost and blue mana requirement may restrict its play but its impact is significant.

Text of card

Return target nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand. Overload (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of "target" with "each.")

The Izzet specialize in unnatural disaster.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cyclonic Rift provides a significant shift in the balance of the board state. By returning all nonland permanents your opponents control to their hands, it can effectively leave you with the only relevant threats on the table. This card not only resets powerful board presences but also can make opponents discard if they have more cards in hand than their maximum hand size.

Resource Acceleration: Although Cyclonic Rift doesn’t directly generate mana or reduce costs, it offers a different kind of indirect resource acceleration. By clearing the way of potential blockers or threats, it accelerates your game plan, enabling you to swing in for lethal or set up a position where opponents can’t keep pace.

Instant Speed: The true power of Cyclonic Rift lies in its instant speed. This lets players hold up mana and cast it during an opponent’s turn, which can be especially devastating just before your own turn begins. It’s this flexibility that allows Cyclonic Rift to surprise opponents and turn the tides of a match at critical moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike cards that may allow you to advance your board state while maintaining your hand size, the Cyclonic Rift requires full commitment of resources. It does not inherently have a discard requirement, but playing such a high-impact spell often means forgoing other potential plays, which can be akin to discarding opportunities.

Specific Mana Cost: Cyclonic Rift’s effectiveness is partially tied to its blue mana requirement. This can potentially limit its inclusion to decks that are comfortable producing enough blue mana, often leaving mono-colored or color-restricted decks unable to leverage its power.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Cyclonic Rift offers a substantial effect, resetting all nonland permanents your opponents control, its seven mana overloaded cost may prove prohibitive. In fast-paced games or against decks that can quickly rebuild, the high mana investment might not yield the tempo advantage you need when you need it.


Reasons to Include Cyclonic Rift in Your Collection

Versatility: Cyclonic Rift offers a unique flexibility to any deck featuring blue mana. Because it can be cast as an instant, this card allows you to keep mana open for counterspells or other interactions and can be used for a sudden sweep, disrupting opponent’s board states at critical moments.

Combo Potential: This card is known for its potential to turn the tide of the game when combined with cards that capitalize on opponents having empty boards. Whether it’s securing a win through overwhelming opponents with creatures or preparing the ground for high-impact spells without fear of reprisal, Cyclonic Rift sets the stage for game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame often cycles through various archetypes, Cyclonic Rift remains a constant threat. Its ability to deal with a wide array of permanents makes it a card that easily adapts to shifts in the competitive environment, ensuring that it continues to be a powerful tool in events and casual play alike.


How to beat

Cyclonic Rift is a formidable blue instant in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to disrupt entire board states by returning nonland permanents to their owners’ hands. The key to combating this card lies in understanding its dynamic. It can be played for its overload cost, transforming a single-target bounce into a massive board wipe, primarily in later game stages when mana is plentiful.

Timing and resource management are crucial. Building a versatile hand that can recover quickly post-Rift can mitigate its impact. Strategies that utilize indestructible creatures, or cards like Veil of Summer that can grant your spells and permanents protection from blue during your turn, can reduce its effectiveness. Additionally, a keen awareness of your opponent’s mana availability and representing counterspells can deter or delay a Cyclonic Rift play, enabling you to maintain board presence and pressure. Placing emphasis on resilient threats and versatile responses can help maintain your board state in the fluid battlefield Rift tends to create.

Ultimately, outpacing your opponent before they accumulate enough resources for an overloaded Cyclonic Rift or crafting a deck resilient to such disruption is key to overcoming this powerful MTG card strategy.


BurnMana Recommendations

Deciphering the strategic value of Cyclonic Rift requires a keen understanding of its strengths and limitations. The versatility and the capacity to tilt the board in your favor make it a prized inclusion in any collection with blue mana. Its ability to simultaneously act as an instant threat and a game-ending power play is unmatched. While it does come with its own set of considerations like mana demands and timing of play, the advantages it confers often outweigh the cons. To truly harness the potential of Cyclonic Rift in your MTG arsenal, delve into the tactical nuances and explore ways to optimize its placement in your deck. Enhance your gameplay and adapt to the ever-evolving metagame by incorporating this powerful card into your lineup. Discover more tips, tricks, and strategies for making Cyclonic Rift a cornerstone of your winning strategy with us.


Cards like Cyclonic Rift

Cyclonic Rift is known for its ability to disrupt opponents by returning nonland permanents to their owner’s hands. In the realm of blue sweepers, it shares space with Aetherize which also clears multiple creatures but targets only those attacking you. Cyclonic Rift is more versatile in its usage and can be overloaded to clear an entire board, not just creatures and not just those attacking.

Another card worth comparing is Evacuation, a similar mass bounce spell. However, Evacuation affects all creatures and does not discriminate based on ownership, pushing a reset button on the creature-based board state for all players at instant speed. While Cyclonic Rift requires seven mana for its overload cost to clear everything, Evacuation does this for five mana but lacks the selectivity and single-target flexibility of Cyclonic Rift’s non-overloaded mode.

Ultimately, Cyclonic Rift’s ability to be both a targeted single removal or a full-blown sweeper with its overload option gives it a distinctive and powerful role in MTG. This positional advantage makes it a popular and feared card, solidifying its place among blue’s most impactful spells.

Aetherize - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Aetherize - Gatecrash (GTC)
Evacuation - Stronghold (STH)

Cards similar to Cyclonic Rift by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Vision Skeins - MTG Card versions
Telekinesis - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)
Vision Skeins - Commander 2013 (C13)
Telekinesis - Masters Edition (ME1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cyclonic Rift MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Return to Ravnica, 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 Cyclonic Rift and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cyclonic Rift Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 828162015normalblackChuck Lukacs
22012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 352003normalblackChris Rahn
32014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1042015normalblackChris Rahn
42017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 352015normalblackChris Rahn
52020-08-07Double Masters2XM 3392015normalborderlessChuck Lukacs
62020-08-07Double Masters2XM 472015normalblackChris Rahn
72023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 842015normalblackChris Rahn
82023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 4852015normalblackChris Rahn
92024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3131997normalblackIsis
102024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 402015normalblackIsis
112024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4192015normalborderlessRyuichi Sakuma
122024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 313z2015normalblackIsis

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cyclonic Rift has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 Because a spell with overload doesn't target when its overload cost is paid, it may affect permanents with hexproof or with protection from the appropriate color.
2020-08-07 If you are instructed to cast a spell with overload “without paying its mana cost,” you can't choose to pay its overload cost instead.
2020-08-07 If you don't pay the overload cost of Cyclonic Rift, that spell will have a single target. If you pay the overload cost, the spell won't have any targets.
2020-08-07 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying (such as an overload cost), add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

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