Oath of Nissa MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Enchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Allows card filtering for the top three cards, granting selection among planeswalkers, creatures, or lands.
  2. Boosts mana development early on, fitting well into various decks due to its low cost.
  3. Legendary status restricts multiple battlefield copies, limiting its hand value in certain situations.

Text of card

When Oath of Nissa enters the battlefield, look at the top three cards of your library. You may reveal a creature, land, or planeswalker card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast planeswalker spells.

"For the life of every plane, I will keep watch."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Oath of Nissa provides an opportunity to peek at the top three cards of your library, ensuring that you can select a planeswalker, creature, or land among them and put it into your hand. This selection process offers direct card advantage, keeping your options open and your hand filled with potential plays.

Resource Acceleration: By allowing you to look at the top cards of your library and potentially grab a land, Oath of Nissa can indirectly speed up your mana development, setting the pace for future turns. Its low cost also means it integrates well into a deck, acting as an accelerant without hindering your mana curve.

Instant Speed: While Oath of Nissa itself is not an instant, its immediate impact upon hitting the board and its low casting cost give it a pseudo-instant quality. This allows players to efficiently use their mana early on and maintain tempo, keeping up with opponents who may be using actual instant-speed spells.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Oath of Nissa does not have a discard requirement, its legendary status means only one can be on the battlefield at a time. If you draw another, it could become a dead card in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Oath of Nissa’s mana cost is strictly green. This makes it potentially tricky to cast in multicolored decks that do not prioritize Green mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although just one Green mana, its later game relevance can wane compared to other utility spells that can be played for similar or less cost, offering more flexibility or potent game-changing effects.


Reasons to Include Oath of Nissa in Your Collection

Versatility: Oath of Nissa is a green legendary enchantment that has earned its place in a variety of decks across different formats. Its ability to dig into the top three cards of your library helps to find creatures, lands, or planeswalkers, ensuring that whatever your deck’s strategy, this card can support it.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that capitalize on planeswalker synergies. Since it permits you to spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast planeswalker spells, it opens up the opportunity for numerous combos and interactions, significantly broadening your deck’s horizons.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where planeswalkers play a pivotal role, Oath of Nissa’s ability to consistently find these key pieces is invaluable. Alongside its low mana cost, it facilitates a quicker setup to execute your strategy before your opponent can establish theirs.


How to beat

Oath of Nissa is a renowned green legendary enchantment in Magic the Gathering that grants players an improved selection of cards early in the game. Often compared to cards like Ponder, which also allows players to look at the top cards of their library to control the flow of their game, Oath of Nissa provides a unique ability to pick a creature, land, or planeswalker card and put that in your hand.

To counteract Oath of Nissa, consider leveraging discard effects that force the card out of your opponent’s hand before they can use it. Hand disruption spells like Thoughtseize can be particularly effective. Additionally, enchantment removal spells are your friend; something as straightforward as Disenchant can remove Oath of Nissa from the board, curtailing your opponent’s advantage and maintaining an even playing field. It’s also beneficial to have a strategy that outpaces the value generated by Oath of Nissa or have a plan that doesn’t hinge exclusively on the battlefield, minimizing the enchantment’s impact.

Ultimately, it’s crucial to prevent or minimize the value that Oath of Nissa can provide. Smart use of removal and hand disruption will help keep your opponent’s card advantage in check and ensure you’re not outpaced in the race for victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embarking on any MTG journey comes with the need for the right tools, and the Oath of Nissa is akin to a Swiss Army knife for your deck’s arsenal. Finding that sweet spot between card advantage, mana development, and game tempo can revolutionize your playing experience. Whether your strategy involves dominating with mighty planeswalkers or flexibly responding to your opponent’s moves, understanding and utilizing cards like Oath of Nissa is key to outmaneuvering rivals across the table. Eager to sharpen your game and discover powerful combinations that Oath of Nissa can unlock? Delve into our in-depth insights and become the tactician your deck deserves.


Cards like Oath of Nissa

Oath of Nissa is a unique addition to the lineup of green Legendary enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. It shines when compared to other cards like Adventurous Impulse, which also lets you look at the top three cards of your library; however, Oath of Nissa allows you to choose from more than just creatures or lands. It’s also reminiscent of Commune with the Gods, where the latter delves five cards deep but only selects creatures or enchantments without the added benefit of potential mana fixing that Oath of Nissa provides for your planeswalkers.

Another card worth mentioning is Once Upon a Time, which offers an instant card selection at no cost if it’s the first spell of the game. It lacks Oath of Nissa’s ability to influence the mana used for planeswalkers, yet it presents a broadened scope by potentially hitting any type of permanent. Lastly, Traverse the Ulvenwald is a standout competitor with its ability to search for any specific land or creature card, but it requires delirium to be truly effective, something that Oath of Nissa doesn’t necessitate.

Evaluating each card’s utility and adaptability, Oath of Nissa presents itself as a versatile and potent tool for any deck that leans heavily into planeswalkers or values flexible mana usage.

Adventurous Impulse - MTG Card versions
Commune with the Gods - MTG Card versions
Once Upon a Time - MTG Card versions
Traverse the Ulvenwald - MTG Card versions
Adventurous Impulse - MTG Card versions
Commune with the Gods - MTG Card versions
Once Upon a Time - MTG Card versions
Traverse the Ulvenwald - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Oath of Nissa MTG card by a specific set like Oath of the Gatewatch and Oath of the Gatewatch 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 Oath of Nissa and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Oath of Nissa Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-01-22 and 2016-01-22. Illustrated by Wesley Burt.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-01-22Oath of the GatewatchOGW 1402015NormalBlackWesley Burt
22016-01-22Oath of the Gatewatch PromosPOGW 140s2015NormalBlackWesley Burt

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Oath of Nissa has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2016-01-22 Each of the Oaths is legendary: if you control more than one of any particular Oath, you choose one to remain on the battlefield and the others are put into your graveyard.
2016-01-22 Even if you control a particular Oath, you can cast another of that Oath to take advantage of its enters-the-battlefield ability. It will enter the battlefield, causing its first ability to trigger. You will then choose one to keep, as detailed above, and then its enters-the-battlefield ability will resolve.
2016-01-22 The “legend rule” checks the full names of legendary permanents. You can control Oath of Gideon and Oath of Chandra at the same time, for example.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
See more decks