Obscura Ascendancy MTG Card

Provides card advantage by allowing an additional draw, broadening strategic options each turn. Accelerates resource generation, enabling faster gameplay through its mana-producing creature tap ability. Instant-speed activation grants flexible responses, optimizing strategy during the opponent’s turn.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Text of card

Whenever you cast a spell, if its mana value is equal to 1 plus the number of soul counters on Obscura Ascendancy, put a soul counter on Obscura Ascendancy, then create a 2/2 white Spirit creature token with flying. As long as there are five or more soul counters on Obscura Ascendancy, Spirits you control get +3/+3.

Cards like Obscura Ascendancy

Obscura Ascendancy joins the ranks of enchantments that elevate gameplay with its unique mechanics. Pitting it against something like Oath of Teferi, which focuses on prolonging loyalty abilities of planeswalkers, Obscura Ascendancy offers a different kind of versatility by letting you choose from three beneficial effects every time you cast a multicolored spell. Unlike Oath of Teferi with its narrower strategy, Obscura Ascendancy caters to a broader game plan, rewarding multicolored spell casting with significant payoff options, including looting, life gain, or creature buffs.

Another enchantment worth mentioning is Ethereal Absolution. While it also gives a static boost to creatures under your control much like Obscura Ascendancy, it lacks the adaptability to respond to varying in-game demands. Ethereal Absolution strengthens your board and weakens your opponent’s, but it doesn’t provide the same situational responses that Obscura Ascendancy can. It’s this flexibility in Obscura Ascendancy that truly sets it apart, allowing for dynamic strategy adjustments throughout the match.

In essence, while there are other compelling enchantments in the MTG universe, Obscura Ascendancy’s adaptability and synergy with multicolored spells make it a standout choice for players seeking to exploit these mechanics to their fullest potential.

Oath of Teferi - MTG Card versions
Ethereal Absolution - MTG Card versions
Oath of Teferi - MTG Card versions
Ethereal Absolution - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Obscura Ascendancy grants the ability to draw an additional card each turn, thereby expanding your options and giving you an edge over opponents through increased access to actions.

Resource Acceleration: This card encourages a faster gameplay by allowing you to tap an untapped creature you control to add one mana of any color to your mana pool, effectively speeding up your resource accumulation.

Instant Speed: The enchantment’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, which means you can respond to your opponent’s moves or optimize your own strategy without having to wait for your main phase.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Obscura Ascendancy necessitates discarding a card to trigger its ability, which might deplete your hand when you need options.

Specific Mana Cost: Its mana cost requires a precise combination of white, blue, and black mana, which could be challenging to meet in multicolored decks not focused on these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a mana value of three, it competes directly with other impactful three-drop cards that might represent a more immediate impact on the game state.

Reasons to Include Obscura Ascendancy in Your Collection

Versatility: Obscura Ascendancy offers a broad range of gameplay options to enhance various strategies. Its ability to manipulate both creatures and noncreature spells means it easily integrates into diverse deck archetypes, from control to aggro.

Combo Potential: This card opens the door to numerous combos, from increasing spell potency to concocting winning synergies with other cards that thrive on spellcasting benefits or the advantages of multicolor decks.

Meta-Relevance: In an ever-shifting MTG landscape, Obscura Ascendancy remains a relevant choice. It sits comfortably in a meta that values adaptability, and its power to swing games by leveraging a wide array of spells keeps it competitive.

How to beat

The strategic depth of Magic: The Gathering often presents us with complex cards to navigate, one of which is Obscura Ascendancy. As a powerful enchantment card in the MTG multiverse, it offers both challenges and opportunities. Beating this card requires clever play, with a focus on hindering its functionality. Applying removal spells that can directly target enchantments is a fundamental tactic, as cards such as Disenchant or Naturalize act as precise solutions for dismantling your opponent’s ascendancy.

Another method to counter Obscura Ascendancy is to limit the card advantage it can grant. This can be achieved by using spells or abilities that force discard, disrupt hand mechanics, or apply counterspells when Obscura Ascendancy is on the stack and vulnerable. Moreover, keeping a watchful eye on your opponent’s graveyard is equally crucial, seeing as its bolstering ability relies on the recurring elements from the graveyard to command the battlefield.

Ultimately, addressing Obscura Ascendancy means preemptively managing your resources and employing precise disruption at opportune times. A well-timed intervention, whether through enchantment eradication or counterspells, can negate the swing in momentum that Obscura Ascendancy aims to create and leave you standing victorious in the arena of MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Obscura Ascendancy MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna and Streets of New Capenna 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 Obscura Ascendancy and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Obscura Ascendancy Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3872015NormalBlackKrharts
22022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 207s2015NormalBlackIgor Krstic
32022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3222015NormalBlackKrharts
42022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 2072015NormalBlackIgor Krstic
52022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 207p2015NormalBlackIgor Krstic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Obscura Ascendancy has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-04-29 If there are no soul counters on Obscura Ascendancy, its ability triggers if you cast a spell with mana value 1. If there is one counter, its ability triggers if you cast a spell with mana value 2, and so on.
2022-04-29 Obscura Ascendancy's triggered ability has an “intervening ‘if'” clause. This means that it checks the number of counters both when the ability triggers and when it resolves. Notably, this means that casting two instants in a row with mana value 1 will never cause a player to create two tokens or put two counters on Obscura Ascendancy.