Dematerialize MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Flashback |
| Released | 2001-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Odyssey |
| Set code | ODY |
| Number | 81 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mike Ploog |
Key Takeaways
- Offering tactical disruption, Dematerialize can be a game-changer by returning key permanents to an opponent’s hand.
- While beneficial, its four-mana cost and card discard requirement may weigh against its potential advantages.
- Assembling decks with Dematerialize can bolster meta relevance, offering high adaptability across various strategies.
Text of card
Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Flashback o5o Uo U (You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dematerialize offers a tactical upper hand by returning a target permanent to its owner’s hand. This disrupts your opponent’s board presence, which can indirectly lead to gaining card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: By bouncing a permanent, you can potentially reset mana artifacts or other resources your opponent has invested in, effectively setting back their resource development and accelerating your relative position in the game.
Instant Speed: The power of Dematerialize is significantly enhanced by its instant speed, enabling you to disrupt your opponent’s strategies during their turn, or to escape from unfavorable battles and traps they might set during the course of play.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dematerialize necessitates discarding a card to cast, a trade-off that can deplete your hand, especially if you’re already struggling to maintain card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue mana and a total of four mana to play, Dematerialize can be difficult to integrate into multicolored decks, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of four mana, including three generic and one blue, it’s on the higher end for bounce effects. This might lead players to consider other options with lower costs or additional benefits for managing threats on the board.
Reasons to Include Dematerialize in Your Collection
Versatility: Dematerialize serves as a flexible control tool, slotting seamlessly into decks that require efficient removal options. Its ability to return nonland permanents to their owner’s hand makes it an adaptable piece in an arsenal against various threats.
Combo Potential: With strategic inclusion, this card opens up exciting opportunities. Whether it’s resetting your own permanents with enter-the-battlefield benefits or disrupting opponent combinations, Dematerialize can act as a cog in a well-oiled combo machine.
Meta-Relevance: In game environments that are heavy on daunting permanents or those that rely on intricate synergy, the tempo shift offered by Dematerialize can turn the tides of battle. This type of disruption aligns well with the pacing of certain metagames, where utilising reactive measures can dictate the course of play.
How to beat
Dematerialize is a disruptive force in Magic: The Gathering. It stands out as a control tool, capable of setting an opponent’s strategy back by returning their key permanents to their hand. This can be particularly frustrating when used to bounce a creature that was about to clinch the game or a critical enchantment providing pivotal advantages.
Defeating a strategy that employs Dematerialize involves a few adept maneuvers. Foremost among these is maintaining a diverse field, limiting the impact of a single bounce on your overall strategy. Employing cards that have enter-the-battlefield effects can also turn the tide to your favor, effectively nullifying the tempo lost and even benefiting from the bounce. Additionally, playing spells that protect your assets or having counterspells at the ready can keep your game plan on track. Adequate preparation and resource management can mitigate the disruption caused by Dematerialize, keeping your deck running smoothly even when faced with this form of control.
In summary, while Dematerialize poses a genuine threat by bouncing permanents and disrupting plays, a well-structured MTG deck with built-in resilience and smart gameplay can deftly navigate and overcome this obstacle, securing a path to victory.
Cards like Dematerialize
Dematerialize finds its niche within the pantheon of bounce spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest relatives are cards like Unsummon and Blink of an Eye, both engineered to return creatures to their owners’ hands. Dematerialize ups the ante with its ability to target not just creatures but also other permanent types, delivering a more versatile option for deck builders. Unsummon’s simplicity and lower mana cost make it a staple for early game plays, while Blink of an Eye adds the option to kick the spell for extra card draw.
In the same category, we encounter Disperse and Into the Roil. Disperse aligns with Dematerialize’s capability to target a wide range of permanents, yet it comes with a more accessible casting cost. Into the Roil, on the flip side, offers the kick mechanic to draw a card, much like Blink of an Eye. Yet, neither matches the comprehensive reach of Dematerialize, as they are limited to nonland targets. This positions Dematerialize as a tactical boon against a more extensive array of threats.
Assessing these comparisons shows why Dematerialize can be pivotal in matches, especially when flexibility and the capacity to disrupt a diversified set of strategies are key to securing victory on the battleground.
Cards similar to Dematerialize by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dematerialize MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Dematerialize and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dematerialize has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |