Offering to Asha MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Released | 2009-04-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alara Reborn |
| Set code | ARB |
| Number | 9 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Daarken |
Text of card
Counter target spell unless its controller pays . You gain 4 life.
"His body belongs to Bant now. His soul? I honestly don't know. I expect it belongs to the angels." —Rafiq of the Many
Cards like Offering to Asha
Offering to Asha is notable for its versatile role in Magic: The Gathering deck strategies. As a counter spell card, it compares to classics like Cancel, with both sharing the same mana cost and the ability to thwart an opponent’s spell. Yet, Offering to Asha stands out by offering players a health advantage, providing a gain of 4 life on top of its spell negation.
Looking at Absorb, another similar card but with a higher mana spectrum cost, the health gained is less, making Offering to Asha a more cost-effective option for those balancing mana-efficient plays and life management. Then, there’s Dissipate, which also counters spells but exiles them, preventing any form of graveyard retrieval. The choice becomes one of strategy, whether to prioritize life gain, managing the graveyard, or straight cancellation within the game.
When it comes to resourceful counterspells within the game, Offering to Asha is compelling for its dual utility. Its relevance in decks focuses on control and life-gain, making it a card to consider in formats where sustaining health is as important as neutralizing threats.
Cards similar to Offering to Asha by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Offering to Asha is a powerful addition to any deck seeking to gain a superior hand over opponents. The ability to counter a spell and recoup the cards spent makes it a stalwart defender of your game plan while padding your hand for future turns.
Resource Acceleration: Strategic use of Offering to Asha can effectively boost your resources, enabling you to deploy more threats or answers swiftly. By refunding the mana spent, you can stay ahead on board and maintain pressure on your adversaries.
Instant Speed: The instant nature of Offering to Asha provides a critical element of surprise and flexibility. It allows players to adapt to the evolving battlefield, keeping opponents guessing and allowing for cleverly timed plays that can swing the tide of battle in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Offering to Asha requires players to discard two cards as part of its casting cost. This can be a steep price to pay, especially when your hand is already depleted from previous plays or when holding onto key pieces for your strategy is vital.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise combination of colors with one white, one blue, and two other mana. This can restrict its inclusion to decks that are dedicated to or can comfortably accommodate the Azorius color pair, potentially excluding it from a wider range of strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana investment, Offering to Asha might compete for a slot with other impactful four drops in your deck. Considering the mana investment and the additional discard cost, players might find other counter spells or card advantage options more appealing for their deck build.
Reasons to Include Offering to Asha in Your Collection
Versatility: Offering to Asha serves as a multifaceted tool in deck building. It counters spells while also buffering your life total, making it a smart pick for control decks or others looking to maintain stability against aggressive strategies.
Combo Potential: With its dual-purpose nature, this card can be deftly paired with cards that care about life gain or spell casting. This opens up synergies in decks that exploit either aspect, providing a seamless fit with various combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting nature of the metagame, Offering to Asha maintains relevancy by addressing two fundamental aspects of gameplay: disruption and survival. It can be especially potent in environments where spell-heavy decks are prevalent, granting you strategic advantage while keeping you in the game longer.
How to beat
Offering to Asha is a versatile card in the enchanting world of Magic: The Gathering, particularly noted for its ability to counteract not just one, but multiple threats simultaneously. Its strength lies in the unique effect that negates both a spell and an attack, setting it apart from most other countermeasures available to players. To successfully navigate a game against this formidable obstacle, strategy must involve an alternative approach.
One possible method to outmaneuver Offering to Asha is to bait out the counteraction with less crucial spells or attacks before committing the more valuable assets in your hand or battlefield. Alternatively, spells that cannot be countered, such as those with the “can’t be countered” clause or abilities like split second, prove to be invaluable in such matchups. Another strategy includes utilizing instant speed spells during your opponent’s turn to reduce the effectiveness of Offering to Asha, which is bound by the constraints of timing, therefore limiting its potential to disrupt your pivotal moves.
Keep in mind that resource management becomes key when facing such a card. Efficiently allocating your mana and spells could pressure an opponent into a position where they are unable to effectively utilize Offering to Asha’s full potential, allowing you to maintain the upper hand.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Offering to Asha MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Offering to Asha and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Offering to Asha has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Offering to Asha card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-05-01 | You gain 4 life whether or not the targeted spell’s controller pays and whether or not the targeted spell is countered. |