Circle of Solace MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Number	13
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Key Takeaways

Grants protection from chosen creature types, giving tactical advantage over specific tribal strategies.
Demands discard for activation, potentially impacting strategic hand management.
Flexible across multiple deck themes, valuable for adapting to shifting meta conditions.

Text of card

As Circle of Solace comes into play, choose a creature type. o1o W: The next time a creature of the chosen type would deal damage to you this turn, prevent that damage.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Circle of Solace offers a durable form of card advantage by allowing you to name a creature type and giving all creatures you control protection from the chosen type. This can negate the effectiveness of an opponent’s targeted removals or creature abilities, saving your creatures and preserving your presence on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping your mana, Circle of Solace aids in resource acceleration by potentially reducing the need to cast additional creatures or spells to defend against specific creature types. By investing in Circle of Solace early, you secure lasting benefits that can free up mana for other uses each turn.

Instant Speed: Though Circle of Solace itself is not an instant, it interacts well with instant-speed spells in your deck. By providing continuous protection, it allows you to keep mana open for other instant-speed interactions safe in the knowledge that your creatures are safeguarded against designated threats.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Circle of Solace offers a unique form of creature protection, it demands a card be discarded to activate its ability. This can be a setback when your hand is already depleted, or when every card you hold is crucial to your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that includes two white mana, Circle of Solace is clearly designed for a mono-white or a heavily white-aligned deck. Its inclusion in multi-colored decks could be cumbersome, potentially disrupting the deck’s mana curve and consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: This enchantment requires four mana to hit the battlefield, which may be on the higher side when you consider the alternative cards with similar or better protective effects available at a lower cost. Players must weigh the trade-offs of reserving a considerable amount of mana for its casting versus utilizing those resources for other pivotal plays.

Reasons to Include Circle of Solace in Your Collection

Versatility: Circle of Solace extends its protective aura to any creature type you choose, making it an asset in creature-focused decks that vary in theme and strategy. Whether you’re defending against goblins in tribal matches or protecting elves in a combo build, this card adapts well to multiple deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: Being able to name a creature type opens up possibilities for synergy with other cards that benefit from having more of the same type on the battlefield. When combined with cards that generate tokens of the chosen type, Circle of Solace can solidify your board presence by making your swarm resistant to targeted removal.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where certain creature types are dominant, Circle of Solace can be a strategic sideboard card that directly tackles those pervasive threats. As the meta shifts, so too does the utility of Circle of Solace, ensuring it remains a relevant tool for tailoring your deck to compete more effectively.

How to beat

Circle of Solace is an intriguing enchantment card in MTG that offers protection to your creatures from a chosen creature type. It’s a preventative measure that can be a real challenge to maneuver around, especially in tribal heavy formats. Despite its potential stronghold, there are strategies to diminish its impact in a game.

One of the most straightforward ways to nullify Circle of Solace is by using enchantment removal cards. Green is prominent for its ability to deal with non-creature permanents, so spells like Naturalize or Return to Nature can efficiently dispose of it. Additionally, multi-purpose removal like Disenchant or Mortify that can target enchantments also come in handy. Don’t underestimate the power of counter spells to prevent it from hitting the field in the first place. Cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can ensure that Circle of Solace never becomes an obstacle you have to deal with.

Adapting your strategy can also be the key. Introducing a varied creature lineup in your deck that’s not reliant on a single tribal theme can circumvent Circle of Solace’s protective abilities. It’s about flexibility and having the foresight to mix your threats, rendering the enchantment’s effect less detrimental to your game plan.

Cards like Circle of Solace

Circle of Solace stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique enchantment offering protection against a chosen creature type. When evaluating it among similar protection spells, one might consider Runed Halo. Runed Halo grants protection against chosen cards, which can include creatures but also other card types. While Runed Halo’s shield is broader, Circle of Solace’s ability to protect multiple creatures gives it a joint appeal in tribal decks or against creature-heavy strategies.

Another parallel can be drawn with Story Circle. This enchantment allows a player to prevent damage from a color of their choice by spending mana. Unlike Circle of Solace, Story Circle is adaptable in response to various threats by choosing a color rather than a creature type. It offers a different kind of defense focused on more general color strategies over specific creature dedication. Both cards contribute a strategic layer to deck building by allowing players to tailor their defense against prevalent meta threats.

Assessing these cards and their utility in various gameplay scenarios suggests that Circle of Solace is a specialized tool for players seeking creature type protections to enhance synergies or defend against certain tribal decks in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Circle of Solace by color, type and mana cost

Divine Transformation - MTG Card versions

Diversionary Tactics - MTG Card versions

Teleportation Circle - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Circle of Solace MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Circle of Solace and other MTG cards: