Pause for Reflection MTG Card

Prevents combat damage, offering strategic defence and creature preservation during pivotal moments. Convoke mechanic caters to mana flexibility, aiding other spell casts and enabling tactics. Instant speed advantage allows last-minute plays that can disrupt opponent moves effectively.

Pause for Reflection - Guilds of Ravnica

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Convoke
Released	2018-10-05
Set symbol
Set name	Guilds of Ravnica
Set code	GRN
Number	140
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alayna Danner

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.

Cards like Pause for Reflection

In the vast world of Magic: The Gathering, Pause for Reflection stands as a protective spell that has parallels to other instant-speed cards designed to thwart combat damage. This card particularly shines when compared to other fog effects like Fog itself, which is the original combat damage prevention spell. However, Pause for Reflection introduces a unique convoke mechanic, allowing players to tap creatures they control to help pay the card’s cost, thus potentially playing it without using any mana.

Comparatively, another well-known card in this category is Root Snare. It shares the same mana cost as Pause for Reflection but doesn’t provide the flexibility of the convoke mechanic. This can make a significant difference in tight situations where mana efficiency is key. There’s also the card Druid’s Deliverance, which not only prevents damage but also creates a token if you control a creature with the populate mechanic. This potentially offers more value but is restricted to decks that can exploit token strategies.

Overall, Pause for Reflection offers an edge in situations where board presence translates to casting potential, making it a commendable choice for decks that look to optimize every aspect of their game plan.

Cards similar to Pause for Reflection by color, type and mana cost

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Pause for Reflection. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Bant Control	Gladiator		Gladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Delving into the intricacies of card advantage, Pause for Reflection stands out by providing players the ability to prevent combat damage, which can be pivotal in preserving the cards on the board. This effect can be a game-changer, ensuring the survival of valuable creatures and maintaining a strong board presence.

Resource Acceleration: A notable aspect of this card is its compatibility with the convoke mechanic, allowing players to tap creatures they control to pay for mana costs. This represents a form of resource acceleration as it frees up mana for other spells, efficiently allocating resources for strategic plays.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Pause for Reflection is a tactical boon, offering versatility in gameplay. It allows players to wait until the most opportune moment during the combat phase, potentially disrupting opponents’ strategies and leaving them unprepared for the sudden shift in battlefield dynamics.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the limitations of the Pause for Reflection card is the mandatory discard of a card to take advantage of its convoke mechanic. This can be a steep price, particularly in game stages where your hand may already be depleted, and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This card also demands a precise mana combination to cast. Requiring both green and other colors of mana, it essentially bounds the card to decks with a green mana base, potentially excluding it from a variety of other strategic deck builds that cannot accommodate its mana restrictions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although this card can prevent combat damage that would be dealt this turn, its casting cost could be considered high relative to other cards with similar abilities. More economical options might be available, providing a greater value for the mana invested, which is an important consideration when optimizing your deck’s efficiency.

Reasons to Include Pause for Reflection in Your Collection

Versatility: Pause for Reflection offers a unique flexibility that can be a game changer in a variety of decks. This card can slip into any deck utilizing the Convoke mechanic or those needing instant-speed ways to dodge lethal attacks or buy a crucial turn.

Combo Potential: With the ability to essentially pause the combat phase, this card can synergize with strategies aimed at setting up for a huge next turn or triggering end-of-turn effects safely. It also has potential in decks that capitalize on tapping creatures for value, aligning well with intricate combo setups.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where aggro decks can quickly overrun slower strategies, having a card like Pause for Reflection can be critical. It allows slower, more control-focused or combo decks to survive against fast-paced opponents, making it a relevant sideboard card or even a main-deck consideration depending on the metagame’s speed.

How to Beat Pause for Reflection

Pause for Reflection is a unique card that offers a timely defense mechanism in Magic: The Gathering, providing players with the ability to prevent combat damage by “convoke” which allows tapping creatures for cost reduction. A tactical approach can dismantle this card’s value by forcing multiple combat phases or attacking on turns when the opponent is less likely to have creatures available for convoking.

Consider employing cards with abilities to untap your creatures after an initial combat phase. This can exhaust your opponent’s resources, making it difficult to effectively use Pause for Reflection. Additionally, spells that limit the opponent’s ability to cast spells during your turn, such as Teferi, Time Raveler or Grand Abolisher, could be instrumental in securing your victory.

Lastly, direct damage spells or abilities that deal damage outside the combat phase, for instance, Lightning Bolt or Chandra, Torch of Defiance’s abilities, can bypass Pause for Reflection’s protective measure, chipping away at your opponent’s life total irrespective of their defensive strategies.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pause for Reflection MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Pause for Reflection and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pause for Reflection has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-10-05	Because convoke isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2018-10-05	Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost.
2018-10-05	If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2018-10-05	Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature’s colors.
2018-10-05	When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated.
2018-10-05	When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Worldsoul Colossus (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two white creatures, you’ll have to pay .
2018-10-05	You can tap an untapped creature you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn to convoke a spell.