Pithing Spyglass MTG Card

Maintains card advantage by disabling opponent’s potent activated abilities, offsetting potential card loss. Indirect resource conservation is key, as it prevents opponent’s costly activated abilities from draining resources. Although played at sorcery speed, the strategic insight gained can disrupt opponent’s plans effectively.

Pithing Spyglass - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 (CMB1)

Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 (CMB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 108

Pithing Spyglass - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)

Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)
2021-08-20 - Number 108

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact

Text of card

As CARDNAME enters the battlefield, name a keyword ability or ability word. All cards in all zones lose that keyword ability or ability word and all text tied to that ability.

Cards like Pithing Spyglass

Pithing Spyglass serves as a strategic piece in the puzzle of player disruption within Magic: The Gathering. In a side-by-side with Phyrexian Revoker, another card with the capability to shut down activated abilities, Pithing Spyglass also allows you to peek at an opponent’s hand, providing valuable insight while not being confined to creature spells. This card diverges from Revoker’s creature type, adopting an artifact identity which skirts creature removal, thereby increasing its resilience on the battlefield.

Comparably, Sorcerous Spyglass from recent sets echoes the ability of Pithing Spyglass, offering a similar hand peek and permanent-type naming action, however it could be used to disable planeswalker abilities, a slightly broader approach to locking down an opponent’s game plan. While the two cards share parallels, Pithing Spyglass’s lower mana cost gives it an edge in early game deployment.

Considering the impact on game dynamics and mana efficiency, Pithing Spyglass holds a valuable spot within the suite of control and disruption tools available to players, offering both preemptive strategy enablement and flexible utility. Its addition to your deck can keep opponents’ key strategies at bay, asserting itself as a formidable support card within the game.

Cards similar to Pithing Spyglass by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though the Pithing Spyglass itself doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it plays an essential role in preserving card advantage by neutralizing powerful activated abilities of your opponent’s cards which could otherwise lead to card disadvantage on your side.

Resource Acceleration: Pithing Spyglass is not a traditional resource acceleration card, but by preventing potential resource-draining activated abilities from opponent’s cards, it indirectly conserves your resources, allowing you to use them more effectively elsewhere in the game.

Instant Speed: While Pithing Spyglass is a card played at sorcery speed, its ability to preemptively shut down an opponent’s strategy works as an anticipatory move akin to the benefits of instant speed interaction. Being able to view your opponent’s hand before choosing the card to name can disrupt strategies at crucial moments and alter the course of the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Pithing Spyglass requires no discard to play, it can be less effective if your hand lacks variety to deal with multiple threats on the board. It’s a one-time peek into your opponent’s hand, and after that initial reveal, it doesn’t help you replenish or cycle through your own cards.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation of Pithing Spyglass is not tied to a specific mana color, offering flexibility in its inclusion in any deck. However, the two generic mana needed to cast it might compete with other two-cost powerful plays you wish to make early in the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its utility in disabling activated abilities of certain cards, some players argue the cost isn’t always justified. For two mana, other options could disrupt the opponent while also advancing your board presence or hand. In fast-paced games, the tempo lost by playing Pithing Spyglass can be critical.

Reasons to Include Pithing Spyglass in Your Collection

Versatility: Pithing Spyglass serves as a Swiss Army knife in various deck builds, enabling players to shut down the abilities of troublesome planeswalkers or key utility creatures, irrespective of the opponent’s strategy. This means having the capacity to adapt to numerous situations, which is crucial in deck building.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to name any card can be cleverly used alongside other cards that benefit from knowing the opponent’s hand or controlling their options. Its synergy with cards that restrict or look at opponent’s strategies can be a game-changer, disrupting their combos while setting up your own.

Meta-Relevance: As the competitive scene shifts and planeswalkers or activated abilities dominate, Pithing Spyglass remains relevant by offering a preemptive or reactive solution to many meta-defining cards. Its inclusion can assure players they have a tool against prevalent competitive threats, making it a mainstay in sideboards across various formats.

How to beat

Pithing Spyglass is a unique artifact card in Magic: The Gathering that has the power to shut down activated abilities of any card chosen by the player. This can significantly hamper your game plan, particularly if you rely heavily on key abilities of creatures, planeswalkers, or other permanents. To tackle this disruption, the first strategy is to rely on cards that can destroy or exile artifacts. Naturalize and Disenchant, for example, are staple cards in numerous decks that can elegantly deal with such threats at a low cost.

Another effective method is to keep your options open and versatile. Play cards with passive abilities or those that generate effects without tapping, as Pithing Spyglass only affects activated abilities. A diversified gameplay approach will minimize the impact of Pithing Spyglass, allowing you to circumvent its constraints effectively. Lastly, be mindful of the timing when deploying your crucial cards; baiting out a Spyglass before playing a key card with activated abilities can be a clever way to ensure the Spyglass does not hinder your essential strategies.

Knowing how to navigate around Pithing Spyglass can greatly improve your resilience in matches, letting you maintain an edge even when faced with this potentially game-altering card.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pithing Spyglass MTG card by a specific set like Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 and Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021, 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 Pithing Spyglass and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Pithing Spyglass Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-11-07 and 2021-08-20. Illustrated by Melissa DeTora.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019	CMB1		108	2015	Normal	Black	Melissa DeTora
2	2021-08-20	Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021	CMB2		108	2015	Normal	Black	Melissa DeTora

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-11-12	An ability word appears in italics before an ability and has no inherent rules meaning. That ability following the ability word is the “text tied to that ability,” not any other abilities the card may have that relate to it (such as those linked to an imprint ability).
2019-11-12	To choose a keyword ability, you may select any keyword ability (such as flying, hexproof, or legacy) but not a keyword action (such as destroy, populate, or scry).