Mass Manipulation MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Achieving card advantage, Mass Manipulation can decisively turn a game’s tide in your favor.
  2. Its capability for resource acceleration makes it a powerhouse in mana-rich blue decks.
  3. Strategic mana management is key, given its specific and high blue mana requirement.

Text of card

Gain control of X target creatures and/or planeswalkers.

Those who cross the Dimir find enemies everywhere they turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With the strategic play of Mass Manipulation, you steadily climb towards a significant card advantage. This card does not simply draw you more cards from your deck, but rather, it shifts the balance of the play by allowing you to take control of your opponent’s creatures or planeswalkers. Each seized asset is a dual victory: your field is strengthened, and their resources are diminished.

Resource Acceleration: While Mass Manipulation does not directly produce mana or tokens, the potential resource acceleration stems from the use of those creatures or planeswalkers you’ve taken control of. By using them for their abilities or as mana sources if they have that capability, you effectively speed up your resources potentially beyond what your deck could normally manage.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, the card’s flexible casting cost allows players to adapt their strategy dynamically. Inputs of large amounts of mana at crucial times can lead to a game-changing play. By saving enough mana across turns, you can potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy at a pivotal moment, utilizing their creatures or planeswalkers in ways they never anticipated.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Mass Manipulation, you don’t have to worry about discarding cards, but the specific and high mana costs require careful planning to ensure you have the right resources at the right time. Strategizing is imperative to avoid being caught off guard when the opportunity to play comes.

Specific Mana Cost: Mass Manipulation’s casting requires not just any mana, but demands a substantial amount of blue mana. This requirement can limit the card’s flexibility, making it less appealing for multi-color decks that may not consistently produce the necessary blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While taking control of multiple targets can be a game-changer, the high mana cost of Mass Manipulation can be a significant drawback. In a game where speed can be crucial, the delay to gather sufficient mana to play this card can give opponents the upper hand, especially when faster and lower-cost alternatives may be available to shift the game’s balance.


Reasons to Include Mass Manipulation in Your Collection

Versatility: Mass Manipulation’s ability to target multiple creatures and planeswalkers makes it a powerful addition to blue-heavy control decks. Its scalability allows you to adjust your strategy based on the stage of the game.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks that ramp up mana quickly or have mechanisms to untap lands, offering the potential to turn the tide by taking control of crucial enemy permanents in one fell swoop.

Meta-Relevance: As the game environment often includes decks that rely heavily on influential creatures and planeswalkers, having Mass Manipulation in your arsenal provides a significant advantage, disrupting opponent strategies and tipping the balance in your favor.


How to Beat Mass Manipulation

The allure of the Mass Manipulation card in Magic the Gathering lies in its control over multiple targets. This powerful spell can alter the tide of a game by enabling a player to gain control of several creatures or planeswalkers at once. Responding to this blue spell can be tricky, but not impossible. To effectively neutralize this threat, consider holding onto countermagic or instant-speed removal that can be deployed in response to your opponent’s play. Instant spells like Negate or Disenchant target the specific mechanism that Mass Manipulation uses to establish control.

Additionally, employing abilities that grant your creatures hexproof can prevent them from falling under the opponent’s command. Cards such as Lazotep Plating can be the perfect foil to Mass Manipulation by not only countering the spell but also fortifying your board against similar threats in the future. Managing your board presence is also key. Overextending by populating the board with more creatures or planeswalkers than necessary can leave you vulnerable. Play conservatively and bait out Mass Manipulation when you have the tools to counteract it before fully committing to your board state. Patience and precise timing are essential in circumventing the effects of this formidable spell.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you weave through MTG’s intricate world, wielding cards like Mass Manipulation can be both a strategic asset and a potential challenge. Recognizing the pros and cons is just the beginning. Integrating such cards into your collection requires careful consideration of your deck’s needs and the ever-evolving meta. We encourage you to expand your horizons and embrace the complexities of control magic. Whether adjusting your mana base to accommodate a blue-heavy strategy or contemplating the right moment to change the tide of battle, there’s a wealth of knowledge to explore. Deepen your understanding and refine your gameplay. Dive into our detailed guides to master the art of control and dominate your MTG matches with finesse and strategic prowess.


Cards like Mass Manipulation

Mass Manipulation is a unique spectacle in the arena of control magic within MTG. Its comparable brethren include cards like Entrancing Melody, which shares the ability to seize control of an opponent’s creature. However, Mass Manipulation takes this a step further by allowing the user to gain control of multiple creatures and even planeswalkers, scaling with the mana invested into the spell. Entrancing Melody’s effect is singular and is confined to the bounds of like-for-like mana value of the targeted creature.

Another card trading in the currency of control is Control Magic, a classic that embodies the essence of this power play but lacks the scalability of Mass Manipulation. Additionally, In Bolas’s Clutches elevates the proposition by letting you take over any permanent, not just creatures or planeswalkers, and it imbues the permanent with legendary status. However, neither offers the potential to shift the game’s balance as dramatically as Mass Manipulation can when fueled by substantial mana resources.

Understanding these subtleties helps players appreciate why Mass Manipulation holds a coveted position in decks that thrive on turning the tide by commandeering the opponent’s assets. The card’s flexibility and impact in the late game give it an edge that can often be game-defining.

Entrancing Melody - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
In Bolas's Clutches - MTG Card versions
Entrancing Melody - Ixalan (XLN)
Control Magic - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
In Bolas's Clutches - Dominaria (DOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mass Manipulation MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance and Ravnica Allegiance Promos, 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 Mass Manipulation and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mass Manipulation Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2019-01-25. Illustrated by Anthony Palumbo.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 422015normalblackAnthony Palumbo
22019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 42p2015normalblackAnthony Palumbo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mass Manipulation has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-01-25 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well, and any effects that give the player control of permanents immediately end.
2019-01-25 The control-change effect of Mass Manipulation lasts indefinitely. It doesn’t wear off during the cleanup step.

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