Sphinx of Foresight MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Sphinx
Abilities Flying,Scry
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Scrying with Sphinx of Foresight helps refine draws, making every turn more strategic and informed.
  2. Resource acceleration through scrying ensures timely land or spell draws, enhancing overall deck performance.
  3. Its upkeep scrying resembles instant-speed effects, lending a subtle but continuous strategic advantage.

Text of card

You may reveal this card from your opening hand. If you do, scry 3 at the beginning of your first upkeep. Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, scry 1.

"I do not understand the future I see: the guilds subverted, the world at war, armies bent to a cruel conqueror's will."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Sphinx of Foresight is a boon for players looking to maintain a steady flow of options throughout the match. By scrying at the beginning of your upkeep, you’re effectively curating your upcoming draws and increasing the quality of the cards you’ll have access to each turn. This foresight ensures that you can plan strategies several moves ahead, keeping you one step ahead of the competition.

Resource Acceleration: Because it allows you to scry before your draw step, Sphinx of Foresight can indirectly accelerate your resources by helping you find the lands or spells you need exactly when you need them. This form of deck manipulation can be as valuable as drawing extra cards or ramping up your mana, making it a versatile tool in building towards your win conditions.

Instant Speed: While the Sphinx itself does not operate at instant speed, the power to scry during each of your upkeep steps is tantamount to having a constant, albeit subtle, instant speed effect in play. It affords you the knowledge and preparation typically associated with instant speed interactions, allowing you to adapt on the fly and countering your opponent’s moves with improved draw quality. Though the Sphinx is a creature, its predictive prowess imbues your game plan with a proactive and reactive edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One drawback of the Sphinx of Foresight is its need for an opening hand presence to fully utilize its scry ability. Missing this interaction can deprive you of a valuable head start.

Specific Mana Cost: Deploying this creature requires a strict mana setup, two blue among its four total mana cost. This may not synergize well with more color-diverse decks, potentially hampering its playability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four-mana investment needed to cast Sphinx of Foresight, players have to consider alternatives that may provide similar or better effects with lower cost burdens, maximizing deck efficiency.


Reasons to Include Sphinx of Foresight in Your Collection

Versatility: The Sphinx of Foresight adds flexibility to your blue-centered decks, not just as a strong flier but also by offering consistent scry at the beginning of your upkeep, ensuring you get closer to the cards you need every turn.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with any strategy that benefits from deck manipulation. Its scry ability sets up powerful plays and its presence in the air provides a reliable clock against opponents.

Meta-Relevance: As a flier with a substantial 4/4 body, Sphinx of Foresight can match up well against various threats in the meta. Its innate ability to scry bolsters its relevance, allowing players to keep pace with the ever-changing dynamics of the game.


How to beat

The Sphinx of Foresight presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to provide a glimpse into the future at the start of the game and offer repeated scrying each upkeep. However, overcoming this flying foreteller is not impossible. The key lies in being proactive and disrupting your opponent’s game plan. Making use of removal spells like Murder or Doom Blade allows you to handle this threat before its foresight advantage turns the tides. Alternately, countering the Sphinx as it’s cast with spells like Negate ensures it never gets the chance to take flight.

Moreover, when dealing with such a creature, it’s essential to consider the board state and your available resources. Board wipes like Wrath of God can clear the Sphinx along with other menaces. One should not overlook the power of enchantment-based removal, such as Pacifism, which can neutralize the Sphinx without sending it to the graveyard, circumventing potential recursion from your opponent. Prioritize managing the Sphinx early, and your chances of a victorious match will vastly increase.

In essence, with precise timing and the strategic use of control elements, players can effectively neutralize the aerial prowess of Sphinx of Foresight and maintain a competitive edge in MTG encounters.


BurnMana Recommendations

Expert MTG players understand the importance of card advantage and deck manipulation. Sphinx of Foresight is a prime example of a card that can provide such an edge, setting the stage for future turns and creating opportunities for victory. Our analysis highlights its strategic importance for blue decks, emphasizing the need for foresight in every masterful play. We encourage players to acknowledge both the potential and the challenges it comes with. If you’re interested in refining your deck with a touch of clairvoyance, dive deeper with us to harness the full potential that Sphinx of Foresight brings to the MTG tables.


Cards like Sphinx of Foresight

Sphinx of Foresight holds a unique position among creatures in MTG. With its ability to offer a pre-game peek at the top cards of your library, it brings a touch of foresight unseen in many other cards. This element bears some resemblance to Consecrated Sphinx, which rewards the controller with card drawing power whenever an opponent draws cards. They both excel in card information advantage, although the ways they provide it differ significantly.

Another comparable card is Prognostic Sphinx. Both present the scry mechanic to manipulate upcoming draws, yet Sphinx of Foresight grants this utility at the beginning of every upkeep, not just when it attacks. Furthermore, while Prognostic Sphinx defends itself with hexproof, our tale’s Sphinx opts to expedite your strategy with its pre-game action.

In the landscape of MTG creatures that focus on deck manipulation and foresight, Sphinx of Foresight emerges with a blend of early game influence and continuous upkeep advantage. This card strikes a beautiful balance between providing strategic setup and in-game card selection, making it a potent choice for players seeking to sculpt their perfect draw.

Consecrated Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Prognostic Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Consecrated Sphinx - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Prognostic Sphinx - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Sphinx of Foresight by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Turtleshell Changeling - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Archmage - MTG Card versions
Fatestitcher - MTG Card versions
Argent Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lumengrid Drake - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Infuser - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Dragon - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Forces - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Vapor - Chronicles (CHR)
Tradewind Rider - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Archivist - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Thieving Magpie - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Inga Rune-Eyes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Laboratory Drudge - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Johnny, Combo Player - Unhinged (UNH)
Dream Prowler - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Clone - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Cytoplast Manipulator - Dissension (DIS)
Crookclaw Transmuter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Turtleshell Changeling - Lorwyn (LRW)
Glen Elendra Archmage - Eventide (EVE)
Fatestitcher - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Argent Sphinx - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Lumengrid Drake - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Vedalken Infuser - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Phantasmal Dragon - Magic 2012 (M12)

Where to buy

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

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Printings

The Sphinx of Foresight Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2019-01-25. Illustrated by Titus Lunter.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 55s2015normalblackTitus Lunter
22019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 552015normalblackTitus Lunter

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sphinx of Foresight 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 Sphinx of Foresight 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 A player’s “opening hand” is the hand of cards the player has after all players have taken mulligans and “scryed” if applicable. If players have any cards in hand that allow actions to be taken with them from a player’s opening hand, the starting player takes all such actions first in any order, followed by each other player in turn order. Then the first turn begins.
2019-01-25 If you reveal two Sphinxes of Foresight from your opening hand, you’ll scry 3 twice; you won’t scry 6. Any cards you put on top of your library the first time you scry 3 will be part of the second time you scry 3.

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