Set Adrift MTG Card

Delve mechanic lets players utilize graveyard resources to gain card advantage and reduce casting cost. Set Adrift’s blue color and sorcery speed can be restrictive but also strategically disruptive in gameplay. Although costly, its versatility makes it a worthy inclusion for control-oriented decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Delve
Released	2014-09-26
Set symbol
Set name	Khans of Tarkir
Set code	KTK
Number	54
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Text of card

Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for .) Put target nonland permanent on top of its owner's library.

The envoy spoke, and Sidisi replied.

Cards like Set Adrift

Set Adrift is a nuanced tool in the realm of MTG blue bounce spells. Comparable by function to Unsummon, which also returns a target creature to its owner’s hand, Set Adrift provides an added strategic depth by placing the target on top of the owner’s library instead. While Unsummon’s one mana cost makes it quicker to play, Set Adrift’s delve ability can potentially reduce its six mana cost significantly, offering late game versatility.

Another akin card is Griptide, which similarly puts an opponent’s creature on top of their library. Griptide does not boast the cost-reducing mechanic of delve but comes at a consistent four mana cost, bridging the gap between the swift Unsummon and the occasionally cumbersome Set Adrift. Lastly, Time Ebb also performs a similar action, setting the stage for postponed threats at three mana, yet providing no cost flexibility, which can be a tactical boon in longer matches provided by Set Adrift.

Evaluating these cards’ capabilities, Set Adrift holds its ground for players who appreciate controlling the battlefield’s tempo in longer games, seamlessly integrating into decks that strategically manage their graveyards for the delve cost advantage.

Cards similar to Set Adrift by color, type and mana cost

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Decks using this card

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

Name	Format	Archetype	Event
Izzet Control	Modern	Blue-Red Control	Modern Challenge 64 2024-04-06
Izzet Tempo		Other	The Arena Coliseum - Timeless Trials $1K #001
Murktide Regent	Modern	Murktide Regent	Modern Showcase Challenge 2024-01-06

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Set Adrift enables you to efficiently manage the battlefield by removing an opponent’s key nonland permanent. Through Delve, it allows you to utilize cards in your graveyard, turning them into an effective resource. This process preserves the cards in your hand, contributing to card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Set Adrift itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, the card’s Delve mechanic can essentially reduce its casting cost. This clever use of graveyard resources can potentially speed up your game plan by saving mana for other strategic plays within the same turn.

Instant Speed: Set Adrift’s sorcery speed doesn’t offer the reactive flexibility of an instant, but when strategically paired with cards that can untap lands or allow you to play sorceries as though they had flash, its removal effect can be a surprise disruption to your opponent’s strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other removal options, Set Adrift doesn’t just have a specific mana cost; it also necessitates delve, which requires you to exile a number of cards from your graveyard equal to the colorless mana portion of the spell’s cost. For players looking to utilize their graveyard as a resource, this can be a steep price to pay.

Specific Mana Cost: Set Adrift requires one blue mana, which means it can only be played in blue or multicolored decks. This can be restrictive for players not running blue and could be irrelevant in metagames where blue isn’t a strong color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a standard mana cost of six, including one blue, Set Adrift is costly compared to other removal spells. In fast-paced games or against decks that rapidly deploy threats, Set Adrift’s high mana requirement can be a significant drawback, potentially leaving you vulnerable while you gather the necessary resources.

Reasons to Include Set Adrift in Your Collection

Versatility: Set Adrift is a unique card with the ability to fit seamlessly into control or tempo decks. Its power to put any nonland permanent on top of its owner’s library makes it a flexible answer to many threats.

Combo Potential: With prowess triggers and delve mechanics prevalent in certain deck builds, Set Adrift magnifies the impact of your instants and sorceries, while also potentially costing less through the delve ability.

Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with pesky permanents, Set Adrift provides a relevant solution. It aligns well with strategies aimed at delaying opponents and can be a smart inclusion to disrupt finely-tuned game plans.

How to beat

Set Adrift is a versatile card from Magic: The Gathering that offers players the tactical advantage of tempo control by placing an opponent’s nonland permanent on top of their library. The card’s synergy with the delve mechanic allows for a cost reduction by utilizing cards from your graveyard, making it a potent choice for disrupting an opponent’s strategy and gaining an upper hand.

To counter this card effectively, players should aim for proactive graveyard management. Keeping graveyard sizes small limits the delve potential, making Set Adrift more costly to cast. Additionally, employing spells that give you hexproof, such as Leyline of Sanctity, can prevent this spell from targeting your essential permanents. Incorporating counter spells like Negate or Dispel into your deck can also safeguard against Set Adrift and similar tempo spells.

Ultimately, understanding the timing of your opponent’s plays is key. Anticipating when they could cast Set Adrift and strategically holding back removal or protective spells can shift the balance in your favor, ensuring your critical permanents remain in play to execute your winning strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Set Adrift MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir, 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 Set Adrift and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Set Adrift has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-09-20	Because delve isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2014-09-20	Delve doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost. For example, Dead Drop’s converted mana cost is 10 even if you exiled three cards to cast it.
2014-09-20	The rules for delve have changed slightly since it was last in an expansion. Previously, delve reduced the cost to cast a spell. Under the current rules, you exile cards from your graveyard at the same time you pay the spell’s cost. Exiling a card this way is simply another way to pay that cost.
2014-09-20	You can’t exile cards to pay for the colored mana requirements of a spell with delve.
2014-09-20	You can’t exile more cards than the generic mana requirement of a spell with delve. For example, you can’t exile more than nine cards from your graveyard to cast Dead Drop.