Wild Swing MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Number	108
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Richard Kane Ferguson

Key Takeaways

Wild Swing offers card advantage by potentially clearing multiple threats, evening out the battlefield.
The card’s instant speed provides strategic flexibility, catching opponents off guard.
Its discard requirement and specific mana cost can hinder hand and deck versatility.

Text of card

Choose three target nonenchantment permanents. Destroy one of them at random.

Though the shaman rarely got what she wanted, she was never disappointed in the result.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wild Swing is a unique card in that it can potentially deal with multiple threats in one fell swoop, offering a remarkable card advantage. As part of its sweeping effect, if it successfully destroys even one creature, you’re effectively evening the playing field. In scenarios with a cluttered battlefield, Wild Swing shines, targeting at random might turn in your favor, impacting board presence substantially.

Resource Acceleration: The nature of Wild Swing doesn’t inherently provide resource acceleration in the traditional sense of mana generation or color fixing. However, by removing key resources from your opponents through its random destruction ability, you can slow them down, indirectly accelerating your own position in the game. Utilizing Wild Swing strategically can set back your opponents’ development while you continue to build upon your own.

Instant Speed: One of the greatest advantages of Wild Swing is its instant speed, providing flexibility in your gameplay. You have the option to unleash it during your opponent’s turn, coupling it with bluffs or other interactive plays. Additionally, instant speed means you can adapt to the ever-changing battlefield, utilizing it at the most opportune moment, catching opponents off-guard and maximizing its impact where it counts the most.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the notable downsides of Wild Swing is the obligation to discard a card. This can be particularly detrimental when your hand is already sparse, forcing you to relinquish a potentially crucial strategy element or resource.

Specific Mana Cost: Wild Swing comes with a tight mana requirement, necessitating both red and green mana. This specificity can restrict its integration, making it less versatile for decks that cannot consistently generate both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is on the higher end for its effects, Wild Swing may not be the most mana-efficient option available. Players often assess the impact of a card against its mana cost, and there may be alternatives that offer similar benefits for less, or provide more value at the same cost.

Reasons to Include Wild Swing in Your Collection

Versatility: The spell Wild Swing can adapt to a variety of deck archetypes by providing a degree of unpredictability that can work in your favor. The card has the potential to target any permanent, making it a wildcard that can disrupt opponents’ plans.

Combo Potential: With the ability to randomly destroy an opponent’s vital asset, Wild Swing can be paired with cards that manipulate or take advantage of random elements, setting up surprising combinations that can turn the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy with creature-based strategies or packed with vulnerable key artifacts and enchantments, Wild Swing offers a chance to remove threats at a cost that could align well with more aggressive or tempo-driven decks.

How to beat

Wild Swing is known for its unpredictability on the battlefield, delivering a random element of surprise that can catch any player off guard in Magic: The Gathering. This red instant card has the potential to completely alter the game by destroying one random permanent, which might include lands, creatures, or even more strategic enchantments or artifacts. Due to its randomness, it can potentially be as harmful to the caster as to the opponent.

However, there are strategies to minimize the devastation of Wild Swing. Savvy players will often hold off on casting essential spells if they suspect Wild Swing is lurking in their opponent’s hand. Keeping a wider board presence can reduce the impact of the card, as the odds of losing a critical piece are diminished. Alternatively, utilizing cards that offer protection from red or that can be sacrificed for an overall gain can turn the tide, effectively absorbing the brunt of Wild Swing’s chaotic nature. Cards like Selfless Spirit or Dauntless Escort can help preserve your more valuable creatures through their sacrificial mechanics.

While Wild Swing brings an exciting and unpredictable twist to matches, with careful play and strategic board management, players can withstand its effect and maintain control over the game’s direction.

Cards like Wild Swing

Wild Swing is an interesting addition to the toolbox of controlled randomness in Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to cards like Fling, which embraces the unpredictability of sacrificing a creature, Wild Swing takes it to new heights by potentially targeting any four permanents on the battlefield. Unlike Fling, it doesn’t require a sacrifice, but its randomness can be both a boon and a bane depending on your board state and risk tolerance.

Chaos Warp shares a kinship with Wild Swing, both dancing with chance, as it targets any permanent, shuffling it into the library and possibly bringing something new to the field. However, Chaos Warp is more controlled, targeting only a single permanent, while Wild Swing can turn the game around with multiple targets. Mogg Infestation is another related spell, capable of turning one army into two by doubling the number of creature tokens, yet again more focused compared to the scattergun approach of Wild Swing.

Ultimately, Wild Swing offers a unique experience within Magic: The Gathering, where embracing uncertainty can either pave the way to victory or to entertaining chaos on the battlefield. It’s a card best suited for those who enjoy a bit of gambling in their gameplay, making it an intriguing option in formats where unpredictability can be leveraged.

Cards similar to Wild Swing by color, type and mana cost

Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wild Swing MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Wild Swing and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wild Swing has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-05-01	As Wild Swing resolves, there is no time to react between the time a permanent is chosen at random and the time it’s destroyed. If you want to put a regeneration shield on one of those permanents, or sacrifice it for some effect, or anything else, you must do so before Wild Swing resolves (and before you know which one of the permanents will be chosen at random).
2008-05-01	You target three permanents as you cast Wild Swing. You don’t randomly choose which one will be destroyed until Wild Swing resolves. If one of those permanents has become an illegal target by then, you randomly choose between the other two. If two of those permanents have become illegal targets by then, there is no random choice — the remaining permanent is destroyed.