Smoke MTG Card

Smoke levels the playing field by capping creature attacks, favoring control-centric playstyles. It forces players to adapt their strategy, potentially slowing down opponents with swarms of creatures. Despite its utility, Smoke’s upkeep cost and specific mana requirements may limit its inclusion in decks.

Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
1993-08-05 - Number 175

Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
1993-10-04 - Number 176

Unlimited Edition (2ED)
1993-12-01 - Number 176

Collectors' Edition (CED)
1993-12-10 - Number 176

Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
1993-12-10 - Number 176

Foreign Black Border (FBB)
1994-04-01 - Number 178

Revised Edition (3ED)
1994-04-01 - Number 178

Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
1994-06-21 - Number 178

Fourth Edition (4ED)
1995-04-01 - Number 222

Smoke - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)

Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
1995-04-01 - Number 222

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 268

Masters Edition IV (ME4)
2011-01-10 - Number 137

30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
2022-11-28 - Number 468

30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
2022-11-28 - Number 171

Card sets	Released in 14 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment

Text of card

Each player can only untap one creature during his or her untap phase.

Cards like Smoke

Smoke is a unique enchantment in MTG that has a way of slowing down the battlefield by limiting the number of creatures that can attack each turn. When considering cards with a similar controlling impact, Propaganda immediately comes to mind. However, Propaganda works off a different axis, requiring opponents to pay mana in order to attack, which can be circumvented with enough resources. Smoke, meanwhile, imposes a hard cap on creature attacks regardless of the opponent’s mana pool.

Meekstone is another card that shares some strategic parallels with Smoke, focusing on restricting creatures’ movements. Meekstone targets creatures specifically based on their power, keeping the powerful behemoths at bay, while Smoke blankets all creatures regardless of their size. This blanket approach can lead to different tactical considerations, especially in decks where players want to limit all combatants, not just the strongest.

Comparatively, Smoke stands out for its ability to consistently throttle the combat phase for every player turn after turn. While similar cards might offer more conditional control or require more resources from the opponent to overcome, Smoke’s unique constraints make it a standalone powerhouse in controlling aggressive MTG strategies.

Cards similar to Smoke by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Smoke excels in its ability to restrict each player to one creature attack per turn. This balances the playing field and provides a strategic edge, especially when facing decks that summon a multitude of creatures.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly affecting mana resources, Smoke can decelerate opponents’ board development. This allows you to allocate resources toward advancing your board state without the immediate pressure of a full-scale attack from swarms of enemy creatures.

Instant Speed: Though Smoke is an enchantment and not cast at instant speed, its continuous effect functions during each opponent’s turn. This effectively provides a persistent advantage, akin to the control typically exerted by instant-speed interactions, by limiting how opponents can engage in combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Smoke demands you to discard two cards to keep it on the battlefield, which might be detrimental when your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: The restrictive red and an additional colorless requirement can put a strain on decks not heavily invested in those mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Smoke’s overall cost may be considered steep, considering that it doesn’t immediately impact the board or offer direct resource advantage.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Smoke offers a unique approach to control, limiting each player’s creature attacks and fitting into numerous deck archetypes that focus on restricting opponent’s actions.

Combo Potential: In conjunction with cards that further tap or incapacitate opponent’s creatures, Smoke can become part of a strategy to thoroughly lock down combat and create advantageous board states.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta heavy on creature-based aggro or midrange decks, Smoke’s ability to reduce the number of attacks can be a game-changer, often tipping the scales in your favor during prolonged matches.

How to beat

Smoke is an enchantment card that can slow down the pace of the game significantly in MTG. The ability to restrict each player to only one creature attack per turn can create a substantial roadblock, especially in formats where creature-based strategies dominate. To successfully navigate around this limitation, focus on strategies that don’t rely heavily on creature combat.

Cards with abilities that allow multiple actions within a turn can mitigate the effects of Smoke. Utilize instant-speed spells, abilities that don’t require tapping, and non-creature-based win conditions. Another effective tactic is to employ enchantment removal spells, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, to get rid of Smoke directly. Alternatively, you can incorporate counterspells like Negate or Cancel to prevent Smoke from hitting the battlefield in the first place.

Building a well-rounded deck that can adapt to various control strategies is key. By incorporating versatile removal and alternative win conditions, you maintain a strong position against disruptive cards like Smoke. A balanced approach allowing for creature aggression and spell-based strategies ensures resilience in face of such enchantments.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Smoke MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Smoke and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Smoke Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1993-08-05	Limited Edition Alpha	LEA	175	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
2	1993-10-04	Limited Edition Beta	LEB	176	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
3	1993-12-01	Unlimited Edition	2ED	176	1993	Normal	White	Jesper Myrfors
4	1993-12-10	Collectors' Edition	CED	176	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
5	1993-12-10	Intl. Collectors' Edition	CEI	176	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
6	1994-04-01	Foreign Black Border	FBB	178	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
7	1994-04-01	Revised Edition	3ED	178	1993	Normal	White	Jesper Myrfors
8	1994-06-21	Summer Magic / Edgar	SUM	178	1993	Normal	White	Jesper Myrfors
9	1995-04-01	Fourth Edition	4ED	222	1993	Normal	White	Jesper Myrfors
10	1995-04-01	Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border	4BB	222	1993	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
11	1997-03-24	Fifth Edition	5ED	268	1997	Normal	White	Tom Kyffin
12	2011-01-10	Masters Edition IV	ME4	137	1997	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
13	2022-11-28	30th Anniversary Edition	30A	468	1997	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors
14	2022-11-28	30th Anniversary Edition	30A	171	2015	Normal	Black	Jesper Myrfors

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Smoke has restrictions

Format	Legality
Oldschool	Legal
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Animated lands are affected by this spell. If on the battlefield with an effect that limits the number of land you untap, untapping an animated land will count as the one creature and the one land you can untap... thereby limiting you to one thing to be untapped.