Sorcerous Spyglass MTG Card
2017-09-29 - Number 248s
2017-09-29 - Number 248p
2017-09-29 - Number 248
2019-10-04 - Number 384
2019-10-04 - Number 233
2021-03-19 - Number 401
2023-11-17 - Number 261
2019-12-02 - Number 693
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Text of card
As Sorcerous Spyglass enters the battlefield, look at an opponent's hand, then choose any card name. Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can't be activated unless they're mana abilities.
Cards like Sorcerous Spyglass
Sorcerous Spyglass is a powerful artifact in Magic the Gathering, offering unique preemptive disruption by peering into an opponent’s hand and shutting down key cards. Pithing Needle bears the closest resemblance, sharing the ability to deactivate the use of cards’ activated abilities. While Pithing Needle has a lower casting cost, Sorcerous Spyglass steps ahead, allowing you to gain crucial information about your opponent’s hand and plan your moves accordingly.
Phyrexian Revoker is another card that functions similarly, possessing the power to name and nullify nonland cards’ activated abilities. Unlike Sorcerous Spyglass, Phyrexian Revoker has the added benefit of being a creature, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the board state and your need for a blocker. Although it doesn’t provide the hand insight that Sorcerous Spyglass does, the Revoker compensates with its physical presence on the battlefield.
As players evaluate the strategic benefits of these options, Sorcerous Spyglass rises to the occasion for those who value information warfare and strategic advantage in Magic the Gathering. It stands out by combining disruption with vital reconnaissance, positioning it as a favorable choice in decks that aim to outsmart the opponent.
Cards similar to Sorcerous Spyglass by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Sorcerous Spyglass. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Other Shops | Vintage | Other Shops | Vintage Preliminary 2024-03-29 |
| Prison Shops | Vintage | Prison Shops | Vintage Preliminary 2023-11-17 |
 | Izzet Control | Legacy | Charlotte Legacy League Season 1 Week 11 | |
| Colorless 12-Post | Legacy | Colorless Cloudpost | 2023 Asia Legacy Championship |
 | Dimir Midrange | Standard | Dimir Midrange | WHITE - SAT - 12PM - Chicago Standard Cup |
 | Colorless Prison | Modern | Prison Tron | $5K RCQ - Modern - SCG CON Pittsburgh - Friday - 1:00 pm |
| Golos Stax | Vintage | 2023 Asia Vintage Championship | |
 | Eldrazi Stompy | Legacy | Colorless Cloudpost | 2023 Asia Legacy Championship |
| Dimir Combo | Legacy | Painter | Eternal Weekend Europe 2023 Legacy Mainevent |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sorcerous Spyglass provides a distinct form of card advantage by allowing you to peek at an opponent’s hand, revealing their strategies and upcoming plays. This information can be crucial in planning your moves and disrupting your opponent’s game plan effectively.
Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly accelerating resources, the Sorcerous Spyglass offers strategic resource preemption by potentially shutting down an opponent’s mana-generating abilities or any potent activated abilities of their cards that might lead to significant mana advantages for them.
Instant Speed: Sorcerous Spyglass itself is played at sorcery speed, but its ability to preemptively neutralize threats or key pieces of an opponent’s deck means you can strategically plan around your own instants and responses, ensuring that when you cast spells at instant speed, they have maximum impact on the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sorcerous Spyglass itself doesn’t have a discard requirement, but it necessitates having a good knowledge of your opponent’s hand and strategy to maximize its potential. Without this insight, you might find yourself naming a card that is not particularly relevant at the time, which can be a wasted opportunity.
Specific Mana Cost: This artifact requires a precise mana investment of two generic mana, which while not restrictive, can sometimes compete with other key two-mana plays in your strategy, demanding careful consideration of your turn two game plan.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana may not seem prohibitive, in formats where speed is of the essence, dedicating your second turn to play Sorcerous Spyglass might set you behind if it doesn’t severely disrupt your opponent. In such cases, the card could be less impactful compared to other two-mana plays that immediately affect the board state or advance your own strategy.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sorcerous Spyglass offers flexible utility across various deck archetypes by allowing you to peek at an opponent’s hand and shut down activated abilities of a chosen card. This can be crucial for disrupting combo decks or powerful planeswalkers in an opponent’s lineup.
Combo Potential: Its ability to hinder opponent strategies makes it a prime candidate for decks that aim to control the game’s tempo. Pairing Sorcerous Spyglass with discard spells or effects that let you see an opponent’s hand can effectively hamper their game plan.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment dense with activated abilities, Sorcerous Spyglass proves to be a necessary tool. It consistently stands out as a sideboard staple across formats by being able to target a myriad of threats found in the current competitive scene.
How to beat Sorcerous Spyglass
Sorcerous Spyglass holds a unique position within the artifact realm of Magic: The Gathering, giving players the strategic upper hand by peeking into an opponent’s hand and rendering chosen cards powerless. To navigate around this stifling piece, smart deck-building and on-the-fly adaptability become crucial.
Among the best methods to neutralize its effect is deploying artifact removal spells. Cards such as Abrade or Nature’s Claim allow players to destroy Sorcerous Spyglass outright, making them essential tools in your arsenal. Another approach involves preempting its arrival by utilizing counter spells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto to prevent it from hitting the battlefield altogether. It’s also beneficial to have diverse strategies that don’t solely rely on the abilities of one or two key cards, thereby reducing the potential impact of Sorcerous Spyglass on your gameplay. Prioritizing creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or spell-based strategies can also diminish the leverage Sorcerous Spyglass might have. By understanding your deck’s weaknesses and having answers ready, you can ensure that Sorcerous Spyglass doesn’t disrupt your path to victory.
In essence, while Sorcerous Spyglass can be a thorn in any player’s side, a combination of proactive and reactive strategies can effectively counteract this powerful artifact, securing your game plan and maintaining the flow of your deck’s mechanics.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sorcerous Spyglass MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan Promos and Ixalan 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 Sorcerous Spyglass and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Sorcerous Spyglass Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 248s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 2 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan Promos | PXLN | 248p | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 3 | 2017-09-29 | Ixalan | XLN | 248 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 4 | 2019-10-04 | Throne of Eldraine | ELD | 384 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Aaron Miller | |
| 5 | 2019-10-04 | Throne of Eldraine | ELD | 233 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Aaron Miller | |
| 6 | Secret Lair Drop | SLD | 693 | 2015 | Normal | Borderless | Cosmin Podar | ||
| 7 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 401 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Kieran Yanner | |
| 8 | 2023-11-17 | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | LCI | 261 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tyler Walpole |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sorcerous Spyglass has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Banned |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sorcerous Spyglass card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-19 | Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written " -ost: -ffect]." Some keyword abilities (such as equip) are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. Triggered abilities (starting with "when," "whenever," or "at") are unaffected by the last ability of Sorcerous Spyglass. |
| 2021-03-19 | An activated mana ability is one that produces mana as it resolves, not one that costs mana to activate. |
| 2021-03-19 | Sorcerous Spyglass affects cards regardless of what zone they're in. This includes cards in hand, cards in the graveyard, and exiled cards. |
| 2021-03-19 | You can choose any card name, even if that card doesn't normally have an activated ability. You're not limited to the names of cards you saw in the opponent's hand. |
| 2021-03-19 | You can't choose the name of a token unless that token has the same name as a card. |