Divine Gambit MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

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Text of card

Exile target artifact, creature, or enchantment an opponent controls. That player may put a permanent card from their hand onto the battlefield.

There are rules, and then there are gods.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Divine Gambit lets you interact with your opponent’s most dangerous permanents, potentially disrupting their strategy while setting up your next moves. By removing their key creature or planeswalker, you might gain an upper hand in controlling the board.

Resource Acceleration: Although Divine Gambit doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, the removal of a significant threat can indirectly accelerate your game plan. By eliminating a potential blocker or a permanent with a taxing ability, you pave the way for your own creatures and spells to take the stage unimpeded.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Divine Gambit requires strategic planning rather than reactive play. The timing of this spell is crucial, and when used wisely, can be as pivotal as an instant, changing the tide of the game by catching your opponent off-guard during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Divine Gambit requires players to be aware of the risk involved – opponent’s choice. When you cast this spell, your opponent gets to choose which of their nonland permanents to put onto the battlefield if the spell resolves. That can be a steep price to pay, especially if they can bring a high-value creature or planeswalker into play.

Specific Mana Cost: The White color commitment for Divine Gambit is specific and demands you to have two white mana available. This characteristic may affect the card’s flexibility when designing a more diverse mana base for multicolored decks, as it can be challenging to come up with the needed white mana when it counts.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potential for removing any nonland permanent, Divine Gambit comes with a comparatively high mana cost for its effect. There are alternatives in the game that might provide comparable or better removal options for less mana, making them more appealing in fast-paced matches where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include Divine Gambit in Your Collection

Versatility: Divine Gambit offers a unique answer to problematic permanents across all formats. Its dual ability to exile an opponent’s creature or planeswalker can adapt to a variety of game situations, making it a flexible pick for control and midrange decks.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that anticipate an opponent’s moves, such as playing cards that restrict the opponent’s ability to benefit from Divine Gambit’s downside. Combining it with deck manipulation or graveyard strategies increases its efficacy and surprise factor.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta swarming with high-value targets for removal, Divine Gambit’s cost-effective exile effect can disrupt your opponent’s board state significantly. Its presence can shift the balance in matches, especially when timed to avoid or minimize negative repercussions, making it a strategic card against a variety of popular decks.


How to beat

Divine Gambit offers a double-edged sword for players in Magic: The Gathering. As a removal option, it boasts the ability to exile any nonland permanent provided the opponent can’t play a card for free from their hand. This presents a unique challenge but can be turned to your advantage with savvy play.

One strategy to overcome Divine Gambit is to maintain a hand with minimal or no high-impact cards when facing opponents with white mana open. This limits their opportunity to flip the table against you. It’s also prudent to bait out this removal with less critical cards before deploying more valuable threats.

Additionally, keeping an eye out for instant-speed card draw or flash creatures can provide solutions that disrupt the intended value of Divine Gambit. By ensuring you always have a less favorable option for your opponent to cheat onto the battlefield, you diminish the power of their gambit considerably.

While challenging to navigate, outmaneuvering the potential consequences of Divine Gambit essentially turns this ambitious spell into a conditional advantage. Mastering your deck’s tempo and strategic card deployment can assure that the divine scales tip in your favor more often than not.


Cards like Divine Gambit

Divine Gambit is a unique piece in the puzzle of removal spells within Magic: The Gathering. It draws a close parallel to spells like Swords to Plowshares, offering a low-cost solution to exile any nonland permanent. Unlike Swords to Plowshares, Divine Gambit allows your opponent to put a permanent card from their hand onto the battlefield, which can sometimes turn the tides against you.

Path to Exile also shares this space, providing a straightforward exiling effect with the added downside of gifting an opponent a land. The trade-off in Divine Gambit is generally riskier, but it can remove any nonland permanent which potentially makes it more versatile. Oust is another comparable spell. While less removal-oriented, it delays the opponent’s game plan but doesn’t have the breadth of target selection that Divine Gambit offers.

To sum up, Divine Gambit stands out as a high-risk, high-reward strategy in the MTG removal arsenal. Its potential for a negative outcome must be carefully weighed against the upside of its broad targeting capabilities. Nonetheless, when played at the opportune moment, it can serve as a game-changer for players willing to gamble.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Path to Exile - MTG Card versions
Oust - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Path to Exile - DCI Promos (PDCI)
Oust - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Divine Gambit by color, type and mana cost

Balance - MTG Card versions
Martyr's Cry - MTG Card versions
Gift of Estates - MTG Card versions
Starlight - MTG Card versions
Renewing Dawn - MTG Card versions
Tariff - MTG Card versions
Pegasus Stampede - MTG Card versions
Planar Birth - MTG Card versions
Flicker - MTG Card versions
Steadfastness - MTG Card versions
Sacred Nectar - MTG Card versions
False Dawn - MTG Card versions
Morningtide - MTG Card versions
Academic Probation - MTG Card versions
Gather the Townsfolk - MTG Card versions
Servo Exhibition - MTG Card versions
Revoke Existence - MTG Card versions
Glare of Heresy - MTG Card versions
Return to the Ranks - MTG Card versions
Martial Coup - MTG Card versions
Balance - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Martyr's Cry - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Gift of Estates - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Starlight - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Renewing Dawn - Portal (POR)
Tariff - Weatherlight (WTH)
Pegasus Stampede - The List (PLST)
Planar Birth - Urza's Saga (USG)
Flicker - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Steadfastness - Starter 1999 (S99)
Sacred Nectar - Ninth Edition (9ED)
False Dawn - Apocalypse (APC)
Morningtide - Torment (TOR)
Academic Probation - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Gather the Townsfolk - Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed (DDQ)
Servo Exhibition - Friday Night Magic 2017 (F17)
Revoke Existence - Double Masters (2XM)
Glare of Heresy - Theros (THS)
Return to the Ranks - Magic 2015 (M15)
Martial Coup - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Divine Gambit MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim and Strixhaven Mystical Archive, 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 Divine Gambit and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Divine Gambit Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-02-05KaldheimKHM 82015normalblackJoe Slucher
22021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 42015normalborderlessMatthew G. Lewis
32021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 672015normalborderlessKiritada

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Divine Gambit has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
BrawlLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 A permanent card is an artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker card.
2021-02-05 If the artifact, creature, or enchantment is an illegal target as Divine Gambit tries to resolve, Divine Gambit won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will put any cards onto the battlefield.
2021-02-05 If the player chooses to put a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. They may do this only if the front face of the card is a permanent card.

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