Gift of Estates MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Excellent for card advantage, Gift of Estates can fetch up to three Plains, elevating land-based strategies.
  2. Though sorcery-speed, strategic timing enhances game impact, aiding setup and recovery plays effectively.
  3. Activation constraint requires fewer lands than opponents, potentially limiting its timely use in game.

Text of card

If your opponent has more lands in play than you do, search your deck for up to three plains and put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gift of Estates shines in card advantage by potentially fetching up to three Plains cards from your deck. This effective tutoring mechanism is a boon for decks that rely on land drops to fuel their strategy or recover from land destruction.

Resource Acceleration: While the card itself doesn’t directly put lands onto the battlefield, acquiring additional Plains can significantly speed up your play. It ensures you make your land drops and accelerates your ability to cast high-cost spells ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Gift of Estates necessitates strategic planning, but its potential impact on the game sequencing makes it a powerful setup play. Though not at instant speed, the right timing of its inclusion in your rotation can shape the course of the game just as decisively.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Gift of Estates can significantly boost your land count, it requires you to have fewer lands than an opponent to activate. This condition might leave you at a disadvantage if you’re unable to meet it, preventing you from utilizing the card when you need it most.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s mana cost, although low, is strictly white. This specificity can restrict Gift of Estates’ inclusion to predominantly white or white-inclusive decks, potentially excluding it from multicolor decks that can’t afford or don’t want to accommodate the white mana requirement.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its one white mana cost, Gift of Estates can seem deceptively affordable. However, it’s important to consider opportunity cost; the turn you’re casting Gift of Estates might be better spent on developing your board or countering an opponent’s plays, making it a higher cost than just mana alone.


Reasons to Include Gift of Estates in Your Collection

Versatility: Gift of Estates is a versatile card, offering substantial land ramp for white decks that might otherwise struggle with mana acceleration compared to green-centric builds.

Combo Potential: It pairs well with landfall abilities or any strategy that benefits from having ample lands in hand, thus enabling powerful plays and enhanced synergy with numerous cards.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where games can extend into longer, more drawn-out battles, having a consistent land base is crucial. Gift of Estates ensures land drops are made consistently, keeping you competitive throughout the game.


How to beat

Gift of Estates is a tantalizing tactical card that lets players who are lagging in land development catch up quickly by potentially placing up to three Plains cards into their hand from their library. This standout card shines when you are playing from behind, giving a substantial boost in your mana resources while thinning your deck.

To effectively counter Gift of Estates, keep in mind the card’s activation condition — it only works if an opponent controls more lands than you. Therefore, maintaining land parity or staying ahead in land count is crucial to preventing the card’s activation. Land destruction or denial strategies can disrupt an opponent’s plans, making this card less useful in their hand. Moreover, deploying instant-speed disruption can strategically deny opponents the timing they need to effectively use this card, leaving them trailing behind in resource accumulation.

In essence, managing the pace of your land plays and utilizing disruption tactics can help prevent Gift of Estates from providing a turning point for an opponent. Success against this card lies in understanding the intricacies of land control and being proactive in your approach to resource management.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the depths of MTG strategy can sometimes feel like walking through a maze. Gift of Estates is a navigational beacon for those piloting white decks, offering a valuable asset for maintaining a solid land base. While it thrives in environments where you can carefully set up your plays, it is crucial to know when and how to deploy it for maximum effectiveness. So whether you’re tweaking your existing deck or constructing a new powerhouse from scratch, consider Gift of Estates for that potential surge in plains power. Hungry for more insights and tips on upgrading your deck? Join our community to continue your journey to MTG mastery.


Cards like Gift of Estates

The Gift of Estates from MTG gracefully shares the spotlight with a myriad of strategic spell cards designed to bolster one’s land resources. Similar to the esteemed Land Tax, which allows players to search for up to three basic land cards when they own fewer lands than an opponent, Gift of Estates carves its niche with no ongoing upkeep cost. Although not as recurrent as Land Tax, it too can retrieve a powerful trio of Plains cards, ensuring your land drops remain consistent.

Tithe is another noteworthy peer, whisking a single Plains into your hand or two if an opponent controls more lands. It’s immediate and low-cost but doesn’t have the same land-acquiring potential of Gift of Estates. One should also consider Oath of Lieges, an enchantment with a similar ethos, encouraging land balance among players. Although it provides regular land search potential, it is non-discriminatory, offering aid to all players, which could be a double-edged sword based on the match’s dynamics.

Assessing the competitive pool, Gift of Estates stands out for its simplicity and potential impact in a single shot, making it a strategic choice for players seeking land stability within their deck construction in MTG.

Land Tax - MTG Card versions
Tithe - MTG Card versions
Oath of Lieges - MTG Card versions
Land Tax - Legends (LEG)
Tithe - Visions (VIS)
Oath of Lieges - Exodus (EXO)

Cards similar to Gift of Estates by color, type and mana cost

Balance - MTG Card versions
Martyr's Cry - 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
Swift Reckoning - MTG Card versions
Balance - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Martyr's Cry - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
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)
Swift Reckoning - Ultimate Masters (UMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gift of Estates MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Ninth Edition, 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 Gift of Estates and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Gift of Estates Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-05-01PortalPOR 171997normalblackKaja Foglio
22005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 15★2003normalblackHugh Jamieson
32005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 152003normalwhiteHugh Jamieson
42014-11-07Commander 2014C14 732015normalblackHugh Jamieson
52019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1202015normalblackHugh Jamieson
62020-09-26The ListPLST C14-732015normalblackHugh Jamieson
72021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 62015normalborderlessJustin Hernandez & Alexis Hernandez
82021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 692015normalborderlessYaya

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gift of Estates has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2005-08-01 Gift of Estates does nothing if each of your opponents has the same number of lands or fewer as you.
2005-08-01 You can find nonbasic lands if they have the Plains land type, such as dual lands (Tundra, et al).

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