Reverse Polarity MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Reverse Polarity can transform artifact-related defeat into substantial life gain, offering a surprise advantage.
  2. Its instant speed allows for flexible reactions to opponents’ plays, making timing crucial.
  3. Drawbacks include specific mana requirements and the potential inefficiency due to its high mana cost.

Text of card

All damage done to you so far this turn by artifacts is retroactively added to your life total instead of subtracted. Further damage this turn is treated normally.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reverse Polarity is a unique spell that can turn a battlefield disadvantage into a strategic boon. Particularly in multiplayer games where multiple opponents are wielding artifact-heavy strategies, having Reverse Polarity can yield a substantial life gain, momentarily placing you ahead in the race for survival.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly a resource accelerator, Reverse Polarity offers a different kind of resource boost. Gaining life can be a crucial pivot in games where your stability is being threatened. An unexpected surge in life total can afford you extra turns to deploy your own threats or find answers to opponents’ strategies.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Reverse Polarity is its hidden gem. Being able to respond to an artifact wrath or an end-step before your turn allows you flexibility in your plays. You can maneuver around your opponents’ actions to maximize the life you gain, preserving the element of surprise and potentially offsetting a significant blow to your position.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Reverse Polarity necessitates that you have a substantial number of artifacts in your graveyard to derive benefit, compelling you to potentially discard valuable artifacts during the game, which can deplete your in-play resources and hinder your board position.

Specific Mana Cost: With white mana as its sole casting requirement, Reverse Polarity may not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks that might struggle with mana consistency. This restricts its compatibility primarily to mono-white or artifact-centric builds, potentially limiting the card’s overall versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of two white mana, this card’s impact on the game may not justify its cost, especially considering you may not always have a graveyard abundant with artifacts. There are other cards within the same mana range that might provide more assured value or immediate board presence.


Reasons to Include Reverse Polarity in Your Collection

Versatility: Reverse Polarity stands out due to its unique ability to turn potential defeat into a surprising victory. Its capability to gain you life equal to the damage dealt by artifacts makes it a card that can be a game-changer in the right circumstances, fitting well into sideboards against artifact-heavy decks.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in environments or decks that are rich in artifact interactions. It has potential synergy with strategies that deliberately deal damage to oneself with artifacts, only to reverse the effect and gain significant life.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where artifact decks are prevalent, Reverse Polarity could provide a niche yet powerful counterplay. Its inclusion in a collection offers an unexpected and specialized tool for dealing with certain popular strategies.


How to beat

Reverse Polarity is a unique card in MTG that provides life gain based on the damage dealt by artifacts. To counter it, prioritize minimizing the impact of artifacts in play. This could involve using artifact removal spells or avoiding playing high-damage artifact sources if you suspect your opponent holds Reverse Polarity. Given that it’s a reactive card, pay close attention to your opponent’s mana availability and consider playing around their potential to cast it. Keeping artifact-based aggression in check will reduce the life swing, making Reverse Polarity less of a game changer. Moreover, maintaining a consistent threat with non-artifact sources can ensure pressure on your opponent’s life total, regardless of their reversal attempts.


Cards like Reverse Polarity

Reverse Polarity is a unique spell within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, occupying a niche role in strategic deck construction. Its ability to gain life equivalent to the amount of damage white creatures you control dealt to you this turn is a rare and situational mechanism. When comparing this to other lifegain cards, such as Healing Salve, which offers a straightforward gain of 3 life, Reverse Polarity’s potential value scales with the gameplay circumstances.

Another card, with a distinct approach to lifegain, is Martyr of Sands. While it asks for a reveal of white cards from your hand to gain life, it doesn’t rely on combat scenarios like Reverse Polarity. Then there’s Righteous Cause, an enchantment that allows for consistent lifegain whenever a creature attacks, irrespective of damage incurred. This can potentially offer greater and more predictable life boosts over the course of a game.

In essence, when weighing various lifegain strategies in Magic: The Gathering, Reverse Polarity stands out for its conditional but potentially high-impact effect, especially in matchups involving a lot of combat between white creatures and their controllers.

Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Martyr of Sands - MTG Card versions
Righteous Cause - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Martyr of Sands - Coldsnap (CSP)
Righteous Cause - Onslaught (ONS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reverse Polarity MTG card by a specific set like Antiquities and Revised 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 Reverse Polarity and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Reverse Polarity Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1994-03-04 and 1994-06-21. Illustrated by Justin Hampton.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-03-04AntiquitiesATQ 71993normalblackJustin Hampton
21994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 361993normalwhiteJustin Hampton
31994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 361993normalblackJustin Hampton
41994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 361993normalwhiteJustin Hampton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reverse Polarity has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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