Repentance MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Repentance can clear multiple threats, potentially tilting the game in your favor through card advantage.
  2. The card’s instant speed allows strategic play, disrupting opponents’ tactics at critical moments.
  3. Its requirements and cost necessitate careful deck construction and mana management.

Text of card

Target creature deals to itself damage equal to its power.

"The cannon wasn't aimed at you!" pleaded Vhati. "I'm not sure which is more pathetic," replied Greven, "your judgment or your aim."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Repentance gives players a notable boost by offering a method to potentially remove multiple creatures from the board. Due to its sweeping effect, the card can lead to a substantial shift in the balance of the game. This ability to deal with several threats at once can significantly increase a player’s advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Repentance itself doesn’t provide direct mana or resource acceleration, its ability to clear the board could indirectly accelerate a player’s game plan. By stalling opponents and preserving your own resources, you can potentially enable faster deployment of your own threats and strategies.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Repentance is a tactical asset, allowing players to wait until the most impactful moment. By playing this card on an opponent’s turn or in response to an action, you retain the element of surprise and can disrupt your opponent’s strategy while they’re committing resources to the board.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Repentance requires the strategic consideration of discarding a card, which could potentially pare down your hand-size advantage at crucial moments in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Repentance demands a specific combination of white mana, thus tailoring its use to decks that are aligned with or can accommodate this color’s playstyle and resource availability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a requirement of four mana, Repentance’s cost analysis in the current metagame indicates there may be alternative options that achieve similar goals with either more efficiency or added flexibility, particularly in fast-paced matches.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Repentance is a card that can seamlessly adapt to various strategies. Its capacity to temporarily remove creatures from the battlefield makes it a useful tool for both aggressive decks that want to clear a path for attackers and control decks that need to stave off opposing threats.

Combo Potential: Combining Repentance with cards that take advantage of tapped creatures can lead to powerful synergies. This inclusion could be the lynchpin for a deck that exploits tapping and untapping creature mechanics for strategic advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-changing landscape of MTG, a card like Repentance can gain importance in metagames where creature-based strategies dominate. Its role in such an environment is key, offering a tempo advantage by buying crucial time or disrupting opponent’s plans.


How to beat

Repentance is a unique card that compels a strategy shift for MTG players. To effectively counter this card, consider disrupting the primary game plan that revolves around Repentance. It is often reliant on creatures with high power to maximize the life loss imposed. Look for removal and counterspell options that can selectively target and neutralize these key creatures before Repentance’s effect can capitalize on their power. Creature protection spells like hexproof or shroud can also be valuable as they make it challenging for opponents to target your high-powered creatures.

Alternatively, reducing your own creatures’ power with effects that temporarily shrink them during the crucial turn when Repentance is activated could mitigate the life loss suffered. Including versatile and swift responses in your deck increases resilience against the surprise that Repentance and similar cards might present. MTG is about anticipation and adaptation; understanding the ebbs and flows of particular cards, such as Repentance, and having a plan to counteract them, speaks to the heart of a sound strategy that can ensure your victory on the battlefield.


Cards like Repentance

Repentance is an intriguing entry in the removal spells category of Magic: The Gathering. This card draws parallels to others that aim to keep the board in check, like Chastise, which also functions to destroy attacking creatures and provide life gain. However, Repentance requires the additional step of tapping the creature, making it a bit more limited in functionality compared to the straightforward nature of Chastise.

In comparison, Gideon’s Reproach is another similar card, dealing damage to an attacking or blocking creature. What makes Repentance stand out is the ability to remove a wider range of threats due to its capability to destroy the creature outright regardless of toughness. Contrastingly, Gideon’s Reproach is limited to dealing 4 damage, not always enough to guarantee a removal. Swords to Plowshares also finds a place in this comparison as a highly efficient one-mana removal spell; it exiles any creature at the mere expense of its controller gaining life equal to its power, which is often a desirable exchange.

Ultimately, Repentance finds its niche within MTG’s vast array of control tools. Its unique requirement and the tactical advantage it holds in certain game scenarios make it a card worth considering for players who enjoy nuanced deck building and strategy.

Chastise - MTG Card versions
Gideon's Reproach - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Chastise - Judgment (JUD)
Gideon's Reproach - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Swords to Plowshares - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Repentance by color, type and mana cost

Tivadar's Crusade - MTG Card versions
Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Blinding Light - MTG Card versions
Dust to Dust - MTG Card versions
Warrior's Charge - MTG Card versions
Valorous Charge - MTG Card versions
Bargain - MTG Card versions
Angelic Blessing - MTG Card versions
Virtuous Charge - MTG Card versions
Riding Red Hare - MTG Card versions
Cleansing Meditation - MTG Card versions
Search for Glory - MTG Card versions
Hive Stirrings - MTG Card versions
Kayla's Reconstruction - MTG Card versions
Council's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Proclamation of Rebirth - MTG Card versions
Marshaling Cry - MTG Card versions
Solemn Offering - MTG Card versions
Righteous Charge - MTG Card versions
Timely Reinforcements - MTG Card versions
Tivadar's Crusade - Masters Edition (ME1)
Cleansing - The Dark (DRK)
Blinding Light - Portal (POR)
Dust to Dust - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Warrior's Charge - Portal (POR)
Valorous Charge - Portal (POR)
Bargain - Portal Second Age (P02)
Angelic Blessing - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Virtuous Charge - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Riding Red Hare - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Cleansing Meditation - Torment (TOR)
Search for Glory - Kaldheim (KHM)
Hive Stirrings - Magic 2014 Promos (PM14)
Kayla's Reconstruction - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Council's Judgment - The List (PLST)
Proclamation of Rebirth - Dissension (DIS)
Marshaling Cry - Future Sight (FUT)
Solemn Offering - Magic 2014 (M14)
Righteous Charge - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Timely Reinforcements - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Repentance MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Tempest Remastered, 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 Repentance and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Repentance Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by Ron Spencer.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-10-14TempestTMP 371997normalblackRon Spencer
22015-05-06Tempest RemasteredTPR 252015normalblackRon Spencer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Repentance has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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