Three Wishes MTG Card


Three Wishes offers a substantial card advantage by revealing the top three cards from the deck. It allows instant speed activation, providing tactical flexibility during gameplay. Balancing its benefits are risks like specific mana needs and potential resource loss.
Three Wishes - Visions
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Released1997-02-03
Set symbol
Set nameVisions
Set codeVIS
Number45
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byGeorge Pratt

Text of card

Take the top three cards from your library, look at them, and set them aside face down. You may play those cards as though they were in your hand. At the beginning of your next turn, bury any of those cards not played.


Cards like Three Wishes

Three Wishes is an intriguing card that offers Magic: The Gathering players the chance to access additional cards from their deck. Functionally akin to cards like Act on Impulse, it allows glimpses of the top cards of your library and the ability to play them until your next turn. However, Three Wishes provides a unique spin, giving control of the top three cards but with the risk of losing the game if they are not exiled in time.

Ancestral Recall stands as an iconic comparison with its ability to draw three cards for a single blue mana, instantly increasing hand advantage without any additional drawbacks. Similarly, there’s Tamiyo’s Epiphany, which lets you scry four and then draw two cards, offering a significant knowledge and card advantage, though without the immediate access to those cards on top of your library.

Comparatively, Three Wishes demands careful planning and timing of resource utilization. The potential upside of obtaining critical cards can turn the tide of the game. Amongst similar cards, its potential risk and reward hinge upon strategic execution and situational awareness, marking its distinct place within the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering blue spells.

Act on Impulse - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Tamiyo's Epiphany - MTG Card versions
Act on Impulse - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Tamiyo's Epiphany - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: In the realm of MTG, Three Wishes pushes the envelope of card advantage. Once activated, this card gives you temporary access to the top three cards of your deck, providing a strategic depth to your play and a potential influx of resources to tip the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly a mana accelerator, Three Wishes can effectively ramp your resources by allowing you to play additional lands or spells you’ve wished for without using your draw for the turn. This can significantly speed up your game plan and overwhelm opponents.

Instant Speed: The versatility of casting Three Wishes at instant speed can’t be overstated. It allows savvy players to wait until the end of an opponent’s turn to utilize their mana efficiently, ensuring they keep options open for counters and responses while still reaping the benefits Three Wishes offers.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Three Wishes entails exiling the top three cards of your library and putting them into your hand at the end of your next turn. However, if you cannot cast them, you must discard them, leading to a potential loss of valuable resources without actually using them.

Specific Mana Cost: Three Wishes requires a precise blend of mana colors to cast—one blue, one black, and one red. This specific cost can limit deck-building flexibility, as it may not seamlessly fit into all multicolor decks and is less accessible for mono-colored or two-color deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three different mana plus one generic, Three Wishes is considered to have a significantly high mana investment for an effect that doesn’t guarantee immediate impact. Given this cost, players may find alternative cards that provide more immediate advantages or have lower mana requirements.


Reasons to Include Three Wishes in Your Collection

Versatility: Three Wishes offers a unique flexibility in gameplay, with the ability to potentially access additional cards from the top of your library. This card can be a game-changer in decks that capitalize on resource manipulation and unexpected plays.

Combo Potential: A true enigma for combo lovers, Three Wishes can set up game-altering situations by retrieving the perfect trio of cards. The thrill of combo decks is in the surprise and creativity, and this card is a catalyst for both.

Meta-Relevance: In constantly evolving metagames, Three Wishes remains relevant by adapting to the current pool of strategies. Whether you’re facing aggressive, control, or combo decks, having Three Wishes in your arsenal means you can be prepared to answer or outpace your opponent’s tactics.


How to Beat Three Wishes

Three Wishes is an intriguing card in MTG that can potentially give a player access to additional resources and a wider variety of options in their game. It allows a player to exile the top three cards of their library, and for as long as those cards remain exiled, the player may play them. However, this potential boon isn’t without its risks and costs. If a player has not played the cards by the time the third turn from the casting of Three Wishes comes around, they must put those cards into their graveyard, and they lose the game. Therefore, if you’re facing an opponent utilizing this spell, time is on your side.

To effectively counteract Three Wishes, consider running instant-speed disruption or discard effects that can disrupt your opponent’s ability to effectively play the exiled cards. Including counterspells to prevent Three Wishes from resolving in the first place is a sound strategy. Furthermore, cards that force opponents to draw multiple cards can accelerate the self-imposed countdown, pushing them closer to having to discard the exiled cards, which could lead to their loss. This approach requires patience and strategic planning, but with the right timing and resources, you can turn the tables on an opponent hoping to benefit from Three Wishes.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Three Wishes MTG card by a specific set like Visions, 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 Three Wishes and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Three Wishes has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 To “play a card” is to either cast a spell or to put a land onto the battlefield using the main phase special action.
2004-10-04 You can look at the three exiled cards at any time.
2004-10-04 You can only play them before the start of your upkeep. Between the start of your upkeep and putting the extra cards into the graveyard, you can’t play them.