Ith, High Arcanist MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Ith, High Arcanist enables unique creature interaction and card advantage through its untap ability.
- Resource acceleration is achievable with Ith, supporting spellcasting and activated abilities.
- Flexibility at instant speed makes Ith an unexpected game-changing force on the battlefield.
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.
Text of card
Vigilance : Untap target attacking creature. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by that creature this turn. Suspend 4—
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Ith, High Arcanist offers a unique advantage by allowing you to untap all creatures at the beginning of each end step, opening possibilities for repeated use of abilities and for gaining card advantage through additional combat phases or creature effects that draw cards.
Resource Acceleration: With Ith’s ability to untap creatures, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by freeing up your mana dorks for additional uses per turn cycle. This can propel you ahead by providing extra mana for casting more spells or using activated abilities more frequently.
Instant Speed: Ith, High Arcanist can be morphed face up at instant speed, offering the flexibility to surprise your opponents by freeing all your creatures during their turn to either block or utilize tap abilities that could turn the tide of the game unexpectedly.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Ith, High Arcanist demands a card to be discarded at the onset of the untap step. This can be problematic when your hand is already depleted, leaving you in a vulnerable state without the necessary tools to respond to opponents’ threats.
Specific Mana Cost: This legendary creature requires a very specific color combination of mana to cast. The blue and white mana requirement may restrict the incorporation of Ith, High Arcanist into a wide array of decks, confining him primarily to Azorius strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that taps into the higher spectrum, it’s paramount to consider the opportunity cost of playing Ith, High Arcanist. Other creatures or spells at a similar mana tier might provide more immediate impact or versatility on the battlefield.
Reasons to Include Ith, High Arcanist in Your Collection
Versatility: Ith, High Arcanist isn’t just any legendary creature; it’s a Swiss Army knife in creature form. With the ability to untap during each other player’s turn, it can serve as both an offensive and defensive tool, fitting seamlessly into control and combo decks alike.
Combo Potential: The real magic begins when you exploit Ith’s tap ability, which offers an instant speed ‘Maze of Ith’ effect, protecting your life total or saving essential creatures. Further, with untap synergies and access to all your mana each turn, Ith transforms into a powerhouse, unlocking numerous untap-tap combo possibilities.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where control decks and combo strategies reign, Ith stands out. Its disruptive potential can hinder opponents’ plans while you set up your board, making it a highly relevant tool in certain metagames. Whether your opponents are comboing off or attacking with a legion, Ith, High Arcanist is your stalwart defender and enabler.
How to beat Ith, High Arcanist
Ith, High Arcanist is a compelling card in the world of Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to maze an opponent’s creature every turn without a tap cost. This means that the creature becomes unable to attack or block, which can be a significant obstacle. To effectively counter Ith, High Arcanist, one should consider using cards or strategies that can remove it from the battlefield or neutralize its abilities.
Targeted removal spells are a popular and efficient way to handle Ith, like Path to Exile or Murder, which can exile or destroy it outright. Relying on creatures with hexproof or shroud can also stymie Ith’s controlling power, as they are immune to its mazing ability. Artifact strategies, such as pithing needle, can deactivate Ith’s activated abilities, severely reducing its impact on the game. Moreover, counter spells remain a formidable defense by preventing Ith from entering play in the first place.
In sum, while Ith, High Arcanist can dominate the game by controlling combat phases, there are several tactics to outmaneuver this high-value legendary creature. Through strategic card selection and a sharp game plan, one can mitigate Ith’s influence and maintain an edge on the battlefield.
Cards like Ith, High Arcanist
Ith, High Arcanist stands out as a notable character-card in the expansive universe of Magic: The Gathering. Like Ith, High Arcanist, Linvala, Keeper of Silence serves as a strong control piece, preventing opponents from capitalizing on activated abilities—an essential move to gain the upper hand in matches. While Ith allows the tapping of creatures and the unique ability to cast suspended spells, Linvala explicitly stops the use of abilities from nonland sources.
Additionally, Ertai, the Corrupted presents a different angle to controlling the battlefield. Although Ertai doesn’t directly stop creatures from untapping like Ith, his ability to counter spells by sacrificing other creatures or enchantments enables a strategic depth similar to the control element provided by Ith, High Arcanist. Ertai’s focus on intercepting spells adds a layer of defense that any tactical player will appreciate.
Ith, High Arcanist provides a potent combination of disruptive and protective abilities that set him apart. While comparing, it’s evident that Ith’s versatile role in disrupting opponent strategies through his tap ability, alongside the access to foretell cards, positions him uniquely within the realm of control mages. However, the balance between cost and effect is what keeps the power level in check across cards like Linvala and Ertai.
Cards similar to Ith, High Arcanist by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Ith, High Arcanist MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and The List, 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 Ith, High Arcanist and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Ith, High Arcanist Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 4 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 241 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai | |
| 2 | The List | PLST | TSP-241 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai | ||
| 3 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 255 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Ith, High Arcanist has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ith, High Arcanist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-07-01 | In a Commander game where this card is your commander, you cannot suspend it from the Command zone. |
| 2021-03-19 | Ith’s ability can target an untapped attacking creature. It will still prevent any combat damage dealt to and dealt by that creature this turn. |
| 2021-03-19 | The creature isn’t removed from combat; it just has its damage prevented. It’s still an attacking creature until the combat phase is complete. |
| 2021-03-19 | You can activate Ith’s ability targeting an attacking creature you control during the combat damage step or the end of combat step. It’ll untap and the damage it had already dealt won’t be undone. |
| 2021-06-18 | A creature cast using suspend will enter the battlefield with haste. It will have haste until another player gains control of it. (In some rare cases, another player may gain control of the creature spell itself. If this happens, the creature won’t enter the battlefield with haste.) |
| 2021-06-18 | As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don’t want to target. Timing permissions based on the card’s type are ignored. |
| 2021-06-18 | Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up. |
| 2021-06-18 | Exiling a card with suspend isn’t casting that card. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2021-06-18 | If an effect refers to a “suspended card,” that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card’s owner’s next upkeep. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can’t be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it’s exiled. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you can’t cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” such as with suspend, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card. |
| 2021-06-18 | Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it’s on the stack). |
| 2021-06-18 | The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn’t paid. |
| 2021-06-18 | When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn’t matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it. |
| 2021-06-18 | You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile. |
| 2021-06-18 | You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage’s ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time. |
