Tolarian Contempt MTG Card


Tolarian Contempt offers card advantage by exiling creatures or planeswalkers and improves future draws via scrying. Instant speed flexibility allows for dynamic play, while its discard requirement can impede hand size. Specific mana cost and comparative high cost may limit inclusion, but it’s a formidable control tool.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Text of card

When Tolarian Contempt enters the battlefield, put a rejection counter on each creature your opponents control. At the beginning of your end step, for each opponent, choose up to one target creature they control with a rejection counter on it. That creature's owner puts it on the top or bottom of their library.


Cards like Tolarian Contempt

Tolarian Contempt is a thoughtful piece of the puzzle in the realm of blue control spells in MTG. It shares a basic purpose with cards like Counterspell, maintaining the classic blue archetype’s control by neutralizing threats. Tolarian Contempt, however, shines with its ability to exile a creature or planeswalker and gain life equal to that card’s mana value, providing a dual advantage that Counterspell lacks.

Comparatively, we have other removal spells such as Hero’s Downfall and Vraska’s Contempt. Hero’s Downfall allows a player to destroy any creature or planeswalker at instant speed like Tolarian Contempt but without the added life gain. Vraska’s Contempt similarly exiles a creature or planeswalker but also carries life gain. Its key difference lies in its higher mana cost, making Tolarian Contempt a more mana-efficient option in tight situations.

Ultimately, Tolarian Contempt holds its ground when it comes to versatility and cost-effectiveness in MTG. Its precision in removing high-value targets while padding a player’s life total makes it a powerful choice in ensuring control within the game.

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Vraska's Contempt - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hero's Downfall - MTG Card versions
Vraska's Contempt - MTG Card versions

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tolarian Contempt provides a pivotal swing in card economy by enabling you to exile a target creature or planeswalker. The dismissal of a key piece on the opponent’s board can equate to drawing multiple cards worth of value.

Resource Acceleration: Not only does this spell offer board control, but it can also set you ahead in resources. As you exile the target, the additional benefit of scrying 2 helps in efficiently shaping future draws and catalyzing your game plan.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Tolarian Contempt offers the flexibility to dynamically interact during your opponent’s turn. This versatility means you can adapt to threats on-the-fly and better manage your strategy with unspent mana from your own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tolarian Contempt necessitates the payment of a card from your hand as an additional cost to cast it. This can deplete your hand, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re already running low on cards or strategically need to maintain a variety of options in play.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s cost involves blue mana, making it exclusive to decks that are running blue or have a mana base capable of generating blue mana. Consequently, it can’t be seamlessly incorporated into just any deck, especially those that are mono-colored and don’t include blue.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of four mana, two of which must be blue, means that Tolarian Contempt has a significant cost associated with its use, especially when compared to other available removal or counter spells which may fulfill a similar purpose at a lower mana cost.


Reasons to Include Tolarian Contempt in Your Collection

Versatility: Tolarian Contempt is adaptable to various deck types, as it offers a powerful removal effect while also providing card advantage. This dual utility is prized in formats where board control and maintaining hand size are key to victory.

Combo Potential: Tolarian Contempt has the capacity to synergize with strategies that capitalize on casting spells from your opponents’ libraries or those that utilize spells in the graveyard, expanding your tactical possibilities and combo crafting.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the prevalent high-impact creatures and planeswalkers in competitive play, Tolarian Contempt could prove to be essential in disrupting your opponent’s game plan, keeping you at par or ahead in the nuanced dance of match momentum.


How to beat

Tolarian Contempt can be quite the obstacle for players on the receiving end of this powerful spell in Magic: The Gathering. This potent card makes short work of an opposing planeswalker or creature, while its controller gains a boost in life points. To beat Tolarian Contempt, strategic play is key. Consider baiting it out with less valuable targets before committing your key threats to the battlefield. Utilize cards that can resuscitate or protect your crucial creatures or planeswalkers from being targeted by such removal spells.

Having counterspells ready can also provide a solid defense. Disallow or Negate, for instance, can intercept and nullify the impact of Tolarian Contempt efficiently, maintaining your board presence. Alternatively, an aggressive strategy that outpaces the mana cost of Tolarian Contempt could place an opponent on the backfoot before they manage to set up their removal. Always remember to assess the risks when playing important cards if you suspect your opponent has Tolarian Contempt in hand. By doing so, you leverage the momentum and potentially dilute the impact of their removal tactics.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tolarian Contempt MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine: The Aftermath and March of the Machine: The Aftermath, 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 Tolarian Contempt and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tolarian Contempt Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-05-12 and 2023-05-12. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 582015NormalBlackEshpur
22023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 1082015NormalBlackTuan Duong Chu
32023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 82015NormalBlackTuan Duong Chu
42023-05-12March of the Machine: The AftermathMAT 1922015NormalBlackEshpur

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tolarian Contempt has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-05-12 Each affected creature's owner chooses whether to put it on the top or bottom of their library.
2023-05-12 Every player gets to know whether a card is going to the top or bottom of any library.
2023-05-12 However, if a player ends up putting multiple cards on top of their library or on the bottom of their library, either because a creature they owned but didn't control was rejected along with one they controlled or a rejected creature they owned was comprised of multiple cards (e.g. a mutated or melded permanent), other players don't get to know the relative order of those cards.