Tragic Lesson MTG Card
2017-07-14 - Number 51
2022-12-02 - Number 115
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
Text of card
Draw two cards. Then discard a card unless you return a land you control to its owner's hand.
Though Kefnet's followers feverishly searched his last words for some final riddle, they found only the gurgles of a dying god.
Cards like Tragic Lesson
Tragic Lesson holds its own within the realm of draw spells in Magic: The Gathering. This card echoes elements found in Think Twice, which allows players to draw a card with the option to flash it back from the graveyard for another draw. While Tragic Lesson has a higher initial cast cost, it compensates with the ability to bounce a land back to your hand, ensuring land drops continue or triggering landfall mechanics.
Peering into the world of card draw, we come across Accumulated Knowledge which gains value with each successive copy played from your deck. Conversely, Tragic Lesson is a singular event with no cumulative effect, yet provides immediate two-card access and land interactiveness. Chart a Course is another relatable spell, typically drawing two cards at the same casting cost. Although it requires a creature to have dealt combat damage to a player to avoid discarding, Tragic Lesson dodges this conditional discard through its return-land-to-hand option.
Examining the intricacies and comparing these cards highlights Tragic Lesson’s niche appeal in Magic: The Gathering, with its blend of providing instant card advantage, maintaining land drops, and enabling synergies unique to land-centric strategies.
Cards similar to Tragic Lesson by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tragic Lesson is great for gaining a lead in hand resources. By drawing two cards, you not only replenish options in your hand but also have the potential to pull the answers or threats you need exactly when you need them. This kind of utility cannot be understated in formats where maintaining card flow is pivotal for victory.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, Tragic Lesson does give you the choice to effectively ‘cycle’ a land card from the battlefield back to your hand. This can be strategically valuable, as it allows you to drop a land for an additional play, utilizing your mana more efficiently throughout the match—crucial for staying ahead of your opponent.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Tragic Lesson at instant speed offers significant flexibility. It means you have the freedom to adapt to the changing game state and only commit to the spell when it’s most advantageous—perhaps at the end of your opponent’s turn, or in response to an action that leaves them vulnerable. This strategic timing can often make all the difference in a tightly contested game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: When playing Tragic Lesson, you may confront a difficult decision if you don’t have an unneeded card in your hand to discard. This cost is especially steep when every card is vital to your strategy, potentially setting back your game plan.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue mana means the card is pigeonholed into decks that run Islands, which can be restrictive for those wanting to play multiple colors or that may not have a strong mana base in blue.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Paying three mana for drawing two cards and then needing to discard unless you return a land to your hand could be inefficient when other blue draw spells do the job for less. That extra mana could be the difference in maintaining tempo or falling behind.
Reasons to Include Tragic Lesson in Your Collection
Versatility: Tragic Lesson offers dual utility as not only a card draw mechanism but also a way to reuse lands with powerful enter-the-battlefield or tap abilities, integrating seamlessly into blue-based control or ramp decks.
Combo Potential: As a tool that can help you return a land to your hand, Tragic Lesson synergizes well with landfall mechanics or decks that capitalize on playing multiple lands per turn, enhancing combo opportunities.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where instant-speed interaction and maintaining card advantage are key, Tragic Lesson proves to be a strategic inclusion, allowing players to hold up mana for counterspells or other responses and still draw cards if no threats materialize.
How to beat
Tragic Lesson is an intriguing instant from the world of Magic: The Gathering that can be both a boon and a hurdle on the battlefield. As a card that allows you to draw two new cards and potentially return a land to your hand, it can feed into strategies that hinge on land-based synergies. However, it is possible to outmaneuver the subtle advantages that Tragic Lesson provides.
To effectively counter Tragic Lesson, prioritizing cards that disrupt the opponent’s hand and library can be key. Consider hand disruption tools like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek to preemptively remove Tragic Lesson before it’s cast. Alternatively, applying pressure through aggressive creature-based strategies can force an opponent to use their mana defensively, leaving them less opportunity to capitalize on Tragic Lesson’s potential.
Overall, remember that Tragic Lesson is a tempo play that can backfire on the player if they’re not careful with their land resources. By maintaining pressure and strategic disruption, you can ensure that this card’s “lesson” won’t be so tragic for your game plan after all.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tragic Lesson MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Tragic Lesson and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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 Tragic Lesson Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-07-14 | Hour of Devastation | HOU | 51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 115 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Olena Richards |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tragic Lesson has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Tragic Lesson card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-07-14 | You don’t choose which land to return to its owner’s hand or whether to discard a card instead until you see the two cards you draw. |