Douse MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Saga
Set code	USG
Number	70
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Val Mayerik

Key Takeaways

Card advantage through Douse is significant, allowing control of multiple threats and maintaining a response-ready hand.
Douse’s instant speed enhances gameplay, offering flexibility and a tactical edge by disrupting opponent turns.
While potent, it has cons like a specific mana cost and a higher casting cost compared to alternatives.

Text of card

o1oo U Counter target red spell. Play this ability as an interrupt.

The academy's libraries were protected by fire-prevention spells. Even after the disaster, the books were intact—though forever sealed in time.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability of Douse to potentially neutralize multiple threats on the battlefield can flip the scale of card advantage in your favor. By handling more than one target, the card efficiency increases, keeping your hand full of responses.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not generating resources directly, Douse can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by preserving your valuable creatures and other permanents, enabling you to leverage them for further plays and mana utilization.

Instant Speed: One of Douse’s main strengths lies in its instant speed, giving you the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn. This unpredictability can be a significant factor, ensuring that you always have the upper hand in the game’s pacing.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Douse necessitates pitching another card from your hand to activate its potential, a trade-off that can be quite painful when your options are already dwindling and every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands both blue and white mana, Douse positions itself squarely in the domain of Azorius decks or other blue and white combinations, potentially restricting its playability in more diverse or color-fluid strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to cast Douse is steep, aligning poorly in a metagame that favors lower-cost spells. In competitive play, where every mana point is precious, it’s often passed over for alternatives that pack a similar punch without the hefty mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Douse brings adaptability to blue-based control decks, allowing players to neutralize threatening nonblack creatures at instant speed. Its ability to be slipped into decks centered around counters and bounce spells makes it a true asset.

Combo Potential: With its instant-speed intervention, Douse is excellent for disrupting your opponents’ key plays and can be a linchpin in combos that aim to protect vital permanents or clear the way for your win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In environments crowded with powerful nonblack creatures, Douse maintains its place as a highly relevant control tool, keeping pace with the dynamic shifts in competitive play.

How to beat

Douse is one of those intriguing MTG cards that can throw a wrench in the strategies of players heavily reliant on red spells. This enchantment allows its controller to counteract any red spell, provided it does not regenerate. To effectively play against Douse, consider using versatile instant-speed removal spells that can target enchantments, like Disenchant or Krosan Grip. Color diversification in your deck is also key; by not relying solely on red spells, you can minimize the impact of Douse.

Another strategy against Douse is using cards with uncounterable abilities such as Supreme Verdict or spells with hexproof characteristics that protect them from being targeted. Lastly, running a deck with inherent enchantment hate, cards that can destroy or exile enchantments as a secondary effect, such as Back to Nature, can serve as a direct answer to Douse. Adapting to the enchantment-heavy meta, where cards like Douse can turn the tides, will ensure that you remain a formidable contender on the battlefield, no matter the spell your opponents try to throw your way.

Cards like Douse

In delving into the mechanics of the Douse MTG card, players find it nestled securely within the realm of original counterspells. Douse is most reminiscent of traditional blue spells like Counterspell and Mana Leak, both designed to thwart an opponent’s plans. However, what makes Douse particularly unique is its ability to be activated from the graveyard, providing a recurring barrier against red spells, which its counterparts do not offer. The ability to recycle this defensive strategy adds a layer of resilience to a player’s game.

Looking across the spectrum, Negate also emerges as a kindred spell with its straightforward approach to neutralizing non-creature spells. While its usage is broader compared to Douse’s red-specific negation, it lacks the graveyard recursion Douse provides, which can be a game-changer in later stages. Another comparable feature is with Dispel, which is efficient with its single blue mana cost but again, missing that crucial capability to play from beyond the grave that elevates Douse’s strategic value in prolonged matches.

With a niche focus, Douse situates itself as a specialized tool for blue mages seeking to dampen the fiery strategies of their red-aligned adversaries while providing ongoing value throughout the game, a factor that has its own merit in the vast ecosystem of Magic: The Gathering gameplay.

Cards similar to Douse by color, type and mana cost

Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Douse MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Douse and other MTG cards: