Cascade Seer MTG Card


Cascade Seer - Zendikar Rising
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Merfolk Wizard
Abilities Scry
Released2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar Rising
Set codeZNR
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number48
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byBrian Valeza

Key Takeaways

  1. Cascade Seer provides card manipulation, aiding in setting up advantageous draws and potential cascades.
  2. While useful, its mana specificity and high cost may limit deck integration and immediate impact.
  3. Effective counterplay includes instant removal, counterspells, and maintaining card advantage.

Text of card

When Cascade Seer enters the battlefield, scry X, where X is the number of creatures in your party. (Your party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.)

"Perhaps you can't see the path, but that doesn't mean it isn't there."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cascade Seer stands out by potentially rearranging the top four cards of your library, smoothing out your draws and slightly reducing the likelihood of bad topdecks.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your mana pool, Cascade Seer can help you sift through your library to find the necessary lands or spells to propel your game plan forward faster.

Instant Speed: Cascade Seer’s action at sorcery speed during your main phase may not offer the flexibility of instant timing, but it allows for strategic planning and can be used in conjunction to set up your next moves.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Cascade Seer comes with the downside of not having a direct discard requirement itself, but it does emphasize the need for a ongoing card advantage to maximize its potential. Without additional draw capabilities in your deck, the value of Cascade Seer diminishes.

Specific Mana Cost: Cascade Seer requires a specific combination of blue mana, which can restrict deck-building options. Decks not focused around blue mana may find it challenging to integrate the Seer efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that may be seen as high for its direct impact on the game, players might consider the investment into a Cascade Seer questionable. Alternative cards at a lower cost could offer more immediate or flexible benefits.


Reasons to Include Cascade Seer in Your Collection

Versatility: Cascade Seer emerges as a flexible choice for players looking to enhance their blue-based decks. Its ability to manipulate the top card of your library can be pivotal in ensuring your next draw or cascade effect is precisely what you need to maintain your game plan.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that capitalize on scrying or cascade mechanics, Cascade Seer can serve as a key component to set off a chain of powerful plays, potentially leading to game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: Given that the current meta frequently shifts around synergistic deck builds and efficiency, Cascade Seer holds a spot as a utility player, adept at keeping pace and adapting to a variety of strategic scenarios on the battlefield.


How to beat Cascade Seer

Cascade Seer brings a unique twist to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. The card, hailing from the Zendikar Rising set, is known for its ability to manipulate the top cards of your library through the cascade effect, providing potential advantage with each spell cast. Though not as potent as some rare or mythic creatures, Cascade Seer can present a challenge if left unchecked due to its ability to set up favorable plays.

To effectively counter this creature, consider incorporating instant speed removal spells in your deck like Murder or Fatal Push. These allow you to respond immediately before the cascade ability resolves, removing Cascade Seer from the board and nullifying the impending threat. Another strategy involves using counter magic such as Cancel or Negate, which can prevent the Cascade Seer from landing on the battlefield altogether. Additionally, engines of card advantage that match or exceed the Seer’s output are key – think along the lines of Phyrexian Arena or Rhystic Study, which can help you keep pace with the incremental gains from the cascade ability.

In essence, answering the Cascade Seer’s potential through instant removal, counterspells, or your own card advantage tools is the way to preserve your standing and thwart your opponent’s strategy. These methods can ensure that this Seer doesn’t foresee victory in your MTG matchups.


Cards like Cascade Seer

Cascade Seer joins the ranks of blue creatures in Magic: The Gathering that manipulate the elements of the game, similar to others in the pool of scry abilities. When compared to its blue-familial Oracle of Mul Daya, Cascade Seer offers scrying tied directly to its cascade trigger event. The serene Seer doesn’t boast the land-revealing prowess of the Oracle, yet it provides an immediate benefits when cascaded into play, setting up future draws.

Another related card is Augury Owl, a staple in decks seeking to organize the top of their library. While Augury Owl comes at a cheaper casting cost and with slightly lesser stats than Cascade Seer, it offers a powerful scrying effect immediately upon entering the battlefield. Unlike the Owl, Cascade Seer’s impact scales with your spells’ cascading chain, potentially offering deeper insight into your deck’s imminent possibilities.

Evaluating the cascade dynamic of Seer, it bears a kinship to Etherium-Horn Sorcerer. Although the Sorcerer demands a steeper mana investment and offers a different variety of benefits, its inherent cascade echoes Seer’s ability to influence the game’s course by dictating subsequent plays. Each card shines in its environment, with Cascade Seer fitting snugly into decks built around the cascading mechanic.

Oracle of Mul Daya - MTG Card versions
Augury Owl - MTG Card versions
Etherium-Horn Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Oracle of Mul Daya - Zendikar (ZEN)
Augury Owl - Magic 2011 (M11)
Etherium-Horn Sorcerer - Planechase 2012 (PC2)

Cards similar to Cascade Seer by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Phantom Monster - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Screeching Drake - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Extravagant Spirit - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Undercover Operative - MTG Card versions
Archmage Emeritus - MTG Card versions
Hisoka, Minamo Sensei - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Dreamborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Forces - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Phantom Monster - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Vapor - Chronicles (CHR)
Screeching Drake - Portal Second Age (P02)
Tradewind Rider - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Archivist - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Extravagant Spirit - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Thieving Magpie - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Inga Rune-Eyes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Laboratory Drudge - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undercover Operative - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Archmage Emeritus - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Hisoka, Minamo Sensei - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Johnny, Combo Player - Unhinged (UNH)
Dream Prowler - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Clone - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Cytoplast Manipulator - Dissension (DIS)
Crookclaw Transmuter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dreamborn Muse - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cascade Seer MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Cascade Seer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cascade Seer has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-09-25 An ability referring to the number of creatures in your party gets a number from zero to four. Such abilities never ask which creatures are in your party, and you never have to designate specific creatures as being in your party. You can't choose to exclude creatures from this count to lower the number.
2020-09-25 If a creature has more than one party creature type, and there are multiple ways to count that creature that could result in a different number of creatures in your party, the highest such number is used. For example, if you control a Cleric and a Cleric Wizard, the number of creatures in your party is two. You can't choose to have it be just one by counting the Cleric Wizard first as a Cleric.
2020-09-25 If an ability of a creature counts the number of creatures in your party, that number is counted as the ability resolves. If that creature is still on the battlefield when the ability resolves, it'll be counted if appropriate.
2020-09-25 If there are no creatures in your party as Cascade Seer's ability resolves, you don't scry at all. Abilities that trigger whenever you scry don't trigger.
2020-09-25 To determine “the number of creatures in your party,” check whether you control a Cleric, whether you control a Rogue, whether you control a Warrior, and whether you control a Wizard. The number is the total number of those checks to which you answered yes. Each creature you control can be counted for only one of those checks.

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