Synchronized Spellcraft MTG Card

Synchronized Spellcraft - Zendikar Rising

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set name	Zendikar Rising
Set code	ZNR
Number	168
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Svetlin Velinov

Key Takeaways

Card advantage and control streamline gameplay, making Synchronized Spellcraft a powerful game-changer.
Flexibility at instant speed allows for reactive play and unexpected tactics during gameplay.
Despite its strengths, the card’s discard requirement and mana specificity present strategic challenges.

Text of card

Synchronized Spellcraft deals 4 damage to target creature and X damage to that creature's controller, where X is the number of creatures in your party. (Your party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.)

"Ready? One... two..."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Synchronized Spellcraft ensures you keep pressure on your opponent by dealing damage while also giving you an added creature control capability. Managing two tasks with a single card keeps your hand consistent and potent during gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or acceleration, it aligns your board presence with your mana resources efficiently. By potentially removing an opponent’s creature, it accelerates your route to victory without the need for additional spellcasting or resources.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of an instant speed spell such as Synchronized Spellcraft cannot be overstated. It allows reactive play during your opponent’s turn, providing the double benefit of surprise and the ability to adapt to the unfolding game state, keeping your strategy one step ahead.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Synchronized Spellcraft demands players to discard a card to activate its potential, a steep price when hand size is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: The spell’s need for specific colored mana can constrain deck-building options, requiring a careful balance of mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Tasked with a hefty mana investment upfront, players may find Synchronized Spellcraft lagging behind other spells that deliver similar benefits for less.

Reasons to Include Synchronized Spellcraft in Your Collection

Versatility: Synchronized Spellcraft is flexible enough to be a key component in various builds. It can be a useful tool in decks that rely on instant-speed interaction or those looking to capitalize on damage-dealing spells.

Combo Potential: This card enables players to weave together powerful plays by dealing damage and complementing it with other instant-speed effects. It’s adept at supporting strategies that leverage the casting of multiple spells in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given its innate ability to interact on the stack and its damage output, Synchronized Spellcraft can be incredibly effective against creature-heavy decks that dominate certain metas. Its adaptability ensures that it remains a tactical option regardless of the shifting competitive landscape.

How to beat

Synchronized Spellcraft in Magic: The Gathering presents an intriguing challenge on the battlefield. This spell has the ability to deal damage not just to a creature but also to the player or planeswalker that creature’s controller owns. Its flexibility makes it a notable card in combat situations, especially in a game where strategic removal can pivot the direction of play.

To effectively navigate against Synchronized Spellcraft, consider the timing of your creature plays. Since Synchronized Spellcraft is a sorcery, it cannot disrupt your strategy during your turn. Optimization of creature abilities and the use of instants that can protect or buff your creatures in response are critical. Additionally, having spells or abilities that counteract sorcery spells can neutralize this threat, preserving your board state and maintaining pressure on your opponent.

It is also worth adapting your deck to include creatures with hexproof or indestructible capabilities, limiting the targets for your opponent’s Synchronized Spellcraft. Ultimately, by anticipating this spell and adjusting your gameplay strategy accordingly, you can mitigate its impact and maintain an advantage over your opponents.

Cards like Synchronized Spellcraft

Synchronized Spellcraft is an intriguing card within Magic: The Gathering, finding its role in damaging and targeting strategies. It draws parallels to cards like Searing Spear, as both can deal damage directly to a creature or player. However, Synchronized Spellcraft adds a twist to this concept by offering extra damage for each party member you control, a unique layer not found in the straightforward damage approach of Searing Spear.

Comparably, Flame Spill introduces a slightly different dynamic with its ability to deal any excess damage to a creature’s controller, a feature that Synchronized Spellcraft doesn’t provide. Although Flame Spill lacks the potential for incremental damage boosts based on the number of allies on the battlefield. Yet another card worth mentioning is Fireball, a classic damage dealer that can target multiple creatures or players, but its scalability comes at the cost of a more complex mana investment, unlike the more cost-efficient Synchronized Spellcraft.

Ultimately, Synchronized Spellcraft distinguishes itself in its potential for damage scaling in party-centric decks, offering a unique advantage in spells that prioritize flexibility in targeting and the capability to capitalize on a well-developed board state.

Cards similar to Synchronized Spellcraft by color, type and mana cost

Beacon of Destruction - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Synchronized Spellcraft 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 Synchronized Spellcraft and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Synchronized Spellcraft has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
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 the target creature is an illegal target by the time Synchronized Spellcraft tries to resolve, the spell doesn’t resolve. No player is dealt damage.
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.