Paradigm Shift MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	1997-06-09
Set symbol
Set name	Weatherlight
Set code	WTH
Number	46
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Cliff Nielsen

Key Takeaways

Refreshes your deck by reshuffling the graveyard, offering a new set of strategic possibilities and card advantage.
Indirect resource acceleration by enabling certain card synergies and facilitating more powerful plays earlier.
Instant speed cast allows for greater strategic depth and timing, disrupting opponents and avoiding graveyard targeting.

Text of card

Remove all cards in your library from the game. Shuffle your graveyard into your library.

"Barrin always said that reality is relative. 'The world,' he cautioned, 'is but pieces of one's perception.'" —Ertai, wizard adept

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Paradigm Shift offers a unique twist on card advantage by redefining your options. Rather than a simple draw, it reshuffles your graveyard into your library, replenishing your deck with previously played strategies and possibilities, essentially granting you access to a whole new set of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Paradigm Shift does not directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, the resource acceleration comes in a different form. By moving your graveyard into your library, it can set up potent synergies with cards that benefit from a high card count in your library or that enable you to draw multiple cards consistently, indirectly increasing your ability to cast more spells or play more powerful cards sooner.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Paradigm Shift at instant speed is a significant advantage. This allows savvy players to wait until the last possible moment before deciding to alter the makeup of their library, keeping opponents guessing and potentially disrupting their plans. Furthermore, it can be used in response to an opponent’s graveyard targeting spells, ensuring that your key cards are out of reach when most vulnerable.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Paradigm Shift’s activation demands sacrificing a card, which can backfire when your hand is nearly empty or when holding essential cards you’d rather keep for later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s blue mana requirement may pose a hurdle for multicolored decks that might struggle with its mana base consistency, thus hindering the card’s overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing two blue mana, Paradigm Shift can be costly considering it simply rearranges the library and graveyard. Other cards at a similar or lower cost bracket might offer a more immediate impact or value on the game state.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Paradigm Shift is a unique spell that caters to a variety of deck strategies. It can act as a combo enabler or a way to refresh your library, which is beneficial in decks that manipulate graveyard content.

Combo Potential: This card offers high synergy with strategies that rely on graveyard manipulation. It can be a key component in decks designed to win by carefully orchestrating the right combination of cards in your library and graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where graveyard strategies are prevalent, Paradigm Shift allows for a creative approach to disrupt your opponent’s plans while setting up your own. Its capacity to alter game states makes it a card worth considering in ever-evolving competitive scenes.

How to beat

Paradigm Shift is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering that can alter the course of a game by reshaping a player’s library entirely. However, formidable as it may seem, overcoming this card can be quite feasible with the right strategy. One of the most straightforward methods is to utilize graveyard retrieval effects, which allow you to recover key cards from the graveyard after they’ve been relocated by Paradigm Shift. Cards like Eternal Witness or Regrowth can be particularly effective in this case.

Another approach is to employ grave-hate cards, such as Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, which can neutralize the advantages provided by a Paradigm Shift by removing the usefulness of the graveyard altogether. Additionally, countermagic serves as a powerful tool to preemptively stop Paradigm Shift from resolving, using spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak. Implementing such measures will guard against the disruptive shift in library composition and secure your game plan.

In essence, while Paradigm Shift has the potential to turn the tide in a player’s favor, it’s not without its vulnerabilities. By incorporating strategic counters and maintaining control over the graveyard, you can effectively mitigate the impact of this powerful card and maintain the upper hand.

Cards like Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift is a spell that can be a game-changer in the world of MTG due to its potent graveyard manipulation ability. It’s often compared to cards like Tormod’s Crypt and Leyline of the Void. While Tormod’s Crypt allows a player to exile all cards from target player’s graveyard without cost, it solely focuses on graveyard removal without affecting the library. On the other hand, Leyline of the Void has a constant presence on the battlefield that exiles cards as they are put into an opponent’s graveyard, but again this does not shift the contents of the deck like Paradigm Shift can.

Another card that echoes a similar principle is Rest in Peace, which exiles all cards from all graveyards and leads to any future cards going into graveyards to be exiled instead. However, Paradigm Shift takes a distinctive approach by entirely replacing the owner’s graveyard with their library, thus reshaping future game dynamics. This replacement effect is unique and offers a different strategy compared to Rest in Peace’s ongoing graveyard nullification.

In essence, Paradigm Shift presents a matchless option within MTG for players looking to reconfigure their deck mid-game, setting it apart from other graveyard-focused cards. Its ability to relocate the entire graveyard into the library makes it a standout choice for certain deck-building strategies that depend on such a significant shift in card location dynamics.

Cards similar to Paradigm Shift by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Paradigm Shift MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight, 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 Paradigm Shift and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Paradigm Shift has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-07-01	This card won’t be put into your graveyard until after it’s finished resolving, which means it won’t be shuffled into your library as part of its own effect.