Joyous Respite MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery — Arcane
Released	2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Champions of Kamigawa
Set code	CHK
Number	216
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Rebecca Guay

Key Takeaways

Joyous Respite offers strategic instant-speed play and card advantage through life gain and resource acceleration.
Green mana specificity and a higher mana cost can limit versatility and deck integration for this card.
It’s a strong counter to aggressive strategies, enhancing life totals and synergizing with landfall mechanics.

Text of card

You gain 1 life for each land you control.

"I have been gifted by the kami with long life. So far, they have not seen fit to withdraw their gift. There may yet be a way to stop the killing without more blood, human or kami, being spilled." —Dosan the Falling Leaf

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Joyous Respite can be a boon for players looking to maintain a robust hand. By replenishing your resources each time you gain life, it ensures that you are well-equipped to confront your opponents with a variety of options, keeping the tide in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: This enchanting card offers a unique way to ramp up your game. Every instance of life gain not only sustains your survival but also forges a path to a more potent mana base, enabling the casting of powerful spells that can sway the course of a match.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Joyous Respite at instant speed gives players the upper hand, allowing you to surprise opponents by responding to their actions with a sudden flourish of life gain and card draw. This strategic element makes it a valuable tool in any player’s arsenal, ready to be deployed when the moment is just right.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Joyous Respite can provide a significant life gain, it does necessitate discarding a card when played with certain mechanics or companion cards. This requirement could deplete a player’s hand, leading to a disadvantage, especially in game states when maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Joyous Respite comes with a dedicated green mana cost, which means it can only be optimally used within a green-centered deck or a deck that reliably produces green mana. This can restrict its flexibility, relegating it primarily to players who are committed to green or multicolor decks with a green component.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that could be considered steep for its singular effect of life gain, Joyous Respite competes with other cards that may offer additional benefits or versatility for a similar, if not lower, cost. In formats where efficiency is key, the mana investment must warrant the outcome, and there are instances where Joyous Respite may not meet this measure against alternative options.

Reasons to Include Joyous Respite in Your Collection

Versatility: Joyous Respite offers a reliable life gain mechanic which can be a crucial addition in decks that thrive on stabilizing their life points. Its inclusion in a variety of green-based decks, from casual to competitive, showcases its adaptability in different types of gameplay.

Combo Potential: This card can act as a vital component in synergizing with decks that focus on landfall mechanics. It can help trigger multiple landfall abilities in a single turn, bolstering both offensive and defensive strategies effectively.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive decks are prevalent, Joyous Respite can serve as an efficient counter, providing a significant buffer to your life total and potentially turning the tides of the game in your favor.

How to beat

Joyous Respite is a unique card in MTG that provides players with a significant life gain, making it a notable card in the life balance aspect of the game. In essence, the card offers a player life points equal to the number of lands they control. It’s a boon for those running land-heavy decks, turning a vast mana base into a defensive advantage in the game.

To strategize against Joyous Respite, it’s essential to disrupt your opponent’s land count, limiting the life gain potential of the card. Land destruction spells or effects that restrict land plays are key tactics. Cards like Armageddon or Ghost Quarter can be efficient in reducing land numbers. Alternatively, using counter strategies through permission spells can also negate the impact of Joyous Respite before it even hits the battlefield, ensuring that the life gain never becomes a factor in your opponent’s survival.

A well-timed counterspell, like Disallow or Negate, can be invaluable in this scenario. By keeping a close watch on your opponent’s land development and maintaining control elements in your deck, you can effectively neutralize the advantage Joyous Respite provides and render it a non-issue in your path to victory.

Cards like Joyous Respite

Joyous Respite leans into the life gain theme that is a cornerstone for many MTG strategies. It compares with Nourish, another single-event life gain card that offers a straightforward boost to a player’s health total. However, Joyous Respite has the advantage of tapping into the land count, which can lead to significant late-game health surges, especially in decks with ample land ramp.

Examining another related card, Stream of Life, offers a more customizable approach to life gain, allowing players to pour as much mana as they desire into their health pool. While this spell provides flexibility, Joyous Respite could potentially give more life for less investment in land-rich situations. Another card in the mix is Pristine Talisman, which not only grants incremental life but also churns out mana. Despite this, Joyous Respite can outpace it in terms of total life gained in a single turn.

In assessing life gain tactics within MTG, Joyous Respite merits consideration, especially within strategies that emphasize increasing land play. Its potential to affect health totals dramatically, combined with synergies in land-based decks, positions it as a distinct and powerful option for life gain.

Cards similar to Joyous Respite by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Joyous Respite MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Joyous Respite and other MTG cards: