Soratami Mirror-Mage MTG Card

Soratami Mirror-Mage - Champions of Kamigawa

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Moonfolk Wizard
Abilities	Flying
Released	2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Champions of Kamigawa
Set code	CHK
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	88
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spears

Key Takeaways

The mage’s self-bounce ensures card advantage while dodging removal threats.
Bouncing creatures disrupts opponents, accelerates resources, and boosts tempo.
Non-instant speed still allows for tactical pressure and mana optimization.

Text of card

Flying , Return three lands you control to their owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.

"The clouds obey my whims, and you'll obey theirs."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soratami Mirror-Mage can return itself to your hand, which effectively protects it from removal and ensures you retain card advantage. This can be particularly beneficial when you’ve already utilized its abilities and want to evade your opponent’s attempts to eliminate it from the board.

Resource Acceleration: Its ability to bounce other creatures to their owner’s hand as well, can unsettle your opponent’s strategy, especially if they rely on creature synergies or entering the battlefield effects. This disruption gives you a tempo boost, allowing you to gain the upper hand by replaying it and reusing its abilities.

Instant Speed: Although the activation of Soratami Mirror-Mage’s ability is not at instant speed, the strategic implications of its use can have a similar impact to playing an instant. You can optimize your plays during your own turn while keeping mana open, or you can make decisive plays right before your turn begins to apply pressure on your opponent’s resources.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Soratami Mirror-Mage requires you to return a land you control to your hand to cast it. This setback can slow your pace, especially when competing for board position or trying to maintain tempo against aggressive strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost requires blue mana, limiting its inclusion to blue-influenced decks. Players running multicolored decks without a strong blue mana base may find it challenging to cast Soratami Mirror-Mage reliably.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, it competes with numerous options in the three-drop slot that don’t demand returning a land or match better with certain strategies. This can make Soratami Mirror-Mage a less attractive choice in decks that value mana development or have a lower curve.

Reasons to Include Soratami Mirror-Mage in Your Collection

Versatility: Soratami Mirror-Mage offers flexibility in deckbuilding, being able to adapt to various game states. It can serve as a returning threat, bouncing itself back to your hand for repeated use, or as a disruption tool to temporarily remove opponents’ creatures from the board.

Combo Potential: This card serves as an excellent enabler for decks that capitalize on casting the same spell multiple times or require a creature to be returned to the hand to trigger abilities. Given its bounce ability, it synergizes with cards that have enter-the-battlefield effects, allowing you to reuse those abilities to your advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shift in metagame strategies, a card like Soratami Mirror-Mage could be increasingly relevant. It could be particularly impactful in formats where board presence and tempo plays are crucial. As a utility creature, it offers strategic depth to your gameplay, allowing you to outmaneuver opponents in creature-centric matchups.

How to Beat Soratami Mirror-Mage

The Soratami Mirror-Mage card can be quite the trickster on the battlefield, invoking the moonfolk’s storied ability to bounce creatures back to a player’s hand. Facing this card means dealing with the potential to disrupt your board presence, resulting in a setback of your strategy while your opponent gains an advantage.

To effectively counteract the Soratami Mirror-Mage, one should prioritize removal spells that can target this creature directly before its ability is activated. Instant-speed removals like Path to Exile ensure that it can be dealt with swiftly on your opponent’s turn, minimizing the chance for them to capitalize on the creature’s ability. Additionally, employing cards that restrict your opponents from casting spells during your turn, such as Teferi, Time Raveler, can prevent the activation of the Mage’s ability altogether.

Strategies focusing on uncounterable spells or abilities that create hexproof protections also work well against the Mage’s influence. Including cards like Prowling Serpopard or Alseid of Life’s Bounty can give your creatures a layer of security from such bounce effects. In essence, a mix of proactive protection and reactive removal is your best plan against Soratami Mirror-Mage, enabling you to maintain your battlefield presence and forward momentum.

Cards like Soratami Mirror-Mage

The Soratami Mirror-Mage is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering that mirrors other blue creature cards with abilities focused on controlling the battlefield. For those familiar with the card Man-o’-War, you will notice similarities. Both allow you to return creatures to their owner’s hands, yet the Mirror-Mage provides additional flexibility with its repeatable effect due to being able to bounce itself back to your hand.

Another comparable card is Aether Adept, which also has a creature returning ability. However, the Adept’s effect is a one-time deal when it enters the battlefield versus the multiple uses the Mirror-Mage can provide through its self-bounce mechanism. Then, there’s Venser, Shaper Savant, which can bounce not only creatures but also spells, offering a wider range of disruption, albeit at a higher mana cost.

Assessing these options alongside the Soratami Mirror-Mage, it’s evident that it holds a unique position. Its self-recursive ability gives it an edge in control decks, making it a versatile tool for players who value sustained battlefield interaction over a single disruptive event.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soratami Mirror-Mage 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 Soratami Mirror-Mage and other MTG cards: