Flood of Tears MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Flood of Tears can pivot the game state, offering card advantage and disrupting opponents.
  2. Resource acceleration is possible by deploying high-cost permanents for free after casting.
  3. Its specific and high mana cost presents strategic deckbuilding considerations.

Text of card

Return all nonland permanents to their owners' hands. If you return four or more nontoken permanents you control this way, you may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.

"I have wept such a torrent as to scour the land clean." —Mu Yanling


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flood of Tears offers a significant shift in board presence by allowing you to potentially return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands. This can disrupt your opponent’s strategy while setting you up for a large tempo play.

Resource Acceleration: When you successfully return four or more of your nonland permanents with this spell, you’re able to put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield, potentially for free. This can accelerate your game plan, especially if that permanent has a high casting cost.

Instant Speed: Although Flood of Tears is a sorcery, the sheer impact of its effect mirrors the tactical advantage of instant speed spells. By playing this card at the right moment, you can almost reset the game, giving you time to develop your board and use your resources more effectively in the subsequent turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Flood of Tears doesn’t directly ask for a discard, the need to return your nonland permanents to your hand can leave you with a surplus of cards. This could potentially force you to discard if your hand exceeds the maximum size by your next discard phase.

Specific Mana Cost: Flood of Tears commands a specific combination of blue mana to cast. This six mana cost (four generic and two blue) can be restrictive, favoring decks with a solid blue mana base and possibly excluding it from more versatile or color-diverse strategies where mana availability is less predictable.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of six mana, this card falls on the higher end of the mana curve. Competing with other high-impact spells, Flood of Tears may be less appealing compared to lower-cost alternatives that can provide board control or setup for victory with a smaller mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Flood of Tears offers a unique board reset option, allowing players to clear a cluttered battlefield. Its capacity to affect all nonland permanents, regardless of their type, makes it a strategic addition to blue-based control or combo decks that aim to manipulate the state of the game to their advantage.

Combo Potential: This card shines when it comes to setting up powerful plays. With the right permanents in play, casting Flood of Tears can lead to immediately redeploying a high-cost permanent from your hand for free, often turning the tide of the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by creature-heavy or permanents-based decks, Flood of Tears can serve as an effective reset button. Its ability to disrupt opponents’ board presence while potentially accelerating your own game plan is a valuable tactical edge in any collection.


How to beat

Flood of Tears is a potent blue sorcery in Magic: The Gathering that can dramatically shift the tide of the game. This card can clear the board, bouncing all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands and potentially allowing you to put a permanent into play for free. While it may seem daunting to face, there are strategies to mitigate its impact.

To counteract Flood of Tears, maintaining a stance that reduces your investment in the board can be key. This can involve holding back on playing out nonessential permanents or, if you’re also playing blue, keeping counter magic like Negate or Dispel at the ready for when your opponent casts Flood of Tears. Prioritize permanents that either generate value when entering or leaving the battlefield or have indestructible, as these can either recoup the tempo loss or remain unaffected by the bounce effect. Additionally, playing permanents with flash allows you to rebuild your board at the end of your opponent’s turn, regaining momentum post-clearance.

In essence, a strategic approach and the inclusion of particular cards that can withstand or benefit from being returned to hand will equip you to effectively navigate and ultimately defeat the disruptive power of Flood of Tears.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic depth of MTG is on full display with cards like Flood of Tears. Its ability to reset the board is a powerful move that can swing games in your favor. As you refine your collection and strategies, consider the implications of integrating this card into your blue-based decks. Are you intrigued by the tactical maneuvering it allows? Flood of Tears is a card that rewards forethought and can create game-winning scenarios when played correctly. Dive deeper into our strategic reservoir of knowledge and gain the insights you need to utilize Flood of Tears to its full potential. Join us to expand your MTG acumen and optimize your gameplay.


Cards like Flood of Tears

Flood of Tears offers a unique reset mechanic in Magic: The Gathering, earning its place alongside impactful board clears like Devastation Tide. While Devastation Tide has the potential to be cast for less via its miracle cost, Flood of Tears compensates for its higher casting cost by allowing a player to potentially play an expensive permanent for free afterwards, making for an impressive tempo shift.

Another card that echoes a related concept is Evacuation – a clear board sweeper that targets creatures rather than all nonland permanents like Flood of Tears. This distinction is crucial for decks that aim to clear the board without sacrificing other noncreature permanents. Cyclonic Rift also deserves mention for its capacity to only affect opponents’ nonland permanents, which can be a game-ender when overloaded. Unlike these alternatives, however, Flood of Tears provides an additional benefit of enabling immediate advantage through the cheat-into-play clause.

Assessing these cards highlights the tactical advantages Flood of Tears offers in a game of MTG. It is not just about clearing the board but about setting the stage for a game-changing follow-up play that could seize victory from the clutches of defeat.

Devastation Tide - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Devastation Tide - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flood of Tears MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and Crimson Vow Commander, 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 Flood of Tears and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Flood of Tears Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2021-11-19. Illustrated by Adam Paquette.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 592015NormalBlackAdam Paquette
22021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1042015NormalBlackAdam Paquette

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flood of Tears has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-07-12 Any abilities that trigger as the nonland permanents are returned are put onto the stack at the same time as any abilities that trigger as the permanent card is put onto the battlefield (if applicable).
2019-07-12 If a permanent would be returned to your hand but ends up in another zone (most likely because an effect exiled it instead or because it's a player's commander in the Commander variant) Flood of Tears counts it when determining whether four or more of your nontoken permanents were returned.
2019-07-12 If you return four or more nontoken permanents, the permanent card you put onto the battlefield may be one of the cards returned to your hand this way.

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