Magus of the Balance MTG Card
2016-11-16 - Number 70677
2018-08-09 - Number 5
2022-06-10 - Number 699
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Magus of the Balance reshapes gameplay, often leading to a strategic advantage in card numbers.
- Its presence on the battlefield requires opponents to play more cautiously, advantageous for you.
- However, its discard requirement and specific mana cost can be limiting factors in deck building.
Text of card
, , Sacrifice Magus of the Balance: Each player chooses a number of lands they control equal to the number of lands controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then sacrifices the rest. Players discard cards and sacrifice creatures the same way.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Magus of the Balance enables a significant reshaping of the board, often resulting in card advantage by balancing out card numbers held by players. This can turn the tide to your favor, particularly if you’re behind on board state.
Resource Acceleration: By restoring balance, this card disrupts opponents’ acceleration while allowing you to strategize towards rebuilding your resources more efficiently than your adversaries.
Instant Speed: Although the effect of Magus of the Balance does not happen at instant speed, the mere presence of this card on the battlefield forces opponents to play cautiously, which indirectly benefits your ability to respond to threats immediately with other instant speed spells in your deck.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside of Magus of the Balance is its activation requirement to discard a card. This can be a substantial drawback during late-game scenarios, where your hand size might be running low and each card you possess carries significant value. In such cases, the additional cost to utilize Magus of the Balance’s ability might be too steep, negatively impacting your game plan.
Specific Mana Cost: Magus of the Balance demands a specific color combination in its casting cost – both white and generic mana. This requirement can restrict deck-building flexibility and complicate your mana base, especially in multicolored decks where achieving the right mana can sometimes prove challenging.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Another aspect to consider is that Magus of the Balance, for its balancing act, comes with a mana value that can be considered on the higher side when compared to other board-altering cards. This can often slow you down, as spending four mana in a single turn can put you at a disadvantage tempo-wise against more aggressive decks that capitalize on fast, low-cost plays.
Reasons to Include Magus of the Balance in Your Collection
Versatility: Magus of the Balance provides a unique utility that can be included in decks aiming to control the board state. As a creature, it can be summoned to affect the board directly, offering an alternate way to cast effects similar to the iconic Balance spell.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that manipulate the number of cards and permanents each player controls. It can enable powerful combinations, especially in decks designed around sacrificing creatures for greater benefits or in commander where resetting everyone’s board can significantly alter the game’s dynamics.
Meta-Relevance: In metagames dominated by players who amass large amounts of resources, Magus of the Balance can level the playing field. Its ability to disrupt opponents by balancing cards in hand and on the battlefield makes it a relevant choice for players looking to counteract decks that ramp quickly or flood the board with permanents.
How to beat
Understanding your opponent’s strategy is vital when facing cards like Magus of the Balance in Magic: The Gathering. This card’s ability to replicate the effect of the iconic Balance spell can disrupt your board state significantly. If you’re confronting a deck that includes the Magus of the Balance, the key to triumph lies in retaining card and creature advantage without overcommitting to the board.
An effective method to outplay Magus of the Balance is to maintain pressure with a few potent creatures rather than flooding the board with numerous lesser threats. Keep in mind that instants and abilities that can remove the Magus are equally as important, allowing you to respond to the activation of its ability and preserve your side of the board. It’s also wise to have artifact and enchantment removal in your arsenal, as this will let you dismantle any synergistic tools that could protect or recur the Magus.
Ultimately, staying nimble and adaptable, with a carefully curated hand and a strategic approach to creature deployment, will increase your chances of maintaining control against a deck that wields Magus of the Balance as its linchpin.
Cards like Magus of the Balance
Magus of the Balance offers MTG players a unique approach to balancing the game field. It mimics the legendary effect of Balance, a card known for its ability to force all players to the same level of resources. Magus of the Balance, with a creature twist, allows players to engage this equalizing effect repeatedly, which is a significant deviation from the single-use nature of sorceries like Balance.
Engaging with the idea of equilibrium, we have cards like Restore Balance and Tragic Arrogance. Restore Balance shares the symmetrical effect but as part of the suspenseful suspend mechanic, offering a delayed but inevitable shift in the game’s tide. Conversely, Tragic Arrogance provides players with more control, allowing them to choose the permanents each player keeps, thus breaking symmetry for strategic advantage.
When evaluating their place in the MTG realm, it’s clear that while Magus of the Balance requires setup to activate its ability, it stands out by offering an ongoing threat of resource parity. This makes it an intriguing option for players looking to incorporate a continuous check-and-balance system into their game strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Magus of the Balance MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2018, 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 Magus of the Balance and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Magus of the Balance Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Kev Walker.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-11-16 | Treasure Chest | PZ2 | 70677 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker | |
| 2 | 2018-08-09 | Commander 2018 | C18 | 5 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker | |
| 3 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 699 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Kev Walker |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Magus of the Balance has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Magus of the Balance card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-07-13 | If a player has zero cards in hand, controls no lands, or controls no creatures, other players will have to discard their entire hand, sacrifice all of their lands, or sacrifice all of their creatures, as appropriate. |
| 2018-07-13 | Players can't take actions once Magus of the Balance's ability begins to resolve until it's done resolving. If any abilities trigger during this process, they're put onto the stack after it's done resolving. |
| 2018-07-13 | When Magus of the Balance's ability resolves, first the player whose turn it is chooses an appropriate number of lands they control (which may be zero if that player doesn't control more lands than the player who controls the fewest). Then each other player in turn order does the same, knowing choices made by previous players. Finally, all of the chosen lands are sacrificed simultaneously. Players repeat this process for cards in hand and creatures they control, except while choosing cards in hand, players won't know the identity of cards chosen by the previous players. |
