Second Sight MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Entwine
Released	2004-02-06
Set symbol
Set name	Darksteel
Set code	DST
Number	33
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Luca Zontini

Key Takeaways

Second Sight can provide strategic foresight, allowing better preparation for future turns.
Flexibility in gameplay is enhanced with its instant speed and surprise factor.
Despite its potential, it requires discarding and has a specific mana cost.

Text of card

Choose one Look at the top five cards of target opponent's library, then put them back in any order; or look at the top five cards of your library, then put them back in any order. Entwine (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Second Sight facilitates a glimpse into the future by enabling you to arrange the top cards of your library. This insight often translates to a strategic edge, as you can better prepare for upcoming turns.

Resource Acceleration: Although Second Sight does not directly produce additional resources, organizing your upcoming draws can lead to faster access to essential spells or lands, indirectly speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Second Sight allows for flexibility in playstyle. You can end your opponent’s turn with a better understanding of your forthcoming options without having to commit your resources during your own turn, preserving the element of surprise and maintaining mana for potential counterplays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One key drawback of Second Sight is its discard condition. Players must throw another card from their hand into the graveyard to fully utilize its potential, which can deplete an already dwindling hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: The card demands an exact combination of mana types to cast. This specificity restricts its integration to decks that can readily produce both blue and another color, potentially narrowing the card’s versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Second Sight comes with a mana value that, when compared to other options in the card pool, might be seen as steep. This can be especially true when considering its impact on the game and the immediate advantages it provides.

Reasons to Include Second Sight in Your Collection

Versatility: Second Sight offers unique foresight capabilities, allowing players to rearrange the top cards of a deck. This versatility makes Second Sight a useful card in decks that focus on card advantage and deck manipulation, ensuring you draw into your best cards when needed.

Combo Potential: With the ability to sculpt your upcoming draws, Second Sight works incredibly well in combination with scrying, revealing, or playing cards off the top of your library. It enables elaborate setups that could turn the tide in complex board states.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment densely populated by strategy decks that plan several turns ahead, Second Sight can significantly diminish your opponents’ tactics by disrupting their draws while optimizing your own. Staying ahead of the game with precise draw control can be a deciding factor in many matches.

How to beat Second Sight

Second Sight stands as a unique card in MTG, offering foresight into an opponent’s strategy by allowing a peek at the top card of their library. While this can feel like a disadvantage, don’t fret; there are strategies to mitigate its impact on the game. Shuffle effects are highly effective in this scenario. Consider using cards like Evolving Wilds or Terramorphic Expanse which not only alter the top card of your library but also aid in mana fixing.

Moreover, employing instant-speed draw spells such as Opt or Brainstorm allows you to draw the card identified by Second Sight, disrupting your opponent’s knowledge gain. Another tactic is to embrace graveyard synergy with cards like Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, turning Second Sight’s peek into an advantage for your own graveyard-based strategies. Remember, the key is to keep your library in a state of flux, thus nullifying the advantage Second Sight offers to your opponent.

Ultimately, Second Sight adds a layer of complexity to the game but with careful deck construction and strategic play, its potential disruption can be readily overcome. Examine your deck’s vulnerabilities to such reconnaissance and ensure you’re equipped to adapt on the fly.

Cards like Second Sight

Second Sight offers Magic: The Gathering players a unique peek into upcoming plays, showcasing its ability to rearrange the top cards of a library. This control mirrors the anticipation found in cards like Index, which lets you look at more cards but does not allow rearrangement. Unlike Index, Second Sight provides a potent strategic advantage by aligning upcoming draws with your game plan.

Crystal Ball, meanwhile, also facilitates card order manipulation combined with scrying to filter through the deck—though it’s a perpetual tool, with a cost for repeated use. This continuous utility differentiates it from the one-off, precise arrangement that Second Sight affords. Ponder is another noteworthy peer, letting you look at the top three cards, but goes one step further by offering the chance to shuffle the library, and also draws a card, giving it immediate impact. While less direct, Second Sight’s subtler hand in fate’s design may be just the tactical edge needed.

All things considered, Second Sight presents MTG enthusiasts with an intricate spellcasting choice. The heightened command over deck destiny situates it among a roster of cerebral library manipulation effects, endearing it to players who treasure strategic deck planning.

Cards similar to Second Sight by color, type and mana cost

Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Second Sight MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel, 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 Second Sight and other MTG cards: