Diplomacy of the Wastes MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2015-01-23
Set symbol
Set name	Fate Reforged
Set code	FRF
Number	67
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jack Wang

Key Takeaways

Card advantage is crucial; forcing an opponent to discard can disrupt and inform you of their hand.
Instant speed allows for responsive play, keeping pressure on opponents while protecting your strategies.
The card’s specific mana cost may limit inclusion, requiring careful deck construction to utilize effectively.

Text of card

Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. If you control a Warrior, that player loses 2 life.

"Our emissaries are gifted negotiators." —Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Card Pros

Card Advantage: In the treacherous landscape of the game, Diplomacy of the Wastes shines by nudging you ahead in the card count. Compelling an opponent to discard, particularly key strategic cards, disrupts their plans while providing you with valuable information about their hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping up your mana pool, the potential to discard a land-hungry card from an opponent can indirectly accelerate your resources by throwing their curve off balance. This could give you a crucial window to surge ahead.

Instant Speed: The flexibly timed nature of this spell enables strategic layers of play. Responsive casting at end of turn or just before your turn unfurls can maintain pressure without compromising your defenses. The speed of this card affords you the ability to adapt to the ongoing game with cunning precision.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Diplomacy of the Wastes demands a card be discarded as part of its casting cost. This stipulation can strain your hand, especially in situations where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost necessitates black mana, which may not seamlessly fit into multicolored deck strategies, potentially limiting its inclusion to mono-black or decks heavy in black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana, including two that must be black, makes Diplomacy of the Wastes a relatively costly investment for its targeted discard effect, especially when evaluating it alongside other discard spells or tactics that may offer similar effects at a lower cost.

Reasons to Include Diplomacy of the Wastes in Your Collection

Versatility: Diplomacy of the Wastes offers a unique advantage by disrupting opponent strategies. It’s flexible enough to fit in various deck builds, especially those requiring control elements to deal with your opponent’s hand.

Combo Potential: The card plays well with discard strategies, enabling powerful synergies with cards that capitalize on your opponent having fewer options. It can work to set up devastating combos by selectively stripping key cards from your opponent’s hand.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that values information and control, Diplomacy of the Wastes holds its ground. As the meta shifts towards more hand-reliant strategies, this card can become an essential tool to gain the upper hand in the match.

How to beat

Diplomacy of the Wastes is an intriguing play in MTG that can disrupt opponents’ strategies by forcing a discard from their hand. To effectively counter this, it’s essential to have robust hand management. Cards that allow you to draw more, like Opt or Brainstorm, ensure you’re not left at a disadvantage after a discard. Similarly, cards with flashback or other graveyard activation mechanics can turn a forced discard into an unexpected boon, leveraging your graveyard as a resource.

Moreover, holding onto cards with instant speed effects allows you to respond to Diplomacy of the Wastes before it resolves, potentially saving your most valuable cards from being discarded. Additionally, utilizing spells or abilities that increase your hand size or protect it, like Leyline of Sanctity, can prevent the impact of targeted discard effects. Finally, remember that maintaining a diverse hand can mitigate the damage done by selective discard cards, keeping your strategy flexible and resilient.

Therefore, while Diplomacy of the Wastes presents a unique challenge, it can be outmaneuvered with careful hand management and strategic deck building, making it a manageable hurdle in the vast landscape of MTG gameplay.

Cards like Diplomacy of the Wastes

In the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering, Diplomacy of the Wastes stands out as a unique card that offers a form of disruption against opponents. When reviewing cards akin to Diplomacy, Thoughtseize immediately comes to mind due to its ability to pluck a card right from an opponent’s hand. While both cards allow you to target nonland cards, Thoughtseize does not place a restriction on the card’s mana cost, unlike Diplomacy of the Wastes which limits to 3 or less.

Besides, we must consider Despise, another card with a similar target-affecting scope. Despise also focuses on nonland cards but narrows the selection to creatures or planeswalkers, which can be a boon or limitation based on the situation. In direct comparison, Diplomacy does not have this creature or planeswalker restriction but again, is mana cost limited.

Thus, among various MTG spell cards that influence hand dynamics, Diplomacy of the Wastes presents an interesting middle ground. It doesn’t have the broader reach of Thoughtseize or the type-specific targeting of Despise but instead, carves its niche with the distinctive Warrior twist, ultimately offering a strategic choice for deckbuilders who strive for balance in card disruption abilities.

Cards similar to Diplomacy of the Wastes by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Diplomacy of the Wastes MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged, 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 Diplomacy of the Wastes and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Diplomacy of the Wastes has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-11-24	If you control a Warrior as Diplomacy of the Wastes resolves, the target opponent will lose 2 life even if that player didn’t discard a card (perhaps because they had no cards in hand).