Illusory Gains MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dragons of Tarkir
Set code	DTK
Number	59
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Kev Walker

Key Takeaways

Grants dynamic board control by claiming opponents’ new creatures; however, control shifts with each new summon.
Demands careful mana planning with a specific cost, potentially constraining deck-building choices for players.
Leverages meta shifts, excelling in creature-dense environments and adding combo potential to various decks.

Text of card

Enchant creature You control enchanted creature. Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, attach Illusory Gains to that creature.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Illusory Gains presents a unique form of card advantage, enabling you to temporarily commandeer an opponent’s creature. This not only strengthens your board presence but also disrupts your opponent’s strategies, effectively giving you a two-for-one deal.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or acceleration, Illusory Gains allows you to use opponents’ creatures without spending resources on your own, indirectly saving mana and potentially gaining the effects of creatures that accelerate your resources.

Instant Speed: Though Illusory Gains itself is an enchantment, it responds at instant speed to the summoning of new creatures. This flexibility lets you adapt on the fly and seize the most tactically advantageous creatures as they enter the battlefield.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Illusory Gains requires a player to give up control of the enchantment when a new creature enters the battlefield under an opponent’s control, which can be likened to an involuntary discard. This can diminish your board presence and disrupt synergies or plans established with the originally enchanted creature.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specific mana cost that includes two blue mana symbols, Illusory Gains may not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks. Its requirement for a double blue mana commitment can impact the fluidity of a deck’s mana base, potentially causing inconsistencies in gameplay.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Illusory Gains might be considered expensive for an effect that is dependent on your opponent’s actions. Particularly in formats where tempo and mana efficiency are crucial, there are alternative control or steal effects available that are less mana-intensive and offer more direct control over the game’s outcome.

Reasons to Include Illusory Gains in Your Collection

Versatility: Illusory Gains offers a unique control dynamic, as it can continually move from one creature to the next. This makes it a valuable asset in decks that thrive on commandeering opponents’ resources and disrupting their play.

Combo Potential: This enchantment boasts combo potential in decks that manipulate creature ownership. Coupling Illusory Gains with cards that force your opponent to cast creatures, or with bounce spells, can set up potent interactions and continuous control of the best creatures on the board.

Meta-Relevance: The value of Illusory Gains can rise as the meta shifts toward creature-heavy strategies. Being able to temporarily seize key creatures can swing games in your favor, making it a sneaky and potent inclusion for staying one step ahead in the current meta.

How to beat

Illusory Gains is a tricky enchantment that can lead to complex board states in Magic: The Gathering. Unlike straightforward removal or countermagic, Illusory Gains offers a more nuanced approach to gaining temporary control of your opponent’s creatures. It latches onto the latest creature that entered the battlefield under an opponent’s control, turning the tide of battle in your favor. This can disrupt an opponent’s strategy, especially if they rely on combo pieces or critical creatures.

To overcome the challenge posed by Illusory Gains, consider utilizing creatures with minimal impact when entering the battlefield or those that have already activated their valuable enter-the-battlefield abilities. Additionally, playing low-value creatures can bait the enchantment’s trigger, allowing for more strategically important creatures to be played afterward. Cards that can return your own creatures to your hand or sacrifice them for a benefit also prove effective. Should you gain control of a creature owned by an opponent with Illusory Gains, sacrificing or bouncing it to their hand before the enchantment shifts can prove to be a clever play.

Overall, defeating Illusory Gains calls for careful planning and timing. By understanding the way Illusory Gains manipulates creature control, you can adapt your strategy and turn this deceptive enchantment to your advantage.

Cards like Illusory Gains

Illusory Gains is a unique enchantment in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering that shifts control of creatures on the battlefield. Its closest relative in this mechanics category is Control Magic, a classic card that permanently takes control of a creature for as long as the enchantment remains on the battlefield. However, Illusory Gains has a dynamic edge, transferring to a new creature whenever another one enters the battlefield under an opponent’s control.

Confiscate presents itself as another competitor in the realm of control-changing Magic cards. While Control Magic and Illusory Gains target creatures specifically, Confiscate extends its reach by allowing a player to take control of any permanent, offering broader strategic implications. In contrast to the shifting control of Illusory Gains, Confiscate remains static, providing players with a constant advantage. Yet, the versatility and prolonged control can come at a higher mana cost.

When evaluating these cards side by side, Magic players will find that Illusory Gains presents an intriguing playstyle, constantly adapting to the ever-changing battlefield, while its counterparts offer a more predictable but potentially more controlling approach.

Cards similar to Illusory Gains by color, type and mana cost

Heightened Awareness - MTG Card versions

Reflections of Littjara - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Illusory Gains MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Illusory Gains and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Illusory Gains has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-02-25	If Illusory Gains can’t legally enchant the creature that enters the battlefield (perhaps because it has protection from blue), it remains where it is. You retain control of the creature it’s currently enchanting.
2015-02-25	If multiple creatures enter the battlefield under an opponent’s control at the same time, Illusory Gains will trigger for each of them. You may put these abilities on the stack in any order. As each resolves, you’ll briefly gain control of the associated creature. The last one to resolve determines which one you’ll ultimately control.
2015-02-25	Illusory Gains’s last ability is mandatory. You can’t choose to have Illusory Gains not move.
2015-02-25	The last ability of Illusory Gains doesn’t target the new creature. It will become attached to that creature even if that creature has hexproof or shroud.