Inundate MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 2008-07-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Eventide |
| Set code | EVE |
| Number | 25 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mark Zug |
Key Takeaways
- Inundate offers instant-speed board reset, allowing strategic responses to opponents’ plays.
- The card requires precise mana and a discard, limiting its use in some decks.
- Despite its high mana cost, Inundate can be crucial for control decks in creature-dense metas.
Text of card
Return all nonblue creatures to their owners' hands.
"For years, the landfolk have emptied their refuse into the waters. It's time to return the favor."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Inundate provides a sweeping effect by returning all creatures to their owners’ hands. This can significantly refill your hand, especially when facing a board with multiple creatures, tipping the balance of card quantity in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: Although Inundate itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, clearing the board opens the path for your subsequent plays. It effectively delays your opponents’ development, giving you time to accelerate your own resources without the pressure of opposing creatures.
Instant Speed: The real power of Inundate lies in its instant speed capability. This allows you to strategically respond to your opponent’s moves, holding back until the most opportune moment before the end of their turn to reset the board. It offers flexibility, letting you untap with a clear table and full control over your next moves.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when considering Inundate for your deck is its discard requirement. Casting this card necessitates a sacrifice, potentially stripping your hand of valuable assets just to get its effect on the board. This trade-off can leave you in a risky position, especially if your hand is already running thin.
Specific Mana Cost: Inundate demands a precise blend of mana types to be played effectively. Its specific mana cost, which includes a significant amount of blue mana, can be restrictive. This card is not ideal for multicolored decks that might struggle to yield such a specialized mana combination consistently, therefore reducing its overall flexibility within the broader range of strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In magic, efficiency is key, and Inundate confronts players with a high mana investment. While its effect can be potent in the right context, there are alternatives available that may offer similar impacts on the game without such a steep mana curve. Savvy players often weigh the mana cost against the potential returns carefully, and Inundate may not always make the cut when other less mana-intensive options are on the table.
Reasons to Include Inundate in Your Collection
Versatility: Inundate offers a sweeping effect that can clear the board of all nonblue creatures, making it a flexible tool for control decks that need to stabilize against a wide range of threats. Its ability to affect multiple targets makes it an asset in games that shift rapidly.
Combo Potential: This card pairs exceptionally well with strategies that capitalize on your opponents having an empty battlefield. When combined with cards that inhibit creature plays or benefit from summoning sickness, Inundate can act as a powerful deterrent and control mechanism.
Meta-Relevance: Particularly effective if creature-heavy decks are dominant in the meta. It can serve as a reset button in matchups where the opponent relies on building a formidable creature presence to win. Having Inundate in your collection ensures preparedness for such prevailing trends and can swing games in your favor.
How to beat
Inundate is a Magic: The Gathering card that can turn the tide of a game by allowing a player to return all non-blue creatures to their owners’ hands. This powerful bounce effect can disrupt an opponent’s strategy, especially in formats where board presence is critical. To effectively counter Inundate, consider using decks that emphasize resilience and can recover quickly from such setbacks.
Utilizing blue creatures is a straightforward strategy. Since Inundate only targets non-blue creatures, having a blue-centric deck shields you from its impact. Alternatively, cards with the “flash” ability allow you to redeploy your creatures after Inundate resolves, maintaining your threats on the board. Including instant-speed spells that can be cast on your opponent’s turn minimizes the tempo loss caused by Inundate. Lastly, having countermeasures against spell casting, such as “Negate” or “Dovin’s Veto,” in your hand ensures that you can prevent Inundate from taking effect in the first place.
By planning ahead and adapting your deck to anticipate such controlling moves, you can diminish the advantage Inundate brings to the table, keeping your gameplay smooth and your creatures in play.
Cards like Inundate
Inundate is a spell in Magic: The Gathering that can be pivotal in the control battle. It’s often compared to cards like Flood of Tears, given that both lead to massive board resets. Inundate, with its specific requirement of returning all nonblue creatures to their owners’ hands, targets decks less reliant on blue creatures. Flood of Tears, however, allows a player to return all creatures, potentially setting up for a big play by putting a permanent onto the battlefield.
Another similar card is Whelming Wave, which also disrupts creature strategies but differs as it spares Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents from the sweep. Comparatively, Inundate does not discriminate based on creature type, offering a more consistent reset against varied creature-based decks. Cyclonic Rift is a more versatile option, which, when overloaded, returns all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, not just creatures. It’s renowned for its sudden impact at instant speed, while Inundate’s sorcery speed requires more strategic timing.
These cards play formidable roles in MTG control decks. While each has its niche, Inundate may appeal to players aiming for a targeted clearing against nonblue heavy decks, emphasizing its place in specific strategic setups.
Cards similar to Inundate by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Inundate MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Inundate 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Inundate has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Inundate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-08-01 | A hybrid creature that’s blue and another color is *not* a nonblue creature. Since it’s blue, it can’t be nonblue! |
