Prismatic Ward MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 47

Fifth Edition (5ED)
1997-03-24 - Number 53

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Key Takeaways

Prismatic Ward excels in card protection, ensuring key creatures dodge targeted spells.
Instant speed allows surprise plays, turning the tide during critical turns.
Demands careful mana management and strategic discards, presenting a trade-off.

Text of card

When Prismatic Ward comes into play, choose a color; all damage dealt to target creature by sources of that color is reduced to 0.

"These, of all spells, must have common components I can isolate and use." —Halvor Arensson, Kjeldoran Priest

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Prismatic Ward encourages strategic deck building to gain card advantage. By choosing the right color for protection, it can effectively prevent opponents from targeting a treasured creature. This card ensures that your creature stays on the battlefield, maintaining your board presence and allowing you to press the advantage.

Resource Acceleration: In resource acceleration, this enchantment has indirect benefits. While not providing a direct ramp, protecting a pivotal mana dork or a creature with land-fetching abilities can be crucial in maintaining or accelerating your mana curve. Prismatic Ward turns your utility creatures into robust investments.

Instant Speed: Its instant speed nature gives Prismatic Ward a significant edge, allowing for reactive play during your opponent’s turn. This element of surprise can foil an opponent’s removal spell or combat trick, preserving your game plan and keeping you one step ahead in the bout. Whether it’s dodging a targeted spell or an unexpected combat phase, Prismatic Ward’s instant speed is a game-changer.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Prismatic Ward adds versatility to your defense, it demands a card to be discarded from your hand. This creates a strategic drawback, particularly in situations where your hand size is critical to maintain board control or enact your win conditions. Discarding can inadvertently deplete your resources and affect your ability to respond to opponents’ moves effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Prismatic Ward’s mana cost is explicitly color-intensive, requiring a precise combination of mana to play. For players running a multicolored deck, this can pose a challenge, potentially causing delays in casting or even rendering the card unplayable at crucial moments if the mana base isn’t properly managed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the utility of Prismatic Ward against its mana investment, it’s evident that it has a comparatively high cost. This leaves players weighing its defensive benefits against other cards that could potentially provide a more impactful presence on the battlefield or a more cost-effective means of protection for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Prismatic Ward is a powerful accessory for decks demanding dynamic protection. It offers a shield against a designated color, making it adaptable for any deck facing a color-heavy opponent.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations with cards that benefit from protection spells, or in decks that exploit enchantments to unlock potent synergies and escalate your defensive line.

Meta-Relevance: Prismatic Ward gains importance in metas dominated by mono-color decks or where specific color threats are prevalent. It provides an invaluable layer of security, turning critical spells or creatures invulnerable to targeted removal or damage of the chosen color.

How to beat

Prismatic Ward is a powerful card from the ever-evolving roster of Magic: The Gathering spells. This defensive piece in a player’s arsenal is known for offering protection against specific colors, which can make it a fortress against certain decks. It’s not just a shield but a strategic tool that can turn the tide of battle by rendering your opponent’s spells ineffective if they’re relying heavily on one color.

To successfully navigate around Prismatic Ward, versatility in your deck building is key. Playing a multicolored deck increases your chances to bypass the single-color protection barrier. Cards that feature colorless damage or effects that don’t target, like board wipes or global enchantments, are also good countermeasures. Utility spells that can alter a card’s color momentarily or that can hit all colors at once may help penetrate the ward’s defenses. Lastly, having a way to remove enchantments directly from the battlefield is crucial, whether that is through naturalize effects or universal removal spells.

Therefore, adapting to Prismatic Ward’s challenge is about having the right tools at your disposal. A well-rounded deck that can pivot strategies and includes a variety of answers will stand a much better chance against the protection this card provides.

Cards like Prismatic Ward

Prismatic Ward is a unique protective spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It shares its space with a collection of protective enchantments such as Spectra Ward which, much like Prismatic Ward, grants substantial defensive bonuses. While Spectra Ward offers a broad protection from all colors, it doesn’t allow for flexibility or customization based on the opponent’s deck, a niche that Prismatic Ward fills by letting players choose the color that it protects from.

Another enchantment in close comparison is Brave the Elements, which although not lasting, gives a one-time protection from a chosen color for white creatures. This card is less mana-intensive and can affect multiple creatures, yet it lacks the sustained resilience provided by Prismatic Ward. Then there is the more costly Magebane Armor, which also gives multifaceted defense but comes with a higher cost and is restricted to artifacts.

As we consider the trade-offs and situational benefits amongst these choices, it’s clear that Prismatic Ward has a specialized role, especially in tailored strategies against decks heavy in a single color, setting it apart as a versatile option in defensive enchantments.

Cards similar to Prismatic Ward by color, type and mana cost

Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions

I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Prismatic Ward MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Prismatic Ward and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Prismatic Ward Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by 2 different artists.