Ancestral Vision MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Suspend

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts card draw with a four-card advantage upon resolution, vital for maintaining hand options.
  2. Instant speed suspension adds strategic depth, letting players keep mana open for responses.
  3. Integrates well in control decks and combo strategies, valuable for long-term play advantages.

Text of card

Ancestral Vision is blue. Suspend 4— (Rather than play this card from your hand, pay and remove it from the game with four time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When you remove the last, play it without paying its mana cost.) Target player draws three cards.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ancestral Vision provides a significant boost in card draw, offering four cards with a single cast. This substantial influx can be a game-changer, ensuring that players have enough options in hand to keep the pressure on opponents or find the right answers to threats on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While Ancestral Vision doesn’t directly generate mana, the resource acceleration comes from its cost-efficiency. With no mana cost at the time of suspension, it allows players to utilize their mana for other spells and actions while setting up a powerful draw for future turns.

Instant Speed: Despite Ancestral Vision being a sorcery, its unique mechanic allows it to be suspended at instant speed during your turn. This means you can pass the turn without casting anything, keeping your mana available for reactions, and then suspend Ancestral Vision at the end if no actions were needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike traditional draw spells, Ancestral Vision doesn’t allow you to draw cards immediately, as it must first be suspended. This delay can be a significant drawback when you’re looking for an instant impact on the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Ancestral Vision’s blue mana requirement signals that it’s a staple in primarily blue decks. However, this specificity means it might not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks that need a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With zero mana to cast initially but a four-turn wait due to suspend, Ancestral Vision can often be overshadowed by other draw spells with immediate effects. In the fast-paced environment of modern MTG play, waiting four turns can sometimes be too slow, making it a less appealing option in comparison to other card draw mechanics that offer more immediate results.


Reasons to Include Ancestral Vision in Your Collection

Versatility: Ancestral Vision is a flexible addition to decks that thrive on card advantage. Its ability to suspend from game start adds strategic early game plays, aligning well with various control or tempo decks.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in combo decks, serving as a powerful draw engine. It’s especially useful in tandem with cascade mechanics, which can bypass its suspend restriction for an immediate impactful play.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy with control matchups where games last longer, Ancestral Vision shines by providing significant card draw without the immediate mana cost, giving players more resources to outlast opponents.


How to beat Ancestral Vision

Ancestral Vision is a powerful suspend card that allows players to draw three cards with no mana cost after waiting for four turns. To effectively combat this card, disrupting the opponent’s game plan is key. Using counter spells specifically designed to target suspended cards can prevent Ancestral Vision from resolving. Additionally, hand disruption techniques that force the opponent to discard can also be effective, particularly if you target Ancestral Vision before it’s suspended or the player’s hand after they’ve drawn extra cards.

Another key strategy involves applying pressure early in the game. Since Ancestral Vision takes time to set up, a quick, aggressive deck can potentially defeat an opponent before they benefit from the extra cards. Moreover, effects that exile cards from the opponent’s hand can eliminate Ancestral Vision before it comes into play. It’s critical to keep the tempo and maintain control over the board, ensuring that by the time Ancestral Vision is ready to be cast, you’re in a commanding position to win.

Ultimately, understanding the timing of your opponent’s plays and maintaining control over the game’s pace can turn Ancestral Vision from a game-changer to a non-factor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Ancestral Vision stands out in MTG as a distinct and powerful strategy tool for card advantage. Diving into its potential will not only boost your deck’s effectiveness but also deepen your understanding of game mechanics. When you grasp the nuances of timing and deck synergy, this card transforms into a formidable asset. Are you looking to enhance your control or combo plays? Ancestral Vision could be a prime candidate for your collection. Unleash its potential by learning how to craft a deck that capitalizes on its unique abilities and be prepared to outmaneuver your opponents with clever strategy and patience. Step up your game and thrive in competitive play. Ready for a deeper dive? We’re here to guide your journey to mastery.


Cards like Ancestral Vision

Ancestral Vision draws attention as a standout card in Magic: The Gathering, primarily for its ability to provide significant card advantage without a mana cost at the time of casting. Akin to this concept is the iconic Ancestral Recall, a much more powerful but restricted card that offers an immediate draw of three cards. What distinguishes Ancestral Vision from its ancestral counterpart is the suspend mechanic, requiring players to wait four turns before reaping its benefits.

Another card that shares a semblance with Ancestral Vision is Serum Visions. Although it offers the draw effect immediately for one mana, it only provides one card followed by the setup ability of scrying two cards. This makes Ancestral Vision a more potent choice for long-term strategy. Conversely, we can look at Treasure Cruise, a card that also delves into the strategy of drawing multiple cards. Treasure Cruise is similar in that it has the potential for a low mana cost, but it requires setup by filling the graveyard to utilize the delve mechanic effectively.

In understanding the nuances of each card, it’s apparent why Ancestral Vision maintains a unique place in MTG, especially in formats where setting future plays is as critical as immediate advantages.

Ancestral Recall - MTG Card versions
Serum Visions - MTG Card versions
Treasure Cruise - MTG Card versions
Ancestral Recall - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Serum Visions - Arena League 2004 (PAL04)
Treasure Cruise - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Cards similar to Ancestral Vision by color, type and mana cost

Inevitable Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Inevitable Betrayal - Modern Horizons 2 Promos (PMH2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ancestral Vision MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, 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 Ancestral Vision and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ancestral Vision Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 482003normalblackMark Poole
22008-11-07Duel Decks: Jace vs. ChandraDD2 212003normalblackMark Poole
32014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. ChandraJVC 212015normalblackMark Poole
42017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 422015normalblackJohn Avon
52021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 522015normalblackMark Poole

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ancestral Vision has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 Although originally printed with a characteristic-defining ability that defined its color, this card now has a color indicator. This color indicator can’t be affected by text-changing effects (such as the one created by Crystal Spray), although color-changing effects can still overwrite it.
2021-06-18 A card with no mana cost can’t be cast normally; you’ll need a way to cast it for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost, such as by suspending it.
2021-06-18 As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don’t want to target. Timing permissions based on the card’s type are ignored.
2021-06-18 Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
2021-06-18 Exiling a card with suspend isn’t casting that card. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to.
2021-06-18 If a card with no mana cost is given an alternative cost equal to its mana cost (by Snapcaster Mage, for example), that cost cannot be paid and the card cannot be cast this way.
2021-06-18 If an effect refers to a “suspended card,” that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.
2021-06-18 If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2021-06-18 If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card’s owner’s next upkeep.
2021-06-18 If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can’t be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended.
2021-06-18 If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it’s exiled.
2021-06-18 If you can’t cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended.
2021-06-18 If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” such as with suspend, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.
2021-06-18 Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it’s on the stack).
2021-06-18 The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn’t paid.
2021-06-18 When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn’t matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
2021-06-18 You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile.
2021-06-18 You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage’s ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.

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