Oketra's Last Mercy MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides a major life total reset, ideal for combating aggressive strategies and sustaining yourself in the late game.
  2. Demands smart play due to the turn skip downside, which can be mitigated by precise timing and board state assessment.
  3. Excels in life-based strategies, serving as a linchpin for combos while remaining a substantial sideboard option in diverse meta.

Text of card

Your life total becomes equal to your starting life total. Lands you control don't untap during your next untap step.

To the end, all Oketra did was for others.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though not a direct form of drawing cards, Oketra’s Last Mercy resets your life total, which can be a significant swing in your favor. Particularly in formats where life resources are quickly depleted, being able to reset to your starting life total can effectively negate the progress an opponent has made, keeping you in the game and maintaining your odds of winning.

Resource Acceleration: While Oketra’s Last Mercy does not accelerate resources in the traditional sense, the life total reset can be seen as a form of acceleration towards a winning state, especially in strategies revolving around life gain. It can offer a safety net for taking risks early on or for playing aggressively without the drawback of a low life total.

Instant Speed: Oketra’s Last Mercy is a sorcery; however, its impact is comparable to a game-changing instant. Though it must be played during your main phase, the effect can significantly alter the course of the game, akin to powerful instant-speed interactions. A well-timed use of Oketra’s Last Mercy after a particularly damaging turn from an opponent can reverse fortunes in an instant-like manner.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Oketra’s Last Mercy does not explicitly require a discard, it asks players to reset their lands, and that can feel like discarding an entire turn’s worth of resources. This sacrificial resetting of lands can severely delay subsequent plays, requiring a well-timed strategy to avoid self-sabotage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a distinct mana allocation with two white sources and one of any color. The commitment to white mana might make it more challenging to fit in multi-colored decks that spread their mana base across various colors, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion only to mono-white or heavily white-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three, including two that must be white, Oketra’s Last Mercy could be seen as a significant investment, especially in a color that typically prioritizes low-cost creatures and quick plays. Considering its restriction on land use after casting, the card may not be as immediately appealing when compared to other life-gaining alternatives that have a lower cost and less disruptive drawbacks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Oketra’s Last Mercy offers a unique reset button in decks that can afford a single turn without lands. It is an unexpected tide turner, effectively negating damage from aggressive starts.

Combo Potential: This card opens the door for strategies that manipulate life totals. With the right setup, it can be used as a devastating combo with cards that benefit from large life changes or have payoffs for setting your life total to a higher number.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where aggressive burn decks or strategies that aim to quickly reduce life totals prevail, Oketra’s Last Mercy can be the perfect foil. It’s a capable sideboard card, ensuring continued relevance across various metagame conditions.


How to beat

Oketra’s Last Mercy is a unique card in the landscape of MTG, capable of resetting its controller’s life total to their starting life in one swift move. This powerful reset button can appear as a daunting challenge to overcome when you’re on the verge of victory. Addressing this sorcery requires a blend of foresight and strategic resource management. Since it sets the controller’s lands to be untapped next turn, timing your threats effectively becomes essential. Applying pressure when your opponent is unable to cast the spell due to land restrictions or has already used their lands can mitigate the impact of this life reset.

It’s also beneficial to not overextend your attacks when you suspect Oketra’s Last Mercy could be played. Keeping counterspells or discarding abilities ready can thwart your opponent’s plans and grant you control over the game’s pace. Utilize cards that strip resources from your opponent’s hand or punish life gain strategies. In this case, cards like Tainted Remedy or Erebos, God of the Dead can turn the tide by turning their massive life gain into a liability. Understanding and anticipating this cards dynamics, while knowing when to apply pressure and when to hold back, is key to conquering Oketra’s Last Mercy and clinching the win.


Cards like Oketra's Last Mercy

Oketra’s Last Mercy is an interesting card in Magic: The Gathering, as it offers a potent life reset button. It shines when compared to other life-gaining options. Take for instance, ‘Renewed Faith’, which also grants life gain, though significantly less, with flexibility to be cycled for new cards. The distinction here is in the absolute life reset that Oketra’s Last Mercy provides, no matter the life differential.

Another counterpart, ‘Approach of the Second Sun’, may not offer the immediate life reset but can ultimately secure victory on its second cast. Still, it lacks the quick defense that Oketra’s Last Mercy can provide in a dire situation. Then we have ‘Resolute Archangel’, which, similar to Oketra’s Last Mercy, sets your life total back to your starting life point, yet at a higher mana cost and it places a creature on the battlefield.

Assessing these options, Oketra’s Last Mercy stands out for its capacity to instantly recover from the brink of defeat, making it a strategic choice for players facing high-damage opponents or those looking to turn the tides in a critical moment of gameplay.

Renewed Faith - MTG Card versions
Approach of the Second Sun - MTG Card versions
Resolute Archangel - MTG Card versions
Renewed Faith - Onslaught (ONS)
Approach of the Second Sun - Amonkhet (AKH)
Resolute Archangel - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)

Cards similar to Oketra's Last Mercy by color, type and mana cost

Tivadar's Crusade - MTG Card versions
Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Blinding Light - MTG Card versions
Dust to Dust - MTG Card versions
Warrior's Charge - MTG Card versions
Valorous Charge - MTG Card versions
Bargain - MTG Card versions
Virtuous Charge - MTG Card versions
Riding Red Hare - MTG Card versions
Cleansing Meditation - MTG Card versions
Search for Glory - MTG Card versions
Hive Stirrings - MTG Card versions
Kayla's Reconstruction - MTG Card versions
Council's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Proclamation of Rebirth - MTG Card versions
Marshaling Cry - MTG Card versions
Angelic Blessing - MTG Card versions
Solemn Offering - MTG Card versions
Righteous Charge - MTG Card versions
Timely Reinforcements - MTG Card versions
Tivadar's Crusade - Masters Edition (ME1)
Cleansing - The Dark (DRK)
Blinding Light - Portal (POR)
Dust to Dust - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Warrior's Charge - Portal (POR)
Valorous Charge - Portal (POR)
Bargain - Portal Second Age (P02)
Virtuous Charge - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Riding Red Hare - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Cleansing Meditation - Torment (TOR)
Search for Glory - The List (PLST)
Hive Stirrings - Magic 2014 Promos (PM14)
Kayla's Reconstruction - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Council's Judgment - The List (PLST)
Proclamation of Rebirth - Dissension (DIS)
Marshaling Cry - Future Sight (FUT)
Angelic Blessing - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Solemn Offering - Magic 2014 (M14)
Righteous Charge - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Timely Reinforcements - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Oketra's Last Mercy MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Hour of Devastation Promos, 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 Oketra's Last Mercy and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Oketra's Last Mercy Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2017-07-15. Illustrated by Howard Lyon.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-07-14Hour of DevastationHOU 182015normalblackHoward Lyon
22017-07-15Hour of Devastation PromosPHOU 18s2015normalblackHoward Lyon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Oketra's Last Mercy has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-07-14 For your life total to become your starting life total (normally 20), you gain or lose the appropriate amount of life. For example, if your life total is 4 when Oketra’s Last Mercy resolves, it will cause you to gain 16 life; alternatively, if your life total is 25 when it resolves, it will cause you to lose 5 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.
2017-07-14 If more than one spell says that lands you control don’t untap during your next untap step, the effects will all wear off during that untap step. You’ll untap lands you control during your untap step after that one.
2017-07-14 In a Two-Headed Giant game, Oketra’s Last Mercy causes the team’s life total to become the team’s starting life total (normally 30), but only you actually gain or lose life.
2017-07-14 No lands that you control will untap during your next untap step, even lands that aren’t tapped as this spell resolves. This includes lands that enter the battlefield after this spell resolves.

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