Forbidden Alchemy MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 13 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Flashback

Key Takeaways

  1. Forbidden Alchemy provides a significant selection advantage, diving into the top four cards to shape your game plan.
  2. The card’s graveyard filling effect accelerates strategies, meshing well with various MTG mechanics.
  3. With instant speed, Forbidden Alchemy offers adaptability and tactical surprises during opponents’ turns.

Text of card

Look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Forbidden Alchemy offers the player a powerful selection tool, delving through the top four cards of the deck to get just the right piece needed for the puzzle. This not only gives you an immediate edge by choosing the best from those cards but also sets up future plays.

Resource Acceleration: The remaining cards are not wasted—they go directly into your graveyard, which can be harnessed by different mechanics or spells that interact with graveyard resources, effectively accelerating your strategy.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Forbidden Alchemy can be wielded on an opponent’s turn, keeping your options open and surprise intact. This flexibility lets you adapt to the board state and react accordingly, making it a strong tactical choice in any game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Delving into Forbidden Alchemy comes with a cost that could disrupt your hand. You’re compelled to discard cards, which might leave you in a precarious position if your arsenal of cards is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Forbidden Alchemy’s thirst for specific mana types can hinder its inclusion in decks that can’t reliably generate blue mana, potentially limiting the diversity of decks where it’s a viable option.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Forbidden Alchemy offers the strategic advantage of digging into your deck, its four mana investment may be a costly detour compared to alternative cards that provide a more direct route to acquiring similar benefits at a lower mana expenditure.


Reasons to Include Forbidden Alchemy in Your Collection

Versatility: Forbidden Alchemy boasts a flexible design that allows it to be included in a variety of decks. This card can help with digging deep into your library to find the answers you need or the pieces to complete your game plan.

Combo Potential: With its ability to fill up your graveyard, Forbidden Alchemy is an excellent enabler for graveyard-based strategies or decks that capitalize on flashback mechanics. It can be a key component in assembling your combo pieces efficiently.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-evolving nature of the meta, Forbidden Alchemy’s strength lies in its adaptability. It can help you stay ahead by adjusting to various decks you may face, ensuring that your strategy remains resilient against a wide array of opponents.


How to beat Forbidden Alchemy

Forbidden Alchemy holds a unique spot among card advantage tools in Magic: The Gathering. It delves deeply into the deck, presenting a choice of the top four cards, thus charting the course of the game. Unlike direct draw spells, this card filters through the options, depositing unselected cards into the graveyard. Players can capitalize on this graveyard-stocking effect, which is a double-edged sword worth considering.

Confronting Forbidden Alchemy calls for strategies that disrupt the graveyard synergy. Utilizing cards that exile the graveyard, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Rest in Peace, negates the benefits that come from Forbidden Alchemy’s milling aspect. Additionally, employing counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent Forbidden Alchemy from resolving, eliminating the threat entirely. Another approach is to apply pressure via aggressive creatures or threats that must be answered, which can restrict your opponent’s mana and opportunity to effectively use Forbidden Alchemy’s flashback option.

In essence, sidestepping the advantages Forbidden Alchemy affords revolves around anticipating its role within the deck and being proactive with graveyard control or strategic countermagic. Successfully navigating against its strategic value can ensure a stronger position in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Aspiring deckbuilders and tactical minds of MTG, Forbidden Alchemy is a card to consider for its utility in card selection and graveyard strategy enhancement. It’s a versatile spell capable of setting up future moves and enabling combo plays. When considering deck composition and the current metagame, this card can be a valuable asset in maintaining competitiveness. As always, there are ways to optimize your gameplay and Forbidden Alchemy could be the hidden gem for your deck. Keen to understand how this can be a game-changer for you? Dive into our insights where we unlock the potential of Forbidden Alchemy and more strategic aspects of MTG.


Cards like Forbidden Alchemy

Forbidden Alchemy is a strategic card selection tool in Magic: The Gathering, offering players the ability to deeply search their library. Much like Taigam’s Scheming, Forbidden Alchemy allows for significant manipulation of a deck, presenting an opportunity to dig four cards deep. Still, Forbidden Alchemy brings an additional upside with its flashback ability, giving it a reusability that Taigam’s Scheming lacks.

Another comparator is Strategic Planning, which provides a similar effect of looking at the top three cards and taking one into your hand, with the rest ending up in your graveyard. However, Strategic Planning costs one less mana to cast, aligning it more with early game plays, while Forbidden Alchemy’s late game potential excels with its higher casting cost and flashback utility. Also, in the mix is Anticipate, which permits players to look at the top three cards and pick one immediately, but it misses offering the same level of graveyard setup that Forbidden Alchemy provides.

Ultimately, within the spectrum of library manipulation and card advantage in Magic: The Gathering, Forbidden Alchemy distinguishes itself with a potent combination of deep search and twice the utility thanks to flashback, solidifying its place as a versatile staple in graveyard-centric decks.

Taigam's Scheming - MTG Card versions
Strategic Planning - MTG Card versions
Anticipate - MTG Card versions
Taigam's Scheming - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Strategic Planning - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Anticipate - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)

Cards similar to Forbidden Alchemy by color, type and mana cost

Essence Vortex - MTG Card versions
Undermine - MTG Card versions
Recoil - MTG Card versions
Perplex - MTG Card versions
Soul Manipulation - MTG Card versions
Psychic Strike - MTG Card versions
Dihada's Ploy - MTG Card versions
Sauron's Ransom - MTG Card versions
Essence Vortex - Ice Age (ICE)
Undermine - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Recoil - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Perplex - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Soul Manipulation - The List (PLST)
Psychic Strike - Gatecrash (GTC)
Dihada's Ploy - Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
Sauron's Ransom - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Forbidden Alchemy MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad, 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 Forbidden Alchemy and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Forbidden Alchemy Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 452032003normalblackRandy Gallegos
22011-09-30InnistradISD 552003normalblackDavid Rapoza
32012-01-01Friday Night Magic 2012F12 72003normalblackRandy Gallegos
42016-02-26Duel Decks: Blessed vs. CursedDDQ 432015normalblackDavid Rapoza
52017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 382015normalblackDavid Rapoza
62018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 562015normalblackDavid Rapoza
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 3852015normalblackDavid Rapoza
82020-09-26The ListPLST MM3-382015normalblackDavid Rapoza
92021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 842015normalblackDavid Rapoza
102022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 492015normalblackDavid Rapoza
112023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 152015normalblackDavid Rapoza
122023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 1912015normalblackManuel Castañón
132024-02-23Ravnica: Clue EditionCLU 862015normalblackDavid Rapoza

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Forbidden Alchemy has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 If you have fewer than four cards in your library, you'll look at all the cards there and put one into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
2021-03-19 "Flashback
-ost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."
2021-03-19 A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-03-19 If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-03-19 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-03-19 You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-03-19 You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.

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