Make a Wish MTG Card


Make a Wish - Innistrad
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Released2011-09-30
Set symbol
Set nameInnistrad
Set codeISD
Number192
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byHoward Lyon

Key Takeaways

  1. Make a Wish recovers cards from your graveyard, disrupting opponents and reclaiming resources.
  2. Its specific mana cost and discard requirement may present strategic disadvantages.
  3. Despite its cons, versatile card retrieval makes it a valuable asset in diverse decks.

Text of card

Return two cards at random from your graveyard to your hand.

In Gavony wishing is taken as a sign of weakness, yet the wells usually brim with silver.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Make a Wish provides the unique ability to reclaim two cards from your graveyard, not only giving you access to resources you’ve already used but also potentially disrupting opponents’ graveyard strategies.

Resource Acceleration: By retuning cards back into your hand, it essentially serves as resource acceleration, placing you ahead of opponents in terms of card economy and options available during subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, while Make a Wish doesn’t function at instant speed, its resourcefulness during your main phase can strategically set up your next turn, allowing you to respond to your opponents’ actions with a fresh set of resources.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In order to cast Make a Wish, you must discard a card as part of the casting cost. This can set you back in a tight game where every card in your hand counts. Being forced to lose a potentially crucial piece of your strategy could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Specific Mana Cost: Make a Wish demands a very specific mana cost that might not always be convenient depending on your deck’s mana base. It requires both green mana and generic mana, which can be restrictive and poses a challenge for decks that are not predominantly green or those with a shaky mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost for invoking Make a Wish is on the higher side when you analyze its effects. Other cards might provide similar or even better benefits for less mana, making them more efficient choices in a game where tempo is crucial.


Reasons to Include Make a Wish in Your Collection

Versatility: Make a Wish presents a unique opportunity for players seeking flexibility in their gameplay. Its ability to return random cards from your graveyard to your hand can integrate smoothly into decks that benefit from diverse resources.

Combo Potential: This card shines in its ability to potentially bring back powerful combo pieces that may have been discarded earlier. It can become a strategic asset in reassembling key card interactions to turn the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: Considering fluctuating environments, Make a Wish holds its ground by adapting to various situations. Its role in retrieving essential cards in a long match can prove crucial, maintaining its relevance regardless of the current dominant deck strategies.


How to beat

Make a Wish is an enchanting sorcery that brings an element of chance to the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering. This card allows players to return two random cards from their graveyard to their hand, potentially shifting the game’s momentum. The balance here is quite precarious as the spell’s effectiveness pivots on the graveyard’s composition. Therefore, to counter this card effectively, one strategy is to control your opponent’s graveyard. By using graveyard hate cards such as Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus, you minimize the chance of significant cards being returned to your adversary’s hand.

In addition, since Make a Wish is dependent on the randomness of retrieval, ensuring a graveyard is packed with lower-impact cards can dampen its effect if you cannot clear it entirely. The key is to render the recovery less beneficial or outright useless. Lastly, countering it with instant-speed removal like Counterspell or Thoughtseize can nip the problem in the bud by preventing the spell from ever resolving. Timing and graveyard management are your allies in keeping the whimsical and unpredictable power of Make a Wish under control.


Cards like Make a Wish

Make a Wish is a unique inclusion to the array of recursion cards available in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards like Revive, which allows a player to return a green card from their graveyard to their hand. The distinct difference lies in Make a Wish’s ability to potentially return two random cards at the cost of a sorcery and four mana, higher than Revive’s mere two mana and instant speed.

Recalling the concept of retrieval, Regrowth stands out as another comparative card. Regrowth offers a wider selection, permitting the retrieval of any card from the graveyard, not just green ones. The precision of choosing the card makes Regrowth a powerful staple, albeit it doesn’t have the randomness or potential to return multiple cards that Make a Wish provides.

Examining the scope of graveyard interaction, Make a Wish offers a blend of risk and reward. Its random retrieval mechanic injects an element of chance, which can be potentially more rewarding than the targeted return of Regrowth or the color-specific revival from Revive. Though it may not be as versatile or quick, Make a Wish adds a layer of excitement and gamble to the strategic gameplay that defines Magic: The Gathering.

Revive - MTG Card versions
Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Revive - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Regrowth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Make a Wish by color, type and mana cost

Tsunami - MTG Card versions
Taste of Paradise - MTG Card versions
Splendid Genesis - MTG Card versions
Unyaro Bee Sting - MTG Card versions
Elven Cache - MTG Card versions
Bee Sting - MTG Card versions
Rejuvenate - MTG Card versions
Titania's Boon - MTG Card versions
Splinter - MTG Card versions
Pack Hunt - MTG Card versions
Reverent Silence - MTG Card versions
Creeping Mold - MTG Card versions
Nature's Resurgence - MTG Card versions
Invigorating Falls - MTG Card versions
Natural Order - MTG Card versions
Scapeshift - MTG Card versions
Reap and Sow - MTG Card versions
Fertile Imagination - MTG Card versions
Harmonize - MTG Card versions
Eureka - MTG Card versions
Tsunami - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Taste of Paradise - Alliances (ALL)
Splendid Genesis - Celebration Cards (PCEL)
Unyaro Bee Sting - Mirage (MIR)
Elven Cache - Visions (VIS)
Bee Sting - Portal Second Age (P02)
Rejuvenate - Urza's Saga (USG)
Titania's Boon - Urza's Saga (USG)
Splinter - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Pack Hunt - Nemesis (NEM)
Reverent Silence - Nemesis (NEM)
Creeping Mold - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Nature's Resurgence - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Invigorating Falls - Torment (TOR)
Natural Order - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Scapeshift - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Reap and Sow - Darksteel (DST)
Fertile Imagination - Dissension (DIS)
Harmonize - Fallout (PIP)
Eureka - Masters Edition (ME1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Make a Wish MTG card by a specific set like 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 Make a Wish and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Make a Wish has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Make a Wish 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 only have one card in your graveyard when Make a Wish resolves, that card will be returned to your hand.
2011-09-22 Make a Wish isn’t put into its owner’s graveyard until it is finished resolving, so it can’t be returned by its own effect.
2011-09-22 The cards aren’t randomly chosen until Make a Wish resolves.

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