Death Wish MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Released	2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set name	Judgment
Set code	JUD
Number	64
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jeff Easley

Key Takeaways

Death Wish allows access to cards outside the game, expanding strategic options beyond your deck’s confines.
Requires careful timing and hand management to mitigate significant hand and life payment costs.
While versatile, its strict black mana requirement may limit its use in multicolored decks.

Text of card

Choose a card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand. You lose half your life, rounded up. Remove Death Wish from the game.

He wished for power, but not for the longevity to abuse it.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Death Wish gives players the unique ability to retrieve vital cards from outside the game, offering an unexpected edge by broadening their pool of resources. This bypasses conventional draw limits and can be pivotal in long, drawn-out matches where strategic advantage becomes paramount.

Resource Acceleration: While not a resource accelerator in the typical sense, being able to select a specific non-game card means you can pick something that could potentially accelerate your resources. Whether it’s a land, artifact, or enchantment, this option strategically speeds up your gameplay at a crucial moment.

Instant Speed: Though Death Wish isn’t an instant, the flexibility of choosing when to cast it during your own turn can be crucial. It’s essential to weigh the optimal moment to use Death Wish, keeping in mind the card loss and life payment, to maximize its potential effect on the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Death Wish requires you to discard your hand, which can place you at a severe disadvantage, especially if your strategy relies on options or responses in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a strict mana requirement, demanding two black and one colorless mana, restraining its integration in multi-color decks that may not consistently generate the needed black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana, Death Wish is costlier compare to alternative modal cards that might provide immediate impact or versatility, which can be critical depending on the pace of the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Death Wish grants you the unique ability to pull any card from outside the game into your hand. This means it can be adapted to a wide variety of situations and enables you to react to an unpredictable gameplay environment.

Combo Potential: By reaching into your sideboard, Death Wish can set up game-winning combinations by fetching the perfect piece at the right time. It’s a key part of strategies that revolve around assembling several card interactions.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves and various meta-game scenarios develop, Death Wish remains relevant by allowing players to access answers or threats specifically tailored to counter or exploit prevalent deck archetypes.

How to Beat Death Wish

Death Wish stands out among MTG cards for its unique capability to retrieve any card you desire from outside the game. But this power doesn’t come without a price – a steep one in life points, which could leave you vulnerable to counterattacks. To outmaneuver Death Wish, consider employing disruption strategies such as hand disruption that force the opponent to discard their key pieces before they can be retrieved. Cards like Thoughtseize can effectively strip Death Wish from an opponent’s grip before they can cast it.

Another strategy involves countering Death Wish directly with spells like Counterspell, therefore preventing its potential to tip the scales. If Death Wish does resolve, prepare to deal with the fetched card quickly. Cards such as Pithing Needle can neutralize specific noncreature cards by preventing their activated abilities. Always remember that timing and anticipating your opponent’s moves are crucial in gaining the upper hand against strategies that rely on cards like Death Wish. Keep their graveyard in check too – cards such as Relic of Progenitus can remove key cards from the game entirely, mitigating the impact of their wishes.

In essence, while Death Wish can summon powerful tools for your opponent, a well-constructed deck with answers to threats both on and off the battlefield can keep you firmly in control of the game.

Cards like Death Wish

Death Wish offers an intriguing tactical option for players who strategically maneuver through their games. As a card that allows a player to choose a card from outside the game, it’s a unique card with few close relatives within the Magic: The Gathering universe. Its nearest counterpart is the renowned Mastermind’s Acquisition, which offers a similar choice between a card from outside the game or your own deck at the cost of an additional mana, providing increased flexibility.

Another somewhat akin spell is Burning Wish, which is more focused in its approach, only permitting players to retrieve a sorcery card from outside the game for a lower mana expense. This creates a narrow but often a more tactically predictable game plan. Glittering Wish differs again—fetching only multicolored cards from outside the game, it limits options but, in return, caters to specific deck-building strategies.

Death Wish’s life loss stipulation adds considerable risk to its power, demanding careful calculation and timing, unlike its counterparts. In decks designed to manipulate life total or with the ability to mitigate the life cost, Death Wish can be an exceptionally potent tool that, while risky, potentially garners significant payoff for the daring strategist in Magic: The Gathering.

Mastermind's Acquisition - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Death Wish by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Death Wish has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Can’t acquire the Ante cards. They are considered still “in the game” as are cards in the library and the graveyard.
2007-05-01	If you fail to find something, you still exile this.
2007-05-01	If you fail to find something, you still lose half your life, rounded up.
2007-05-01	The choice is optional.
2007-09-16	Can’t acquire cards that are phased out.
2009-10-01	In a sanctioned event, a card that’s “outside the game” is one that’s in your sideboard. In an unsanctioned event, you may choose any card from your collection.
2009-10-01	You can’t acquire exiled cards because those cards are still in one of the game’s zones.