Keep Watch MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Gain substantial card advantage by drawing a card for each attacking creature during combat.
  2. Instant speed allows Keep Watch to be played reactively, providing strategic flexibility.
  3. Limited effectiveness without attacking creatures, making it situationally dependent.

Text of card

Draw a card for each attacking creature.

"I see their moral dilemmas. I see their raw courage. I see their self-sacrifice. I see our victory."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Keep Watch excels in generating card advantage by drawing you a card for each attacking creature. In situations with multiple attackers, this can quickly fill your hand, providing a significant edge over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While Keep Watch itself does not directly accelerate resources, the cards drawn can lead to resource-producing spells or land drops, indirectly contributing to your mana development and allowing for quicker deployment of threats or answers.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Keep Watch grants you the flexibility to assess the battlefield and make an informed decision during the heat of combat. This can provide not only card advantage but a strategic upper hand, allowing you to respond to your opponent’s moves with perfect timing.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While this card doesn’t have a discard requirement, it does necessitate a particular board state to be effective. Without threatening creatures, its utility diminishes significantly, which can be limiting.

Specific Mana Cost: Keep Watch requires one blue mana, which could hinder decks that run multiple colors or those without a reliable source of blue mana, reducing its broad application across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost total of three, including one blue, Keep Watch is competing with other card draw options which could offer greater flexibility or an additional effect at a similar or lower cost threshold.


Reasons to Include Keep Watch in Your Collection

Versatility: Keep Watch is a card that seamlessly integrates into a range of blue-focused decks. Its ability to draw cards based on the number of attacking creatures makes it a great inclusion for control or tempo strategies that aim to maintain a robust hand while dictating the game’s pace.

Combo Potential: In combination-focused decks, Keep Watch can be an enabler, working well with cards that incentivize attacking with a multitude of creatures or those that create token swarms. It can turn an ordinary attack phase into a significant advantage by refueling your hand for the next move.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames often fluctuate between creature-heavy aggro decks and less creature-heavy control or combo decks, Keep Watch serves as a handy tool. It shines in an environment brimming with go-wide strategies, providing card advantage that keeps your responses and threats flowing.


How to beat

Keep Watch is a unique card in the realm that commands a defensive playstyle while potentially rewarding you with a burst of card draw. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, and a swarm of enemy creatures declares an attack, Keep Watch shines by granting you a card for each attacking creature. Its usage is tactical, often changing the tide of the battle by refilling your hand in response to aggressive opponents.

To effectively counter Keep Watch, one strategy involves regulating the number of creatures you commit to an attack. Attacking with fewer creatures limits the card advantage your opponent can gain. Another tactic is using spells that prevent your opponent from drawing additional cards, like Narset, Parter of Veils. This planeswalker limits the card advantage your opponent can get. Additionally, instant-speed removal or disruption can make Keep Watch less efficient by reducing the number of attacking creatures mid-combat, or countering the spell outright with staples like Negate or Dovin’s Veto.

Adaptability is key. By anticipating the play and subtly adjusting your attack patterns, you can navigate around Keep Watch’s card advantage potential, preserving your momentum and thwarting your opponent’s plans.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the MTG world and unlock the secrets of harnessing Keep Watch in your decks. This card’s strength emerges in games brimming with engagement, transforming aggressive onslaughts into an opportunity for card advantage. Whether integrating into blue-centric decks for control dominance or exploiting enemy strategies, Keep Watch can be your secret weapon. Tailor your collection to outpace the meta, and keep your opposition guessing as you draw into victory. For more insights on refining your strategy and expanding your MTG prowess with cards like Keep Watch, connect with us and master the art of the draw.


Cards like Keep Watch

Keep Watch is an intriguing spell for players looking to replenish their hand in Magic: The Gathering, and fits into the card draw category. Like its counterpart, Concentrate, which offers the straightforward draw of three cards for four mana, Keep Watch provides a situational yet possibly more lucrative approach. Instead, it is dependent on the number of attacking creatures, potentially drawing a significant number of cards during a single combat phase.

Delving into another comparison, Blue Sun’s Zenith showcases versatility in card drawing capabilities, allowing a player to invest any amount of mana to draw and then reshuffle it into their library. Unlike Keep Watch, which is contingent on opponents’ actions, Blue Sun’s Zenith grants control over how many cards are drawn. Conversely, Keep Watch can potentially outshine in scenarios with large numbers of attackers, maximizing card advantage without the need for a hefty mana investment.

Considering the spectrum of card draw mechanics, Keep Watch stands out during opponent-heavy attack phases. Its unique potential for swinging a player’s card advantage makes it a notable spell within its category, particularly in multiplayer or token-heavy formats.

Concentrate - MTG Card versions
Blue Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Concentrate - Odyssey (ODY)
Blue Sun's Zenith - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Cards similar to Keep Watch by color, type and mana cost

Mana Short - MTG Card versions
Psionic Blast - MTG Card versions
Capsize - MTG Card versions
Forbid - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Exclude - MTG Card versions
Hibernation - MTG Card versions
Circular Logic - MTG Card versions
Archmage's Charm - MTG Card versions
Commander's Insight - MTG Card versions
Catalog - MTG Card versions
Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Murmurs from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dream Fracture - MTG Card versions
Oona's Grace - MTG Card versions
Cancel - MTG Card versions
Deluge - MTG Card versions
Stoic Rebuttal - MTG Card versions
Dissipate - MTG Card versions
Thunderheads - MTG Card versions
Mana Short - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Psionic Blast - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Capsize - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Forbid - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Frantic Search - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Exclude - Invasion (INV)
Hibernation - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Circular Logic - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Archmage's Charm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Commander's Insight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Catalog - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Thirst for Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2004 (WC04)
Murmurs from Beyond - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Dream Fracture - Eventide (EVE)
Oona's Grace - Eventide (EVE)
Cancel - Ixalan (XLN)
Deluge - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Stoic Rebuttal - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Dissipate - Innistrad (ISD)
Thunderheads - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)

Where to buy

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

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Keep Watch Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-05-27 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by Fred Rahmqvist.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-05-27JudgmentJUD 431997normalblackFred Rahmqvist
22009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 102003normalblackFred Rahmqvist
32023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 982015normalblackFred Rahmqvist

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Keep Watch has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks