Mana Tithe MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Mana Tithe influences games by disrupting opponent resources and offers a strategic surprise element.
  2. Instant speed allows players to react adaptively, providing white decks with rare countering capabilities.
  3. While Mana Tithe is a unique tool, mindful play can mitigate its impact, emphasizing its surprise reliance.

Text of card

Counter target spell unless its controller pays .

"Those who seek to upset the balance must be taxed for such ambitions." —Verithain, mesa high priest


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mana Tithe doesn’t directly provide card advantage in the traditional sense, but its ability to counter an opponent’s play can indirectly lead to advantageous situations. It’s about the surprise element and maintaining the upper hand while your opponent expends resources.

Resource Acceleration: While Mana Tithe itself doesn’t accelerate resources, it can effectively delay your opponent’s board state development, giving you a relative acceleration in resources by stalling theirs. It is a strategic tool used to keep the balance of power tilting in your favor.

Instant Speed: Mana Tithe’s strength is significantly attributed to its instant speed interaction. This allows you to react to an opponent’s spell on their turn, preserving the element of surprise and the ability to respond adaptively to threats as they emerge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mana Tithe demands the player to have a card in hand to be effective, as it can only counter an opponent’s spell when used at the right moment. Should a player run low on cards, its utility diminishes, sometimes serving as a dead draw when you need board presence or working resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a white mana for casting, which can be restrictive. Players running multicolored or colorless decks may find it challenging to keep white mana open, thereby reducing the card’s flexibility and potential scenarios where it can be played.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite costing only a single white mana, in the realm of counter spells, Mana Tithe can be less efficient compared to its blue counterparts that may offer lower costs or additional benefits. Given that late game mana is often plentiful, the advantage Mana Tithe provides through its low cost diminishes as the game progresses, possibly making it less impactful than alternative counters with more potent effects.


Reasons to Include Mana Tithe in Your Collection

Versatility: Mana Tithe is a unique card that provides white decks with a rare counterspell option. It can be seamlessly integrated into various decks, supporting strategies that benefit from interrupting opponents’ early plays.

Combo Potential: As a low-cost instant, Mana Tithe can synergize with cards that reward spell casting or interrupting key turns in an opponent’s gameplay, providing you with a tactical edge in building combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame that’s heavy on crucial turn plays or against decks that tend to tap out for big spells, Mana Tithe can be a cost-effective disruptor that few expect from a white deck, often turning the tide of the game.


How to beat

Mana Tithe stands out in the MTG card pool as an effective counter weapon in white decks, a color usually underserved by counter-magic. Most comparable to the blue spell Force Spike, Mana Tithe offers the unique surprise factor in white, which can disrupt opponents not expecting a white mana counter. The strategy lies in its one mana cost, enabling players to hinder early plays or crucial spells while keeping mana open for other actions.

To overcome Mana Tithe’s taxing surprise, it’s crucial to anticipate the potential setback by keeping extra mana untapped. Since Mana Tithe requires the opponent to pay just one additional mana, prioritizing mana efficiency and being cautious with playing into an open white mana can neutralize its advantage. Additionally, playing spells in the post-combat phase, when the opponent has potentially used mana, can reduce the success rate of Mana Tithe considerably. Therefore, a simple yet effective tactic against Mana Tithe is to maintain calculated play, ensuring enough resources to bypass white’s uncommon counterattack.

Therefore, Mana Tithe can play a pivotal role in games by turning the tables unexpectedly, but with composed play style and mindfulness of its presence, it’s a hurdle that can be steadily overcome in Magic: The Gathering matchups.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the depths of MTG, Mana Tithe emerges as a versatile jewel in white’s arsenal—reshaping the norms of countermagic. Considering its pros and cons, integrating this card can pivot critical moments in your favor, especially against unprepared adversaries. Keep in mind that while its shine may wane in late-game scenarios, the initial tempo swing can be game-changing. MTG enthusiasts are invited to enrich their strategic repertoire by welcoming Mana Tithe into their collection. Ready for an unexpected twist in your gameplay? Learn more about this strategic gem and enhance your MTG journey with us.


Cards like Mana Tithe

Mana Tithe holds an interesting place among counter spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its direct comparison is to the iconic Force Spike, which similarly requires a single mana to counter a spell unless its controller pays an additional one mana. Mana Tithe, however, diverges as it adds white mana flexibility to this effect, often associated with blue spells. This allows it to fit into white or white-hybrid deck strategies.

Beyond Force Spike, Mana Leak stands out as a relative to Mana Tithe, demanding two mana to activate and three mana from the opposing player to counteract the effect. Mana Leak is considered stronger in terms of raw countering potential due to its higher cost requirement for the opponent. Conversely, Mana Tithe can be unexpectedly disruptive, especially early in the game or in metas where players tap out their lands routinely.

To sum up, Mana Tithe offers a unique twist on traditional blue counter tactics, providing white decks with unexpected control abilities. It may not be as potent as Mana Leak in terms of sheer power, but the element of surprise and the psychological impact on opponents cannot be discounted within the diverse landscape of Magic: The Gathering’s strategic gameplay.

Force Spike - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Force Spike - Legends (LEG)
Mana Leak - Stronghold (STH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mana Tithe MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Planar Chaos, 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 Mana Tithe and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mana Tithe Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351082003normalblackDonato Giancola
22007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 252003normalblackMartina Pilcerova
32008-01-01Magic Player Rewards 2008P08 42003normalblackDonato Giancola
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1712003normalblackMartina Pilcerova
52020-09-26The ListPLST PLC-252003normalblackMartina Pilcerova
62021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 262015normalblackMartina Pilcerova
72021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 82015normalborderlessRobbie Trevino
82021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 712015normalborderlessMagane Okuda

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mana Tithe has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The payment is optional.

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