Tidings MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Drawing four cards with Tidings can dramatically shift game dynamics, offering new play options.
  2. Despite not being instant, Tidings’ sorcery speed allows for strategic turn planning.
  3. This card’s specific mana requirements might limit deck construction flexibility.

Text of card

Draw four cards.

"Many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose-quills." —William Shakespeare, *Hamlet*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Tidings brings the power of drawing four cards to the table, significantly bolstering your hand and giving you a variety of options for future plays. This surge of new cards can be a major game changer, tipping the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Tidings itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources like some other cards, the sheer volume of cards drawn increases the likelihood of drawing into additional land or spells that generate mana, propelling you ahead in the resource game.

Instant Speed: The flexibility offered by Tidings being a sorcery means you can strategically plan your turns for maximum impact. Even though it’s not an instant, the card allows for setting up powerful play sequences, especially when combined with untap effects or during turns when you’ve kept mana open for counterspells but didn’t need to use them.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Tidings necessitates the disposal of another card from your hand. For players in a tight game, this could deplete crucial resources and possibly disrupt strategic plays that rely on maintaining a strong hand presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Tidings commands a specific blend of mana, requiring not just any four mana but also one Island’s worth of blue mana. This cost can constrain deck building, as it stipulates that a player’s mana base must support blue mana to reliably cast this spell.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Tidings may come into play too late in the game for players craving an early advantage. There are alternative draw spells in the game that present a lower mana investment, potentially yielding a quicker boost to a player’s hand and board state.


Reasons to Include Tidings in Your Collection

Versatility: Tidings offers significant card advantage regardless of the archetype you play. It’s well-suited for control decks that seek to maintain hand superiority and for combo decks that need to dig through their library for key pieces.

Combo Potential: Drawing four cards with a single spell fuels combo engines, providing the necessary card flow to execute complex sequences that can lead to game-winning turns.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games go longer and control strategies prevail, the ability to replenish your hand gives you a decisive edge against opponents, making Tidings a relevant addition to your arsenal.


How to Beat Tidings

Tidings is a spell that garners a player significant card advantage in Magic: The Gathering by allowing the drawing of four cards upon its resolution. This card influx can swiftly tilt the scales of the game, making it pivotal to disrupt Tidings or mitigate its impact on the game. One effective strategy is to apply pressure early. Since Tidings has a higher casting cost, maintaining an aggressive stance can diminish its effectiveness as the player may not survive long enough to capitalize on their new hand.

Similarly, employing counter spells like Counterspell or Negate can directly prevent Tidings from resolving, thereby denying your opponent the chance to pull ahead. Hand disruption mechanics, featured in cards such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, can extract Tidings from your opponent’s hand before they even have a chance to cast it. Lastly, leveraging spells that limit card draw, such as Narset, Parter of Veils, can effectively negate the advantage Tidings would provide. By staying one step ahead, you can thwart your opponent’s plans and maintain control of the game.


Cards like Tidings

Tidings, a spell that commands attention within the Magic: The Gathering universe, delivers a hefty boost to your hand by drawing four cards. When viewed alongside other card-drawing spells, we notice some distinctions that shape players’ deck strategies. Concentrate, for instance, offers the same card draw quantity but at a reduced mana cost, making it a go-to for players seeking efficiency. Compared to Tidings, with its four blue mana requirement, Concentrate’s three blue mana cost offers similar value with greater accessibility.

Another contender in this category is Harmonize, which grants players in green decks an equivalent card draw power. Unlike Tidings, Harmonize is unique as a prolific draw spell in a color traditionally lacking in this area. Despite costing one less total mana, Harmonize lacks the fluidity offered by Tidings in a blue mana-oriented deck.

Given these comparisons, Tidings stands out for its ability to refuel a player’s hand significantly, which can be a game-changer in longer matches where resources are stretched thin. This sizable influx of cards ensures Tidings holds its place as a solid choice for those seeking to bolster their in-game options significantly.

Concentrate - MTG Card versions
Harmonize - MTG Card versions
Concentrate - Odyssey (ODY)
Harmonize - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to Tidings by color, type and mana cost

Library of Lat-Nam - MTG Card versions
Psychic Transfer - MTG Card versions
Balance of Power - MTG Card versions
Cruel Fate - MTG Card versions
Temporal Manipulation - MTG Card versions
Brilliant Plan - MTG Card versions
Time Warp - MTG Card versions
Reverse Engineer - MTG Card versions
Essence Fracture - MTG Card versions
Rush of Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Temporal Fissure - MTG Card versions
Bribery - MTG Card versions
Acquire - MTG Card versions
Heed the Mists - MTG Card versions
Ribbons of the Reikai - MTG Card versions
Traumatize - MTG Card versions
Capture of Jingzhou - MTG Card versions
Allied Strategies - MTG Card versions
Devastation Tide - MTG Card versions
Petals of Insight - MTG Card versions
Library of Lat-Nam - Alliances (ALL)
Psychic Transfer - Starter 1999 (S99)
Balance of Power - The List (PLST)
Cruel Fate - Portal (POR)
Temporal Manipulation - The List (PLST)
Brilliant Plan - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Time Warp - Explorers of Ixalan (E02)
Reverse Engineer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Essence Fracture - Onslaught (ONS)
Rush of Knowledge - Double Masters (2XM)
Temporal Fissure - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Bribery - Commander Masters (CMM)
Acquire - IDW Comics 2014 (PI14)
Heed the Mists - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ribbons of the Reikai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Traumatize - Magic 2014 (M14)
Capture of Jingzhou - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Allied Strategies - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Devastation Tide - Commander 2018 (C18)
Petals of Insight - Modern Masters (MMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tidings MTG card by a specific set like Starter 1999 and Magic Online Promos, 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 Tidings and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Tidings Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1999-07-01 and 2018-08-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-07-01Starter 1999S99 541997normalwhitePete Venters
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 350762003normalblackMichael Komarck
32005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1062003normalwhitePete Venters
42005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 106★2003normalblackPete Venters
52007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1162003normalblackPete Venters
62008-01-01Magic Player Rewards 2008P08 22003normalblackMichael Komarck
72018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1082015normalblackPete Venters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Tidings has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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