Ivory Mask MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Safeguards game plans against targeted spells, enabling uninterrupted strategic development.
  2. Best suited for mono-white or white-heavy decks due to specific mana requirement.
  3. Essential for countering control decks and preserving strategies in various metas.

Text of card

You can't be the target of spells or abilities.

"I did not choose my role, Orim," said Cho-Manno patiently, "and I suspect Gerrard did not choose his."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Ivory Mask itself does not directly allow you to draw more cards, its ability to protect your hand and strategies from opponents’ targeted effects promotes an indirect card advantage. By shielding your plays from targeted discard or other detrimental effects, you maintain the value of each card in hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Ivory Mask doesn’t ramp up mana like other cards, it helps in preserving resources by enabling uninterrupted development of your board. By ensuring your key pieces aren’t removed or disrupted, the acceleration of your game plan is more consistent.

Instant Speed: Although not at instant speed, once Ivory Mask is on the battlefield, its continuous effect acts as a safeguard ensuring your strategies are not hindered by instant-speed targeted spells or abilities your opponents might have, making it a preemptive defensive measure that keeps working round the clock.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Ivory Mask does not directly ask for a card to be discarded, its presence on the field might force players to discard other potentially useful cards from their hand due to hand size limitations. Having this enchantment on the board might inadvertently lead to tough decisions about what cards to keep.

Specific Mana Cost: Ivory Mask has a strict mana requirement with two white mana symbols in its cost. This specificity means it’s predominantly viable in mono-white or heavily white-influenced decks, possibly restricting its inclusion in more diverse mana base decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring four mana to cast can be quite steep, especially when considering that other spells or creatures could have a more immediate impact on the game state. Compared to other cards at the same cost, Ivory Mask may not always provide the same level of benefit, making it potentially less efficient in fast-paced game scenarios.


Reasons to Include Ivory Mask in Your Collection

Versatility: Ivory Mask offers broad utility as it grants you an omniscient shroud effect, making all your spells and permanents untargetable by opponents. This capability allows it to be included in a variety of deck types, particularly those aiming to protect valuable creatures or combos.

Combo Potential: This enchantment harmonizes well with strategies centered on safeguarding key pieces from targeted removal or spells. Additionally, it can complement a deck’s defensive measures, ensuring your crucial game plans remain undisturbed by your opponents’ targeted disruptions.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where targeted spells and abilities are prevalent, Ivory Mask becomes an essential tool for players to preserve their strategy intact. Its ability to shield the player from an opponent’s targeted actions can be a game-changer against control heavy decks and disruptive plays.


How to beat

Ivory Mask is a unique card that epitomizes privacy in Magic: The Gathering. Acting as a cloak of invisibility, it grants its controller a powerful form of protection, making them immune to spells and abilities from opponents that specifically target them. This white enchantment can often seem impenetrable, leaving rivals scrambling for alternatives to push through their strategic plays.

The key to surpassing the defenses of Ivory Mask lies in the use of global effects. These are spells or abilities that don’t target a single player but rather affect each player or creature on the battlefield. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, bypass the protective barrier of Ivory Mask because they don’t target individual players. Additionally, you can deploy cards that impose universal effects regardless of whether they target or not, like Shatter the Sky or Pithing Needle, to strategically undermine the safeguards established by the mask.

When strategizing against Ivory Mask, remember to consider it as a challenge to be viewed strategically rather than an obstacle. This card reminds us that in the intricate dance of Magic: The Gathering, even the most seemingly secure fortresses can still be breached with the right approach and resources.


Cards like Ivory Mask

Within the Magic: The Gathering universe, Ivory Mask offers a unique form of protection that is rarely mirrored in other cards. Its most direct comparison is with Witchbane Orb, a card that not only grants you hexproof but also removes all curses. Despite Witchbane Orb’s broader effects, it comes with a higher mana cost compared to Ivory Mask’s more focused ability.

Another card in this armory of defense is Orbs of Warding. This artifact not only gives you hexproof but also reduces the damage from creatures by 1. However, its higher cost and broader protective shield contrast with Ivory Mask’s early game accessibility and specific defense against spells and abilities targeting you. Leyline of Sanctity also provides a similar hexproof ability, but its primary advantage lies in its potential to start the game on the battlefield if it’s in your opening hand, offering immediate protection.

In analyzing these cards side by side, Ivory Mask stands out due to its balance in cost and focused defense, making it a strategic choice for those looking to fortify against targeted threats early on in the game.

Witchbane Orb - MTG Card versions
Orbs of Warding - MTG Card versions
Leyline of Sanctity - MTG Card versions
Witchbane Orb - Innistrad (ISD)
Orbs of Warding - Magic Origins (ORI)
Leyline of Sanctity - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Ivory Mask by color, type and mana cost

Castle - MTG Card versions
Karma - MTG Card versions
Conversion - MTG Card versions
Angelic Voices - MTG Card versions
Seeker - MTG Card versions
Drought - MTG Card versions
Justice - MTG Card versions
Divine Transformation - MTG Card versions
Null Chamber - MTG Card versions
Field of Souls - MTG Card versions
Light of Day - MTG Card versions
Pegasus Refuge - MTG Card versions
Opal Titan - MTG Card versions
Serra's Liturgy - MTG Card versions
Parallax Wave - MTG Card versions
Worship - MTG Card versions
Serra's Embrace - MTG Card versions
Diversionary Tactics - MTG Card versions
Moat - MTG Card versions
Teleportation Circle - MTG Card versions
Castle - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Karma - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Conversion - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Angelic Voices - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Seeker - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Drought - Ice Age (ICE)
Justice - Ice Age (ICE)
Divine Transformation - Renaissance (REN)
Null Chamber - Mirage (MIR)
Field of Souls - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Light of Day - The List (PLST)
Pegasus Refuge - Tempest (TMP)
Opal Titan - Urza's Saga (USG)
Serra's Liturgy - Urza's Saga (USG)
Parallax Wave - The List (PLST)
Worship - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Serra's Embrace - Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. Demonic (DVD)
Diversionary Tactics - Apocalypse (APC)
Moat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Teleportation Circle - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ivory Mask MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques and Eighth Edition, 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 Ivory Mask and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ivory Mask Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1999-10-04 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by Glen Angus.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-10-04Mercadian MasquesMMQ 241997normalblackGlen Angus
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 272003normalwhiteGlen Angus
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 27★2003normalblackGlen Angus
42005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 232003normalwhiteGlen Angus
52005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 23★2003normalblackGlen Angus

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ivory Mask has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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