Aleatory MTG Card


Aleatory - Mirage
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Released1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set nameMirage
Set codeMIR
Number155
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byKev Walker

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage through Aleatory MTG cards provides players with additional drawing capabilities, enhancing strategic depth.
  2. Resource acceleration boosts your gameplay, allowing for earlier threats and efficient responses to challenges.
  3. Instant speed features offer strategic flexibility, making Aleatory cards valuable for real-time game adjustments.

Text of card

Play only after defense is chosen. Flip a coin; target opponent calls heads or tails while coin is in the air. If the flip ends up in your favor, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: An Aleatory MTG card is designed to tilt the scales in your favor, often by offering additional means to draw cards. This may come in the form of direct draws, loot mechanics (where you draw cards and then discard), or even through library manipulation that lets you dig deeper to find the exact answers or threats you need right when you need them. This kind of card advantage is key in outpacing your opponents and ensuring that your hand remains equipped with a diverse arsenal of game-changing plays.

Resource Acceleration: Whether by ramping up your mana pool, reducing the cost of spells, or even producing alternative resources, Aleatory MTG cards with resource acceleration capabilities can propel you ahead. This is incredibly valuable as it gives you the opportunity to deploy more potent threats ahead of schedule or to respond more efficiently to the evolving battlefield. This not only destabilizes your opponents’ strategies but also significantly advances your board state by leaps and bounds.

Instant Speed: Flexibility in Magic the Gathering often dictates the flow of the game. Aleatory cards with instant speed interventions provide a strategic depth allowing for responses to opponent moves in real-time or at the end of their turn. This element of surprise can disrupt opponent strategies, protect your interests, and maintain a robust defense while affording the luxury to adapt to various situations without having to commit resources prematurely.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Many MTG players find discarding cards as an extra cost to play a spell notably burdensome. If the aleatory card you’re considering comes with such a stipulation, you could potentially lose valuable pieces from your hand, which can be particularly detrimental when your options are already limited.

Specific Mana Cost: With aleatory cards that demand a precise color or combination of mana, your deck’s versatility takes a hit. Decks not aligned with these mana colors might be unable to take advantage of such cards, restricting their overall utility across multiple deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: If the aleatory cards you’re eyeing come with a high cost to get into play, it’s worth weighing them against other options. Such costs can dampen the pace at which you establish board presence, potentially giving opponents the upper hand while you’re tied up gathering resources for a single card play.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aleatory cards bring a level of unpredictability that can be an asset in various deck builds. Their ability to act as wild cards in crucial moments makes them adaptable to numerous situations.

Combo Potential: The unpredictable nature of aleatory cards can synergize with combo pieces that thrive on chance and probability, potentially tipping the scales in your favor unexpectedly.

Meta-Relevance: Within a meta that heavily emphasizes strategy and predictability, adding aleatory elements can disrupt opponents’ plans, providing you with an edge that’s hard to plan against.


How to Beat

Navigating the randomness of the Aleatory MTG card can be a compelling challenge. This card inflicts an element of chance upon the game, potentially turning the tides in your opponent’s favor. To neutralize its effects, players must employ strategies that either minimize randomness or remove the card from play. Utilizing targeted removal spells is a straightforward way to address threats like Aleatory. Instants such as Disenchant or Naturalize offer affordable and accessible solutions to discard enchantments, disrupting your opponent’s strategy.

Counterspells also serve as an effective preemptive measure against Aleatory. By keeping mana available and anticipating key plays, one can deny the opponent the opportunity to leverage chance to their advantage. Another tactic is to dilute the effect of randomness by fortifying your board presence, ensuring that Aleatory’s impact is less detrimental. Strategic deck building, with a focus on resilience and adaptability, can mitigate the influence of such unpredictable cards.

Ultimately, overcoming Aleatory in MTG demands a blend of foresight, precise timing, and a solid game plan. By focusing on control and countermeasures, players can transform apparent chaos into a winning formula.


Cards like Aleatory

Aleatory, a unique inclusion in the roster of chance-based effects in Magic: The Gathering, adds an unpredictable twist to the game. It sits in the same wheelhouse as cards like Gamble, where the element of risk is used to potentially gain an advantage. With Aleatory, you can counter a spell with the flip of a coin—a gamble that could turn the tide of a match if luck is on your side.

When looking at comparable mechanics, we encounter Risk Factor, which offers a choice to the opponent between allowing card draw or taking direct damage—a solid risk-versus-reward scenario. Unlike Aleatory, Risk Factor can influence the board without relying on a coin flip and can be used twice thanks to Jump-start. Frenetic Efreet is another card that capitalizes on chance, allowing its controller to potentially save the Efreet from destruction with a coin flip. This is akin to Aleatory’s evasive nature but with the additional benefit of leaving a creature on the board.

In summary, while Aleatory’s coin flip approach to control can be incredibly powerful in the right circumstances, it is part of a broader category of MTG cards where high-risk moves can lead to high rewards, contributing to the strategic depth and excitement of the game.

Gamble - MTG Card versions
Risk Factor - MTG Card versions
Frenetic Efreet - MTG Card versions
Gamble - Urza's Saga (USG)
Risk Factor - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Frenetic Efreet - Mirage (MIR)

Cards similar to Aleatory by color, type and mana cost

Shatter - MTG Card versions
Word of Blasting - MTG Card versions
Incinerate - MTG Card versions
Guerrilla Tactics - MTG Card versions
Orcish Catapult - MTG Card versions
Blood Frenzy - MTG Card versions
Falter - MTG Card versions
Shattering Pulse - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Strike - MTG Card versions
Starstorm - MTG Card versions
First Volley - MTG Card versions
Surging Flame - MTG Card versions
Psychotic Fury - MTG Card versions
Sudden Shock - MTG Card versions
Fists of the Anvil - MTG Card versions
Magma Jet - MTG Card versions
Seismic Shudder - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Comet Storm - MTG Card versions
Pyretic Ritual - MTG Card versions
Shatter - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Word of Blasting - Ice Age (ICE)
Incinerate - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Guerrilla Tactics - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)
Orcish Catapult - Astral Cards (PAST)
Blood Frenzy - Tempest (TMP)
Falter - Urza's Saga (USG)
Shattering Pulse - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Flowstone Strike - Nemesis (NEM)
Starstorm - Onslaught (ONS)
First Volley - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Surging Flame - Arena League 2006 (PAL06)
Psychotic Fury - Dissension (DIS)
Sudden Shock - Time Spiral (TSP)
Fists of the Anvil - Tenth Edition (10E)
Magma Jet - Friday Night Magic 2009 (F09)
Seismic Shudder - Zendikar (ZEN)
Fling - Magic 2012 (M12)
Comet Storm - Commander 2017 (C17)
Pyretic Ritual - Magic 2011 (M11)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aleatory MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Aleatory and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aleatory has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aleatory 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 You pick the target on announcement and flip the coin on resolution.
2013-09-20 If a turn has multiple combat phases, this spell can be cast during any of them as long as it’s after the beginning of that phase’s Declare Blockers Step.

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