Spatial Binding MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment |
| Released | 1996-10-08 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mirage |
| Set code | MIR |
| Number | 284 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Dom! |
Key Takeaways
- Spatial Binding provides control over opponents’ permanents, giving a tactical edge during gameplay.
- Instant speed allows for surprise plays and flexible responses to threats, enhancing strategy.
- Enables powerful combos and can be essential in certain MTG meta-games for disruption.
Text of card
Pay 1 life: Target permanent cannot phase out until the beginning of your next upkeep.
Time is the one shackle you can't break. —Zhalfirin aphorism
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Spatial Binding grants a unique interaction with the battlefield that can potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy. By controlling the flow of permanents, it offers a form of card advantage by negating the usefulness of your opponent’s resources.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly interacting with your mana pool, Spatial Binding can functionally accelerate your resources by freeing up your mana. It allows you to dictate the pace, using your lands more efficiently and effectively in contrast with your opponent’s restricted setup.
Instant Speed: The power of any card in MTG often comes down to timing. Spatial Binding’s capability to be played at instant speed provides a tactical advantage. This flexibility means you can adapt to the state of the game swiftly and use the element of surprise to your benefit, all while keeping your options open.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Spatial Binding compels you to discard a card, which could deplete your hand at critical moments and restrict your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mana configuration to cast, which might not always align with your deck’s mana base or strategy, potentially causing delays in your game plan.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to get Spatial Binding on the field is significant, potentially making it less appealing when compared to other cards that could offer similar control for less mana investment.
Reasons to Include Spatial Binding in Your Collection
Versatility: Spatial Binding stands out due to its capacity to interact with multiple permanent types on the battlefield. This card can be a strategic addition to decks that aim to manipulate the board state to their advantage.
Combo Potential: This card can play a pivotal role in intricate combos, allowing for surprising plays by enabling or disabling certain permanents at crucial moments, which can completely alter the course of the game.
Meta-Relevance: Considering a meta where activated abilities or certain permanents are dominant, Spatial Binding serves as a crucial tool for disrupting opponents’ strategies, making it a worthy contender for any player looking to gain a tactical edge in their matches.
How to beat
Spatial Binding is an intriguing card that offers a unique twist to the battlefield manipulation strategies in Magic the Gathering. With its ability to delay an opponent’s creature attack, it aligns itself with other control spells aimed at temporizing the opponent’s threats. Unlike permanent removal or bounce spells, Spatial Binding doesn’t clear the creature off the board; instead, it defers their impact, providing players with the window they need to position themselves for victory.
Overcoming Spatial Binding requires a mix of foresight and strategic resource management. One effective method is to flood the battlefield with multiple threats, diluting Spatial Binding’s ability to disrupt your game plan. Additionally, including instant-speed removal or bounce spells in your deck ensures that even if an essential creature gets tied down, you can free it up or eliminate Spatial Binding itself at a moment’s notice. Lastly, leaning on non-creature spells such as direct damage, buffs, or alternative win conditions can help circumvent Spatial Binding’s influence, allowing you to advance your board state or achieve victory without relying solely on creature combat.
Ultimately, when you understand Spatial Binding’s strengths and limitations, it becomes clear how to adjust your tactics and retain control over the flow of the game, ensuring Spatial Binding does not become a perpetual hindrance to your path to victory.
Cards like Spatial Binding
Spatial Binding introduces a unique control aspect to Magic: The Gathering gameplay, giving players a way to manage opponents’ creatures and lands. This compares interestingly to the card Frost Titan, which also places constraints on your opponent’s assets upon entering the battlefield or attacking. Unlike Spatial Binding, though, Frost Titan’s effect is tied to a formidable creature and is limited in scope to individual targets.
Encroaching Wastes shares a thematic link with Spatial Binding, offering land destruction as a primary function. However, Spatial Binding differs by allowing repeated activation of its effect under certain conditions, thus setting up the potential for a more enduring form of control. Conversely, Encroaching Wastes’s one-time use provides a quick but less strategic solution.
Lingering Mirage similarly alters the utility of a land, converting it into an Island. While this doesn’t outright prevent the use of the land, it can strategically disrupt the color availability for your opponent, akin to Spatial Binding’s land tap effect. Both cards, in essence, aim to tactically restrict an opponent’s resources, but their methods and implications on the game’s flow are distinctive.
When assessing Spatial Binding’s intrigue and utility in comparison to other control alternatives in Magic: The Gathering, its versatile and potentially long-term impact on gameplay gives it a unique position among its peers.
Cards similar to Spatial Binding by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spatial Binding 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 Spatial Binding and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spatial Binding has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Spatial Binding card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2012-07-01 | If used on an Aura and the permanent enchanted by that Aura phases out, the Aura will not phase out. It will stay on the battlefield and then immediately be put into the graveyard since the permanent it was enchanting is phased out. |
