Ephemerate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Rebound

Key Takeaways

  1. Ephemerate leads in generating card advantage and strategic flexibility during gameplay.
  2. Its instant speed plays a critical role in both offensive and defensive maneuvers.
  3. Unrivaled in mana efficiency, offering significant in-game benefits at a low cost.

Text of card

Exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ephemerate presents the opportunity to re-trigger enter-the-battlefield effects of creatures, effectively doubling their initial value. When played on value-oriented creatures, it can lead to gaining significant card advantage over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of mana, by reusing creatures with mana-generating abilities, Ephemerate can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. This can help a player ramp up their available mana more quickly than anticipated, particularly in decks focusing on mana dorks or creatures with similar functionalities.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Ephemerate at instant speed grants flexibility and surprise factor. This can save key creatures from removal, fizzle targeted spells, counteract creature-based strategies of an opponent unexpectedly, or simply extract more value from creatures when the opponent is least prepared.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ephemerate does not compel a player to discard, making it a useful tool in maintaining card advantage while generating value from reuse of enter-the-battlefield effects.

Specific Mana Cost: Ephemerate’s cost demands a single white mana, which is easily slotted into white-heavy or multicolored decks, ensuring accessibility for using its flickering ability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With Ephemerate’s low individual casting cost and its rebound mechanic granting an additional use at no extra charge, it stands as a mana-efficient choice, overshadowing alternatives with heftier mana requirements.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ephemerate offers a unique flexibility that can be integrated into various deck archetypes. With its ability to flicker creatures, the card excels in decks that capitalize on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects, providing repeated value from your creatures’ abilities.

Combo Potential: This instant has become a staple in decks that look to exploit infinite combos or powerful synergies. Ephemerate can repeatedly trigger ETB effects within the same turn when combined with creatures that untap lands or produce extra mana, setting the stage for game-winning plays.

Meta-Relevance: Whether the meta leans towards aggro, control, or combo, Ephemerate remains relevant. It can protect key creatures from removal, disrupt opponent tactics, and even act as a pseudo counterspell by rescuing creatures from otherwise certain doom. Its low casting cost and rebound effect ensure that it is consistently a valuable card in various competitive formats.


How to beat Ephemerate

Ephemerate finds its strength in its ability to repeatedly utilize enter-the-battlefield effects at a low cost. This instant spell, often a staple in flicker decks, can be a nuisance if not addressed promptly. Navigating around this card requires a strategic approach to disrupt its synergies effectively.

One common method is to employ instant-speed removal or counter spells targeting the creature Ephemerate aims to flicker. This can negate the rebound effect and the card’s value by not allowing its return to the field. Another route is to rely on graveyard hate cards that can exile Ephemerate from the graveyard before its rebound can be used, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void.

Additionally, cards that restrict spell casting to only an opponent’s turn, like Teferi, Time Raveler, can throw a wrench into the traditional Ephemerate strategy by rendering its rebound useless. By anticipating and preparing for the common combos that revolve around Ephemerate, you can effectively diminish its impact and keep your opponent’s board in check.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Ephemerate’s potential to reshape games, mastering its use could make a significant difference in your MTG play. If extracting value from creatures and pacing the game to your tempo excites you, Ephemerate deserves a spot in your collection. Its power to flicker creatures not only enables you to reuse formidable enter-the-battlefield effects but also to outmaneuver opponents with crafty strategy. Suitable for various deck types and a catalyst for thrilling combos, this card can turn the tide of battle in your favor. Eager for deeper insights and strategies to refine your deck with Ephemerate? Dive into our comprehensive resources and become a formidable player in the dynamic world of MTG.


Cards like Ephemerate

Ephemerate earns its reputation in Magic: The Gathering as a powerful blink effect for creatures. Comparable to effects like Cloudshift, which also exiles a creature you control and then returns it back immediately, Ephemerate adds to this by offering rebound. This means you potentially get to activate the ability twice for a single mana cost, outshining Cloudshift’s one-time usage.

Similarly, Momentary Blink can also flicker creatures, but at the cost of two mana. However, it grants flexibility with its flashback ability, allowing a second use from the graveyard. While this provides a similar advantage to Ephemerate’s rebound, the initial higher cost can make a significant difference in gameplay. Justiciar’s Portal is another blink option, with the added benefit of granting the creature first strike until the end of the turn, but it lacks the cost-efficiency and potential for a free second use that Ephemerate offers.

When considering utility and cost-effectiveness, Ephemerate stands out among its peers for offering a repeatable function at a low cost, making it a valuable card for strategies hingeing on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects and creature protection.

Cloudshift - MTG Card versions
Momentary Blink - MTG Card versions
Justiciar's Portal - MTG Card versions
Cloudshift - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Momentary Blink - Time Spiral (TSP)
Justiciar's Portal - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Ephemerate by color, type and mana cost

Death Ward - MTG Card versions
Blaze of Glory - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Purelace - MTG Card versions
Guardian Angel - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Righteousness - MTG Card versions
Indestructible Aura - MTG Card versions
Glyph of Life - MTG Card versions
Warning - MTG Card versions
Heal - MTG Card versions
Anoint - MTG Card versions
Reaping the Rewards - MTG Card versions
Rally the Troops - MTG Card versions
Scent of Jasmine - MTG Card versions
Moment of Silence - MTG Card versions
Enlightened Tutor - MTG Card versions
Orim's Touch - MTG Card versions
Pollen Remedy - MTG Card versions
Sacred Rites - MTG Card versions
Death Ward - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Blaze of Glory - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Healing Salve - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Purelace - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Guardian Angel - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Swords to Plowshares - Fallout (PIP)
Righteousness - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Indestructible Aura - Chronicles (CHR)
Glyph of Life - Legends (LEG)
Warning - Ice Age (ICE)
Heal - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Anoint - Tempest (TMP)
Reaping the Rewards - Exodus (EXO)
Rally the Troops - Portal Second Age (P02)
Scent of Jasmine - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Moment of Silence - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Enlightened Tutor - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Orim's Touch - Invasion (INV)
Pollen Remedy - Planeshift (PLS)
Sacred Rites - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ephemerate MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons Art Series, 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 Ephemerate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ephemerate Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2022-08-01. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 912211997normalblackBastien L. Deharme
22019-06-05Modern Horizons Art SeriesAMH1 362015art_seriesborderlessBastien L. Deharme
32019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 72015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 962015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
52020-09-26The ListPLST MH1-72015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
62021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 682015normalborderlessYumeko
72021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 632015art_seriesborderlessRovina Cai
82021-04-23Strixhaven Mystical ArchiveSTA 52015normalborderlessRovina Cai
92021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 63s2015art_seriesborderlessRovina Cai
102021-06-18Modern Horizons 1 TimeshiftsH1R 11997normalblackBastien L. Deharme
112022-08-01Summer Vacation Promos 2022PSVC 12015normalblackBastien L. Deharme

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ephemerate has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 Casting the card again due to rebound's delayed triggered ability is optional. If you choose not to cast the card, or if you can't (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the card will stay exiled. You won't get another chance to cast it on a future turn. If you do cast the card, it's put into its owner's graveyard as normal once it resolves.
2019-06-14 If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand is countered or doesn't resolve (most likely because its targets have become illegal), none of its effects will happen, including rebound. The spell will be put into its owner's graveyard and you won't get to cast it again on your next turn.
2019-06-14 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.
2019-06-14 Once the exiled creature returns, it's considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners' graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.

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