Twisted Reflection MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Entwine
Released	2019-06-14
Set symbol
Set name	Modern Horizons
Set code	MH1
Number	74
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jason Felix

Key Takeaways

Offers a two-for-one ability, enhancing your creatures or diminishing an opponent’s.
Instant speed allows for dynamic combat and unexpected game turns.
Mana cost and color specificity may limit its inclusion in some decks.

Text of card

Choose one — • Target creature gets -6/-0 until end of turn. • Switch target creature's power and toughness until end of turn. Entwine (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Twisted Reflection provides a multifaceted ability that can either buff your own creature or weaken an opponent’s, leading to potential two-for-one scenarios. This dual utility means you’re often coming out ahead in the card economy, which is a valuable aspect of strategic gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: While Twisted Reflection itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its potential to quickly reverse a losing battlefield into a winning one can be considered a form of indirect tempo acceleration. By altering the power dynamics of creatures on the fly, you can navigate toward a more advantageous position without expending additional resources.

Instant Speed: The instant-speed nature of Twisted Reflection allows for surprise interactions and unexpected combat results. Whether it’s turning a block into a favorable trade or making an opposing creature vulnerable to a previously ineffective attack, the ability to cast this spell during the combat phase adds a layer of depth to your tactical arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some instants that surge without extra costs, Twisted Reflection demands a card from your hand to activate its alternative mode. This can leave you at a card disadvantage, especially if you’re struggling to maintain hand presence against your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both blue and black mana can restrict Twisted Reflection’s usability. Decks not running a Dimir (blue-black) color scheme or those without reliable mana fixing may find integrating this card challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the total cost of four mana including two specific colors, its utility is put to the test against lower-cost cards offering similar or better flexibility. There are instances where the mana invested does not equate to a substantial tactical advantage, making it a potentially cumbersome pick in tightly curated decks.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Twisted Reflection offers dual modes that provide either enhancement or disruption, allowing it to be a flexible addition to various blue-centered decks, be it for turning a creature into a more formidable threat or for neutralizing an opponent’s key creature at a crucial moment.

Combo Potential: When combined with cards that capitalize on targeting creatures—either yours or your opponents—Twisted Reflection can be a part of combos that clear the board or swing for lethal damage unexpectedly, particularly if you have ways to cast it multiple times in a single game.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, having the ability to adapt to opponent strategies is key. In an environment where creature-based strategies prevail, Twisted Reflection can shift the tide of battle by providing unexpected combat tricks or interrupting synergistic plays from opponents.

How to beat

Twisted Reflection is a versatile card in Magic: The Gathering, often seen as a game-changer when used effectively. This blue instant spell allows a player to either increase a creature’s power and toughness or turn the tide by reducing an opponent’s creature to a weaker state. It comes with an additional advantage if the spell is cast during your main phase, allowing you to draw a card, further leveraging its utility.

To tackle Twisted Reflection, the key strategy lies in timing and disruption. Counterspells are your first line of defense, negating the spell before it takes effect. Instant-speed removal can also be effective, eliminating the target creature in response to the spell being cast. Additionally, maintaining card advantage ensures that you are prepared for such game-changing spells and can recover swiftly. The delicacy of combat calculations in MTG means staying alert to Twisted Reflection’s potential and having an answer at the ready can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Ultimately, Twisted Reflection packs a punch with its dual utility, but a well-prepared player who anticipates such moves and adapts their play accordingly can mitigate its impact and maintain control of the battlefield.

Cards like Twisted Reflection

Twisted Reflection is an intriguing and flexible spell from the deep repertoire of blue cards in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblances to other spells such as Turn to Frog and Snakeform, which also serve to neutralize powerful creatures by altering their stats. Twisted Reflection, however, takes versatility up a notch by offering the ability to either weaken an opponent’s creature or boost your own — a choice amplified if played with its entwine cost.

When compared to Turn to Frog, which sets the creature’s power and toughness to just 1/1, Twisted Reflection adds the strategic layer of potentially turning the tide in combat by unexpectedly strengthening your creature. Snakeform draws a parallel by also stripping abilities and changing stats, but lacks the dual-functionality and potential card draw of Twisted Reflection. Additionally, its instant speed allows for quick surprise maneuvers, unlike some of its sorcery-speed cousins.

The strategic duality of Twisted Reflection allows MTG players to adapt to the situational needs of the game, making it a noteworthy choice for those looking to maintain both offensive and defensive flexibility in their decks.

Cards similar to Twisted Reflection by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Twisted Reflection MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons, 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 Twisted Reflection and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Twisted Reflection has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-06-14	If Twisted Reflection is entwined, its two modes may each target the same creature, or they may target two different creatures.
2019-06-14	Twisted Reflection is always a blue spell. It’s not also black if you paid its entwine cost.
2021-03-19	Because damage remains marked on a creature until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to a creature may become lethal if you switch its power and toughness during that turn.
2021-03-19	Effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness apply after all other effects, regardless of when those effects began to apply. For instance, if you target a 1/2 creature then give it +2/+0 later in the turn, it’s a 2/3 creature, not a 4/1 creature.
2021-03-19	Switching a creature’s power and toughness twice (or any even number of times) effectively returns the creature to the power and toughness it had before any switches.