Umezawa's Charm MTG Card

Modern Horizons (MH1)
2019-06-14 - Number 111

Umezawa's Charm // Umezawa's Charm - Modern Horizons Art Series (AMH1)

Modern Horizons Art Series (AMH1)
2019-06-05 - Number 15

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant

Key Takeaways

Grants versatility with multiple modes to adapt to game situations and secure card advantage.
Instant speed enables reactive plays, increasing the card’s in-game utility.
Mana cost and discard requirement demand careful deck integration and play strategy.

Text of card

Choose one — • Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. • Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. • You gain 2 life.

"Be ever loyal to your own best interests."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Umezawa’s Charm offers a unique blend of flexibility and utility that can often lead to card advantage. With multiple modes to choose from, this card can adapt to various situations, allowing you to tailor its effect to what benefits you most at any given moment.

Resource Acceleration: Among its diverse set of abilities, Umezawa’s Charm can serve as a resource acceleration tool by untapping a creature. This can be particularly potent if the creature has a tap ability that generates mana, effectively giving you a sudden boost in resources and surprising an unprepared adversary.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Umezawa’s Charm at instant speed grants you the strategic advantage of maximum flexibility. You can respond to your opponent’s actions, protect your own interests or simply make the best-informed decision after you’ve seen your opponent’s play. This makes Umezawa’s Charm a versatile card in many matchups.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Umezawa’s Charm requires players to discard another card as part of its activation. This can be a significant trade-off, especially when your hand is already dwindling or when every card counts towards your strategy. Discarding can inadvertently benefit your opponent if you’re forced to throw away a key card.

Specific Mana Cost: The charm’s casting cost is demanding, requiring a mix of specific colored mana that might not easily fit into all deck types. Decks that aren’t centered around the charm’s mana colors may find it challenging to cast, potentially leading to situations where the card becomes a dead draw.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Umezawa’s Charm might offer versatile effects, its mana cost is on the higher side when compared with other utility spells. This can affect the tempo of your gameplay, as allocating three mana to use it could hinder developing your board presence or responding to your opponent’s threats during critical turns.

Reasons to Include Umezawa’s Charm in Your Collection

Versatility: Umezawa’s Charm offers a toolbox of options in a single card. Its modal nature allows players to adapt to various situations, whether it’s gaining life, dealing damage, or increasing card advantage, making it a flexible pick for multiple deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: With its ability to deal damage or return creatures to an opponent’s hand, Umezawa’s Charm can synergize well with strategies focused on creature control or leveraging enters-the-battlefield effects. It also complements decks that capitalize on life gain or card draw mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: Given the card’s adaptability, it remains relevant in a shifting meta. If creature-heavy decks are dominant, its removal option becomes valuable. In slower games, drawing a card keeps your hand filled. As the competitive environment evolves, Umezawa’s Charm maintains its utility by addressing a spectrum of potential threats.

How to Beat Umezawa’s Charm

Umezawa’s Charm is a versatile tool in the arsenal of MTG decks that utilize it, offering various modes that can adapt to numerous situations. To effectively counter this card, one needs to anticipate the chosen mode and have a response ready. Generally, your best bet is to maintain card advantage and board presence—this will limit the impact of any mode your opponent selects.

Consider employing instant-speed removal or protection spells when Umezawa’s Charm is targeting a creature. This can negate its potential for creature control or buffing. In case the charm is used for life gain, having a strategy that applies consistent pressure can help mitigate the life swing. Focusing on non-creature-based win conditions can also be beneficial, as this reduces the charm’s target options, effectively dampening its influence on the game.

Understanding your opponent’s deck and anticipating when they are likely to play Umezawa’s Charm can give you a strategic edge. If you can retain a strong board state or keep pressure with a variety of threats, Umezawa’s Charm’s impact can be significantly diminished, which is a step towards mastery in the intricate dance of MTG strategy.

Cards like Umezawa's Charm

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Umezawa’s Charm is an intriguing utility card with versatile applications. This card finds peers in the likes of Funeral Charm and Piracy Charm, which also offer a choice of three effects at a low mana cost. Like Umezawa’s Charm, these cards’ flexibility allows players to adapt to various situations on the battlefield, whether it’s removing small creatures or altering the tide in combat.

Examining the broader context, Baleful Strix is another similar card with a different approach, providing a deathtouch creature and card draw upon entering the battlefield, giving immediate value. Though it may not have the instant speed or modal options, the inclusion of a body attached to card advantage is beneficial in its own right. Conversely, Kolaghan’s Command is a spell that delivers a starker impact with its two chosen modes providing direct damage, card retrieval, or artifact disruption, albeit at a higher cost to cast. Each of these spells has a distinct strategic pattern, yet they embody the attractiveness of choice within MTG.

Assessing Umezawa’s Charm within this array of cards, it undoubtedly stands out for its instant speed and low-cost flexibility, making it a noteworthy option for players who value adaptability in their arsenal.

Cards similar to Umezawa's Charm by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Umezawa's Charm // Umezawa's Charm MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons Art Series and 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.

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Printings

The Umezawa's Charm // Umezawa's Charm Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2019-06-14. Illustrated by Eric Deschamps.