Winter's Rest MTG Card

Modern Horizons (MH1)
2019-06-14 - Number 78

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 374

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Snow Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Key Takeaways

Winter’s Rest delivers continuous control, potentially leading to card advantage by incapacitating an opponent’s creature.
Slowing enemy resources, it fosters favorable tempo, facilitating your strategy while disrupting theirs.
Its snow dependency emphasizes instant speed play, fitting seamlessly into decks designed for swift synergy.

Text of card

Enchant creature When Winter's Rest enters the battlefield, tap enchanted creature. As long as you control another snow permanent, enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Winter’s Rest is a valuable addition to your deck, providing persistent battlefield control by keeping an opponent’s creature tapped down. This effect can indirectly lead to card advantage by effectively neutralizing an opponent’s card without the need to spend additional resources to deal with it.

Resource Acceleration: While Winter’s Rest itself doesn’t produce mana, it aids in resource acceleration by potentially locking down an opponent’s mana dork or mana-producing creature. This slows down your opponent’s game plan, giving you the upper hand and the opportunity to deploy threats or answers without the pressure of an accelerating opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Winter’s Rest functions at sorcery speed, it fits into decks that operate at instant speed. Its snow dependency encourages a deck build around instant speed synergies, where you can maximize your plays during the opponent’s turn and then cast Winter’s Rest in your main phase to maintain tempo and control.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Winter’s Rest requires a specific setup to maximize its potential. It is most efficient when there’s already a snow permanent on the battlefield, which means its effectiveness is conditional and it could be a dead card in non-snow decks.

Specific Mana Cost: Winter’s Rest has a mana cost that includes snow mana. This necessitates having access to snow-covered lands or other sources of snow mana, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion to snow-centric or multi-color decks that can accommodate it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider the utility you get in comparison to other control cards, Winter’s Rest’s mana cost may seem high. There are alternative enchantments and removal spells available at lower cost points, giving players more efficient options for controlling the board early in the game.

Reasons to Include Winter’s Rest in Your Collection

Versatility: Winter’s Rest shines in many deck builds because it serves as a reliable control tool. It’s perfect for tempo decks that need to stall opponents or protect key creatures from being overrun.

Combo Potential: This card works exceptionally well with snow mana mechanisms, synergizing with other snow cards to create a state of lockdown for your opponents’ strategies. It enhances deck themes that are built around snow permanents and chill effects.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks that heavily rely on creature-based strategies, Winter’s Rest can significantly hinder your opponents’ tempo. In a meta where fast creatures and combat tricks are prevalent, having control elements like Winter’s Rest ensures your deck can compete and adapt to the prevailing trends.

How to Beat Winter’s Rest

Winter’s Rest is a blue enchantment that can be strategically neutralized in a game of Magic: The Gathering. Often found in decks that capitalize on the snow mechanic, it effectively locks down an opposing creature as long as you control another snow permanent. Navigating around this card requires an understanding that removal of snow permanents on the controlling player’s side can free your creature from its icy grip.

Consider using targeted removal spells to destroy or exile the snow permanents, such as Abrade for artifacts or cards like Return to Nature that offer flexibility by targeting enchantments as well. Additionally, enchantment removal spells like Disenchant directly counter Winter’s Rest. Players may also employ creatures with abilities to bounce permanents to their owner’s hand or cards that grant your creatures protection from blue to evade the initial cast of Winter’s Rest.

Flexibility in deck construction and having the right answers in your sideboard are key. By including versatile interaction spells and staying vigilant of the board state, you can effectively mitigate the paralyzing effect of Winter’s Rest and keep your creatures combat-ready and your strategies undeterred.

Cards like Winter's Rest

When examining Winter’s Rest and its place in Magic: The Gathering, it’s evident that it serves as a stalwart piece in the control arsenal. Its nearest relative is the well-known Frost Breath, which carries the ability to tap down opponents’ creatures, impeding them for not one, but two turns. While Frost Breath impacts multiple targets, Winter’s Rest singular focus is somewhat mitigated by its ability to keep a creature perpetually frozen as long as you control a snow permanent.

Another card that echoes a similar sentiment is Ice Over, a suitable analog as it locks down not only creatures but also vehicles, adding versatility. Ice Over, however, lacks the potential longevity that Winter’s Rest can assure. Then there’s Chilled to the Bone – a spell that outright destroys a creature if you control a snow land. The advantage is immediate and permanent, quite distinct from the temporality of taps.

Each of these spells has its niche, creating diverse strategies for the control player. But Winter’s Rest stands out when the deck is built around snow synergies, offering an enduring remedy to keep opposing forces at bay.

Cards similar to Winter's Rest by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Winter's Rest MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Winter's Rest and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Winter's Rest Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Mila Pesic.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-06-14	Modern Horizons	MH1		78	2015	Normal	Black	Mila Pesic
2	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22		374	2015	Normal	Black	Mila Pesic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Winter's Rest has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Winter's Rest 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 Winter’s Rest is destroyed while its enters-the-battlefield triggered ability is on the stack, the creature that it enchanted is tapped as that ability resolves.
2019-06-14	If the creature this Aura would enchant is an illegal target by the time Winter’s Rest resolves, the entire spell doesn’t resolve. It won’t enter the battlefield, so its ability won’t trigger.
2019-06-14	If you lose control of all of your other snow permanents, then control a new one, the effect of Winter’s Rest will apply to the enchanted creature again.