Beacon of Immortality MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Beacon of Immortality can effectively double a player’s life total, making it a powerful card in life-gain decks.
  2. The card’s shuffle back into the library mechanic ensures recurring potential, which can be pivotal in long-drawn games.
  3. As a part of the Fifth Dawn set, Beacon of Immortality stands out as a unique effect in Magic’s history.

Text of card

Double target player's life total. Shuffle Beacon of Immortality into its owner's library.

The cave floods with light. A thousand rays shine forth and meld into one.


As a player tied to the eternal struggle of gaining the upper hand, your deck should contain cards that offer unique gameplay avenues. The Beacon of Immortality provides just that, it’s an Instant card that has a powerful impact on the battlefield, offering the ability to double a player’s life total. This potent mechanic was first introduced to players in the Fifth Dawn set, it remains a popular selection in many white-focused decks due to its game-changing ability.

This card allows for strategic play, giving the player the option to bolster their own life total, bringing them back from the brink of defeat, or to strategically increase an opponent’s life total for cards that rely on an opponent’s high life count.

The added advantage of this card is its repeatability. After use, instead of going into the graveyard, it shuffles back into the owner’s library, making it available for future turns. This makes it a perfect tool to sustain your lifeline in long and challenging games or bring a swift surprise to your opponents.

Consider that the legal restrictions of this card means it can only be used in the Legacy, Vintage, and Commander formats. Despite these limitations, its influential potential cannot be overlooked. The Beacon of Immortality remains an enduring light in the MTG universe, promising unending resilience against any foe.


Pros of Beacon of Immortality

Card Advantage: Beacon of Immortality offers an excellent edge in terms of health management. This ability to double a player’s life total can turn the tide in tight situations, offering a significant advantage over one’s opponents during the game.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment spell does not essentially offer mana acceleration, yet it provides a distinct type of invaluable resource acceleration regarding life points. By doubling your life total, you have more resources to risk in your strategic moves, which can lead faster to a winning position.

Instant Speed: Packed with the power of instant speed, Beacon of Immortality can be played during either player’s turn. This flexibility allows you to respond swiftly to an opponent’s threat or maneuver, making it a versatile addition to your deck.


Beacon of Immortality Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Beacon of Immortality doesn’t explicitly require a discard, it has a potential drawback. This card might become a burden if drawn early when life totals are high, thus making it effectively a dead card in early game scenario.

Specific Mana Cost: The Beacon of Immortality can be slightly limiting in certain deck builds. The card requires two white mana to cast, A setup which not all decks can easily accommodate, meaning your deck might need more balance if Beacon of Immortality is a part of it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Beacon of Immortality costs six mana in total to bring into play. While the effect of doubling a player’s life total is powerful, the high casting cost may make the card less attractive, as there are other lower-cost alternatives for life gain available in MTG.


Reasons to Include Beacon of Immortality in Your Collection

Versatility: Beacon of Immortality is a unique card that fits perfectly in life-gain decks as it doubles a player’s life total. It offers utility in various archetypes for drastic and sudden life gains, especially in decks that can hold out with high defenses or low-life strategies.

Combo Potential: With the correct synergies, this spell becomes devastatingly effective, allowing game-changing swings that can turn the tide of a match in an instant. It can be paired with cards that benefit from high life totals or those that convert life gain into damage or card advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by aggressive and burn strategies, Beacon of Immortality provides significant resilience, extending survival against decks that aim to quickly whittle down your life total. Also, its functionality as an instant allows tactical play, enabling you to double your life as a response to enemy attacks.


Similar Cards

Beacon of Immortality, a potent life-gain card, brings its unique allure to the MTG arena, remarkably akin to its counterpart Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. Suppose you fancy life-driven machinations. In that case, the combo of these two cards can tilt the game in your favor, harnessing the symbiotic relationship between the doubled life total from Beacon and the life-loss effect of Vito.

Resplendent Angel also makes a good comparison. Although not a direct life-gain card, it thrives on life-gain synergies as Beacon does. Once you acquire a surplus of life, this angel-in-waiting can produce 4/4 angel tokens to bolster your board.

Finally, there is Alhammarret’s Archive, an artifact that can potentially double your life-gain effects, mirroring Beacon of Immortality’s dramatic effect. However, the lack of defensive capabilities compared to Beacon’s considerable life boost is a noteworthy difference.

To wrap up, Beacon of Immortality holds a formidable presence in MTG, considering its impactful life-gaining abilities. It stands tall among its counterparts, prized for its unique game-altering prowess in life-driven strategies.


How to beat Beacon of Immortality

Beacon of Immortality is a potent force in MTG due to its ability to double a player’s life total. It can swiftly turn the tables in a game, making it a tough card to handle. However, it isn’t invincible. Understanding its weaknesses and planning strategies accordingly can help gain an edge and outmaneuver the Specter of Health Doubling. To counter Beacon of Immortality, consider employing effective countering and damage strategies.

A simple and effective response to this card is the use of counter-spells. A well-timed ‘Counter target spell’ can effectively nullify Beacon of Immortality, disrupting an opponent’s plans. In MTG, there’s an array of counterspells at your disposal, such as Negate or Mana Leak. Select your choice based on your deck’s overall strategy and the amount of mana you can readily access.

Another technique involves leveraging damage dealing cards. The sudden surge in life bestowed by Beacon of Immortality can be reduced by focusing on intense damage infliction spells or creatures with high power levels. Utilizing such resources will help in steadily chipping away at the increased life total and mitigate its impact.

Insights into these strategies to beat Beacon of Immortality can serve as an essential tool in your MTG tactical arsenal. Carefully picking the right cards and timing actions will enable effective countering of this mighty instant spell.


Conclusion

In conclusion, exploring the depths of Magic the Gathering is an ongoing quest for mastery that blends strategic thinking with the joy of discovery. The Beacon of Immortality card exemplifies this journey with its unique ability to turn the tides of play. Whether you are tweaking your life-gain deck or scouting for cards that can shift the dynamics at a moment’s notice, remember that every card has the potential to be a game-changer. We invite you to continue your exploration of MTG’s rich universe, uncovering new strategies and adding invaluable cards to your collection. Stepping into your next duel isn’t just another round—it’s your next opportunity to triumph. Learn more with us and become an unparalleled strategist in the world of MTG.


Cards like Beacon of Immortality

Beacon of Immortality, a potent life-gain card, brings its unique allure to the MTG arena, remarkably akin to its counterpart Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. Suppose you fancy life-driven machinations. In that case, the combo of these two cards can tilt the game in your favor, harnessing the symbiotic relationship between the doubled life total from Beacon and the life-loss effect of Vito.

Resplendent Angel also makes a good comparison. Although not a direct life-gain card, it thrives on life-gain synergies as Beacon does. Once you acquire a surplus of life, this angel-in-waiting can produce 4/4 angel tokens to bolster your board.

Finally, there is Alhammarret’s Archive, an artifact that can potentially double your life-gain effects, mirroring Beacon of Immortality’s dramatic effect. However, the lack of defensive capabilities compared to Beacon’s considerable life boost is a noteworthy difference.

To wrap up, Beacon of Immortality holds a formidable presence in MTG, considering its impactful life-gaining abilities. It stands tall among its counterparts, prized for its unique game-altering prowess in life-driven strategies.

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose - MTG Card versions
Resplendent Angel - MTG Card versions
Alhammarret's Archive - MTG Card versions
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose - Resale Promos (PRES)
Resplendent Angel - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Alhammarret's Archive - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Beacon of Immortality by color, type and mana cost

Banishing Stroke - MTG Card versions
Trostani's Judgment - MTG Card versions
Channel Harm - MTG Card versions
Resupply - MTG Card versions
Pegasus Guardian // Rescue the Foal - MTG Card versions
Sune's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Quicksand Whirlpool - MTG Card versions
Banishing Stroke - Commander 2018 (C18)
Trostani's Judgment - Commander 2019 (C19)
Channel Harm - Fate Reforged (FRF)
Resupply - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Pegasus Guardian // Rescue the Foal - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Sune's Intervention - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Quicksand Whirlpool - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Beacon of Immortality MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn and Tenth Edition, 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 Beacon of Immortality and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Beacon of Immortality Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2004-06-04 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Rob Alexander.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12004-06-04Fifth Dawn5DN 62003normalblackRob Alexander
22007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 102003normalblackRob Alexander
32017-11-24Explorers of IxalanE02 12015normalblackRob Alexander
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 352015normalblackRob Alexander
52020-09-26The ListPLST E02-12015normalblackRob Alexander

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Beacon of Immortality has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-02-01 If you double a negative life total, you do the real math. A life total of -10 becomes -20.
2007-07-15 Beacon of Immortality’s effect counts as life gain (or life loss, if the life total was negative) for effects that trigger on or replace life gain (or life loss).
2007-07-15 If a Beacon is countered or doesn’t resolve, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard, not shuffled into the library.

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