Rhystic Deluge MTG Card


Rhystic Deluge - Prophecy
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment
Released2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set nameProphecy
Set codePCY
Number43
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPete Venters

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants tactical benefit, tapping opponents’ creatures to gain control and strategic advantage.
  2. Instant speed casting provides flexibility and surprise, crucial for responding to opponents.
  3. May require hand size and specific mana, potentially limiting its deck compatibility and efficiency.

Text of card

oo U Tap target creature unless its controller pays o1.

"I'll rain down on you with the power of magic itself. Then we'll see who prevails." —Alexi, zephyr mage


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rhystic Deluge provides a strategic edge by allowing you to choose and tap multiple nonland permanents, effectively disrupting your opponent’s plans and creating potential card advantages without losing cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Rhystic Deluge doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it indirectly aids in resource management. By tapping key resources of an opponent, it provides a tempo boost, potentially stalling opponents and keeping the pace of the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Rhystic Deluge at instant speed grants flexibility and tactical surprise. You can wait until the most impactful moment during your opponent’s turn to cast it, instead of committing to a play during your own turn which allows for dynamic responses to in-game events.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Rhystic Deluge demands you to have a certain number of cards in your hand to reach its full potential, which can negatively affect your gameplay if you’re already at a card disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a mana cost that includes blue mana, making it less flexible and thus, harder to incorporate into multicolored decks that may not focus heavily on blue mana resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that is on the higher side when compared to other control options available, Rhystic Deluge can be a costlier alternative and might not be the most mana-efficient choice for your deck’s strategy.


Reasons to Include Rhystic Deluge in Your Collection

Versatility: Rhystic Deluge offers players a chance to control the battlefield by allowing the tapping of multiple target creatures. This can be a game-changer in decks that emphasize tempo control or need to prevent opponents from amassing a powerful offensive. It seamlessly fits into a variety of blue-based control or combo decks.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with strategies that capitalize on tapping or untapping creatures. It can be a key piece in puzzles that involve denying opponent resources or enabling your own synergies, such as untapping your permanents for repeated use or locking down opponents’ creatures to pave the way for a clear attack.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies prevail, Rhystic Deluge acts as a timely disruptor. It prevents major plays from opponents by keeping their crucial creatures tapped down, making it a valuable tool in matches against aggressive or creature-heavy decks.


How to Beat

Rhystic Deluge presents as a strategic control tool in the game of Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to potentially tap down opposing creatures and stave off threats. This action can be pivotal in maintaining board superiority and protecting your life total. To overcome Rhystic Deluge’s influence in a match, one could focus on accumulating an aggressive and resilient board presence that can swiftly replenish itself or counteract the tapping effect. Creatures with haste or those that can untap themselves are valuable here.

Moreover, leveraging instant-speed removal spells or abilities that can neutralize Rhystic Deluge before activation is another practical approach. Additionally, spells that cannot be countered or creatures with resistance to being targeted provide a safeguard against such control cards. By playing efficiently around it, adeptly scheduling spell casts and creature deployments, a player can diligently dilute Rhystic Deluge’s potential impact, turning the tide of the game back in their favor.

To succinctly encapsulate, mastering how to bypass the challenges posed by Rhystic Deluge can be the keystone to victory, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning and the judicious use of resources to outmaneuver opponents within the intricate dance of Magic: The Gathering’s competitive play.


Cards like Rhystic Deluge

Rhystic Deluge is an intriguing entry in the realm of control cards in MTG. When eyeing the landscape for comparable effects, one can’t help but consider Capsize. Both cards offer the ability to return target permanents to their owner’s hand. While Rhystic Deluge requires a setup with four tap-able creatures to be effective, Capsize operates on a simple buyback mechanic, potentially giving you endless use provided you have enough mana.

Equally worth examining is the card Unsummon. This card offers the simplicity and lower cost of returning a single creature to its owner’s hand without additional requirements, but lacks the repeatability and broader target range of Rhystic Deluge. Then there’s Cyclonic Rift, another formidable spell in blue’s arsenal. With its overload cost, Cyclonic Rift can reset an entire board at instant speed, far outstripping the selective nature of Rhystic Deluge.

Analyzing the utility and dynamics of these cards, Rhystic Deluge still manages to hold its own. It provides a tool for players who have accrued a creature advantage on the battlefield and want to leverage that into control, subtly showing its potential in creature-centric decks within MTG.

Capsize - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Capsize - Tempest (TMP)
Unsummon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Cyclonic Rift - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cards similar to Rhystic Deluge by color, type and mana cost

Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Gaseous Form - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Propaganda - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Veiled Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions
Feedback - Fifth Edition (5ED)
In the Eye of Chaos - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Undertow - Legends (LEG)
Mana Vortex - The Dark (DRK)
Energy Flux - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Gaseous Form - The List (PLST)
Mesmeric Trance - Ice Age (ICE)
Soul Barrier - Ice Age (ICE)
Puppet Master - Chronicles (CHR)
Propaganda - Commander 2020 (C20)
Intruder Alarm - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Equilibrium - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Mana Breach - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Checks and Balances - Unglued (UGL)
Douse - Urza's Saga (USG)
Veiled Crocodile - Urza's Saga (USG)
Charisma - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Traveler's Cloak - Invasion (INV)
Shifting Sky - Planeshift (PLS)
Threads of Disloyalty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rhystic Deluge MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Rhystic Deluge and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rhystic Deluge has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 The creature’s controller gets the option to pay when this ability resolves.

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