Updraft MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Updraft can serve as a pivotal tool in gaining card advantage, cycling through your deck to access key components sooner. In a match where every card counts, this advantage can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Resource Acceleration: Updraft is moderately costed and can help you move more swiftly through your mana curve. When used effectively, it accelerates your resource development, allowing you to deploy threats or answers ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Updraft cannot be overstated; it allows for flexible responses to an opponent’s actions. Reacting to board changes on the fly maximizes your tactical options, offering the chance to outmaneuver your rival.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Updraft card obliges players to discard a card, a trade-off that can be particularly taxing when hand size is already compromised.

Specific Mana Cost: Updraft’s casting cost mandates blue mana, potentially restricting its integration across a variety of deck archetypes that don’t heavily feature islands.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding two blue mana and two of any type makes Updraft’s acceleration demands higher than some alternative cards, potentially slowing down the player’s overall tempo.

Reasons to Include Updraft in Your Collection

Versatility: Updraft’s ability to grant flying not only serves as a powerful evasion mechanism but can also turn even the smallest ground unit into an unexpected aerial threat.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that capitalize on creatures entering or leaving the battlefield, as granting flying can be part of a strategy to synergize with abilities that trigger from those actions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board control is paramount, Updraft’s utility in bypassing ground-based defenses and enhancing creature flexibility can be critical against decks that lack sufficient flying or reach creatures.

How to beat

Updraft is a card that offers flying utility and evasion in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. Its primary function is twofold – it can give creatures flying until the end of the turn, and it can be cycled away for another card when it’s not needed. To counter Updraft effectively, consider utilizing removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their flight status. Cards like Doom Blade or Murder can bypass the temporary flying ability and remove the threat directly. Additionally, keep counterspells in hand for when Updraft could turn the tide in your opponent’s favor. Lastly, prioritize creatures with reach or cards that can negate activated abilities to limit Updraft’s impact during gameplay, solidifying your defense against this aerial tactic. By preparing for and adapting to the vertical dimension Updraft brings to the battlefield, you can mitigate its advantages and maintain control in your matches.