Gaze of Adamaro MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant — Arcane
Released	2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Saviors of Kamigawa
Set code	SOK
Number	98
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Paolo Parente

Key Takeaways

Inflicts damage proportional to opponent’s hand size, a boon against decks that hoard cards.
Instant speed allows unexpected plays, but requires players to discard, which can backfire.
Mana demand may limit deck integration, but under right conditions, it’s a meta contender.

Text of card

Gaze of Adamaro deals damage equal to the number of cards in target player's hand to that player.

Wherever it looked, it saw destruction—the wake of its own gaze.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gaze of Adamaro offers direct damage scaling with the number of cards in your opponent’s hand, potentially clearing the board or dealing significant damage to the opponent while maintaining your own hand size.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly increasing your resources, efficiently dealing damage proportional to hand size can help control the pace of the game, effectively accelerating your route to victory.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Gaze of Adamaro at instant speed provides the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategy during their turn and optimize your own tactics, maintaining the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A significant drawback of Gaze of Adamaro is the necessity for players to discard a card to activate its effect. This condition can be particularly unfavorable during late-game scenarios where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Gaze of Adamaro demands a combination of red mana, which restricts its inclusion to specific deck archetypes. Players running multi-colored decks might find this color dependency challenging when optimizing their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes two red mana, Gaze of Adamaro’s mana value might be considered steep relative to its impact on the game. In fast-paced matches, players might prefer options that offer more immediate or versatile benefits for their strategy.

Reasons to Include Gaze of Adamaro in Your Collection

Versatility: Gaze of Adamaro offers flexibility in a variety of deck archetypes. It can be a powerful spell for decks that aim to capitalize on the opponent’s hand size, particularly in red-focused strategies that deal direct damage.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergies with strategies that force the opponent to keep a full hand before dealing a significant amount of damage. It can also be combined with cards that punish opponents for drawing or holding too many cards, creating the potential for devastating turns.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players are holding onto cards for larger plays or where control decks prevail, Gaze of Adamaro can serve as a pivotal tool. It punishes such strategies by turning an opponent’s preparation against them, fitting well into a metagame where card advantage is key.

How to beat

Gaze of Adamaro is a unique card in MTG, presenting a challenge that can shuffle the tides of gameplay. The card’s power hinges on it inflicting damage to opponents based on the number of cards in their hand. Its singularity lies in its potential to become either a devastating force or a negligible threat, depending entirely on the opponent’s hand size.

Strategies to overcome Gaze of Adamaro typically involve maintaining a slender hand, thereby minimizing the damage it can deal. Cards that allow for instant-speed play can significantly reduce hand size when casting spells on an opponent’s turn. Another tactic is to use cards with cycling or similar abilities to lower your hand count while replacing them with potentially more useful options.

Moreover, utilizing spells such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can be an effective means of preemptive defense, allowing players to discard problematic cards before they can turn the game. Deck types that focus on playing numerous cards quickly, like aggro decks, naturally mitigate the impact of Gaze of Adamaro by keeping a lighter hand while still advancing their board state.

Cards like Gaze of Adamaro

Gaze of Adamaro offers an intriguing effect in Magic: The Gathering, often compared to other damage-dealing cards in red’s spell arsenal. For instance, Flamebreak and Slagstorm are two cards that also deal damage to each creature and each player, much like Gaze of Adamaro’s potential impact. However, what sets Gaze of Adamaro apart is its reliance on the number of cards in the opponent’s hand, thereby varying its damage output.

Another card worth considering is Earthquake. It provides a scalable option where the caster decides the damage output by controlling the mana investment into it. While Earthquake deals damage to each creature without flying and each player, Gaze of Adamaro’s effect is decided by the player’s hand size, not mana spent, offering a different kind of strategic planning.

When evaluating these options, Gaze of Adamaro can be a game-changer in a meta where players tend to have fuller hands, setting it apart as a red spell that can potentially deal high amounts of damage under the right circumstances. This analysis highlights Gaze of Adamaro as a card to be reckoned with, underlining its unique place among red damage spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Gaze of Adamaro by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gaze of Adamaro MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Gaze of Adamaro and other MTG cards: