Reduce to Dreams MTG Card


Reduce to Dreams - Betrayers of Kamigawa
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released2005-02-04
Set symbol
Set nameBetrayers of Kamigawa
Set codeBOK
Number49
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDaren Bader

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables card advantage by resetting opponent’s defenses and artifacts, creating opportunities for strategic plays.
  2. Disrupts and delays opponents’ resource acceleration, potentially advancing your game plan substantially.
  3. Instant speed casting of Reduce to Dreams offers versatile and opportunistic gameplay, countering opponent’s tactics.

Text of card

Return all artifacts and enchantments to their owners' hands.

"This world is a dream. We cling to our toys like children, but sooner or later we must learn to live without them." —Sensei Hisoka


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reduce to Dreams offers a unique board reset, essentially stripping opponents of their built-up defenses and artifacts, which can potentially lead to significant card advantage. Players can wipe the slate clean and gain upper hand, especially if they have a way to capitalize on the clear board.

Resource Acceleration: By resetting artifacts and enchantments, Reduce to Dreams can hinder opponents’ resource acceleration meanwhile paving the way for you to deploy your resources unimpeded. This shift in resource balance can often accelerate your own game plan by effectively setting your opponents back.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Reduce to Dreams at instant speed provides a versatile tool in any player’s arsenal. It can disrupt opponents’ strategies during their turn or at a critical moment, giving you the element of surprise. Furthermore, instant speed interaction means that players can wait to gauge the most opportune moment to maximize the impact of this spell.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Reduce to Dreams beckons for strategic hand management, as you do not want to find yourself at a card disadvantage while aiming to destabilize your opponent’s board state. This can be particularly challenging when your own hand size is dwindling, forcing you to make tough decisions about which resources to retain.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a blue-centric spell, Reduce to Dreams demands a commitment to blue mana sources. This requirement can potentially strain multicolor decks that operate on a tightly woven mana base, limiting its inclusion to predominantly blue deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana value resting above the curve for similar disruptive effects, Reduce to Dreams might not always be the most mana-efficient option. Deckbuilders must carefully weigh the impact against other available cards that could possibly offer quicker or more cost-effective board control solutions.


Reasons to Include Reduce to Dreams in Your Collection

Versatility: Reduce to Dreams is a card that offers a unique ability to set back opponents by returning all artifacts and enchantments to their owners’ hands. This makes it a versatile inclusion in decks that aim to disrupt the strategies of artifact or enchantment-heavy opponents.

Combo Potential: This card has strong synergy with strategies that capitalize on opponents being forced to recast their spells. It can combo with cards that punish players for casting spells or with a setup that benefits from the repeated casting of your own spells due to the returned permanents.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames dominated by players using a multitude of artifacts and enchantments, Reduce to Dreams can serve as a clutch card to level the playing field. It’s particularly relevant in Commander where such permanents are common and powerful.


How to beat

Reduce to Dreams is a unique blue enchantment in MTG that challenges players by returning all nonland permanents with no counters to their owners’ hands. Surpassing this hurdle requires planning and a tailored approach. To effectively counter this, engaging the use of permanents that benefit from being bounced back to hand is advantageous, turning the card’s own ability to your benefit. Cards like Thassa, Deep-Dwelling or Barrin, Tolarian Archmage, which thrive on re-entering the battlefield, are prime examples.

Moreover, adopting strategies that revolve around instant-speed spells and abilities allows you to remain flexible and unburdened by the impact of Reduce to Dreams. This ensures your mana and responses are available when needed, significantly decreasing the enchantment’s disruptive power. Also, including permanents that accumulate counters naturally dodges the card’s reset mechanic, such as creatures with modular or evolving abilities. This allows for sustained board presence and progression, outpacing the temporary setback induced by the enchantment.

Understanding and anticipating your opponent’s strategy when they deploy Reduce to Dreams can enhance your pre-emptive tactics, ensuring your gameplay remains cohesive and resilient in the face of such board-resetting power.


Cards like Reduce to Dreams

Reduce to Dreams is a unique entrant in the MTG arena of bounce spells. When viewed alongside other cards with similar effects, such as Devastation Tide, we notice some interesting distinctions. Devastation Tide, for instance, clears the board of all nonland permanents, but does so indiscriminately, affecting all players equally. Reduce to Dreams, however, specifically targets only artifacts and enchantments, presenting a focused approach to clearing specific threats.

Another related card is Rebuild, which also bounces artifacts but allows for cycling, thereby offering an alternative use for the card. It’s lower in cost compared to Reduce to Dreams and can be cycled away when the full board bounce isn’t advantageous. Then there’s Chain of Vapor, a lower-cost alternative that can bounce any nonland permanent but may involve a chain reaction if the opponent sacrifices a land.

Comparing these options, Reduce to Dreams holds its ground as a tactical card in disrupting decks heavily reliant on artifacts and enchantments. Its strategic depth allows players to dismantle intricate combos or remove a plethora of threats with a single spell, solidifying its place in the toolkit of control decks.

Devastation Tide - MTG Card versions
Rebuild - MTG Card versions
Chain of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Devastation Tide - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Rebuild - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Chain of Vapor - Onslaught (ONS)

Cards similar to Reduce to Dreams by color, type and mana cost

Library of Lat-Nam - MTG Card versions
Psychic Transfer - MTG Card versions
Balance of Power - MTG Card versions
Cruel Fate - MTG Card versions
Temporal Manipulation - MTG Card versions
Brilliant Plan - MTG Card versions
Time Warp - MTG Card versions
Reverse Engineer - MTG Card versions
Essence Fracture - MTG Card versions
Rush of Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Temporal Fissure - MTG Card versions
Bribery - MTG Card versions
Acquire - MTG Card versions
Petals of Insight - MTG Card versions
Heed the Mists - MTG Card versions
Ribbons of the Reikai - MTG Card versions
Tidings - MTG Card versions
Traumatize - MTG Card versions
Capture of Jingzhou - MTG Card versions
Allied Strategies - MTG Card versions
Library of Lat-Nam - Alliances (ALL)
Psychic Transfer - Starter 1999 (S99)
Balance of Power - The List (PLST)
Cruel Fate - Portal (POR)
Temporal Manipulation - The List (PLST)
Brilliant Plan - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Time Warp - Explorers of Ixalan (E02)
Reverse Engineer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Essence Fracture - Onslaught (ONS)
Rush of Knowledge - Double Masters (2XM)
Temporal Fissure - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Bribery - Commander Masters (CMM)
Acquire - IDW Comics 2014 (PI14)
Petals of Insight - Modern Masters (MMA)
Heed the Mists - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ribbons of the Reikai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Tidings - Commander 2018 (C18)
Traumatize - Magic 2014 (M14)
Capture of Jingzhou - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Allied Strategies - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reduce to Dreams MTG card by a specific set like Betrayers 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 Reduce to Dreams and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reduce to Dreams has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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