Anticipate MTG Card


Anticipate allows deck filtering and immediate card selection to streamline gameplay strategically. Its instant speed provides tactical advantage, enabling play during the opponent’s turn. While powerful, it requires careful management due to its specific mana cost and discard condition.
Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Text of card

Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

"When I have meditated on all outcomes, my opponent has no recourse."


Cards like Anticipate

Anticipate offers Magic: The Gathering players strategic deck filtering, allowing them to delve into the top three cards and pick the most needed one. This card parallels with other instant-speed options such as Impulse, which serves a similar purpose in the game. Both facilitate finding that crucial card, but Anticipate is more recent, reflecting the game’s evolution and the increase in card variety to choose from.

Another relative here is Peer Through Depths, diving exclusively into spells rather than any type of card, this can be a boon or a limitation based on your deck’s composition. Whereas Anticipate gives you the freedom to choose any card type, Peer Through Depths shines in a spell-heavy deck where it guarantees a hit. Serum Visions, while a sorcery, also conducts future planning by drawing a card first, then arranging the forthcoming cards.

Analyzing the breadth of selection spells in Magic: The Gathering, Anticipate holds a respectable position. It may not have the targeted efficiency of Peer Through Depths or the immediate draw of Serum Visions, but its flexibility and instant speed make it a solid and reliable choice in many scenarios.

Impulse - MTG Card versions
Peer Through Depths - MTG Card versions
Serum Visions - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Peer Through Depths - MTG Card versions
Serum Visions - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Anticipate by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Aether Burst - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Flash Counter - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Aether Burst - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Flash Counter - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Anticipate. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Simic RampSimic Ramp GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 14 2024
Five-color ComboFive-color Combo LegacyPainterCharlotte Legacy League Season 2 Week 1
Dimir ControlDimir Control GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the most compelling features of Anticipate is how it streamlines your deck’s performance. This card lets you look at the top three cards of your library and pick the one that’s most useful at the moment. Not only does this help dodge undesirable draws, but it ensures you have the right tools in hand when you need them, contributing to a solid card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Anticipate itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in the form of mana, it does enable you to sift through your deck to find your mana sources or ramp spells more quickly. This indirect resource acceleration can be crucial in the early to mid-game when establishing a mana base is critical for executing your strategy.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Anticipate at instant speed is an undeniable tactical asset. This flexibility allows you to make decisions with the most information possible, waiting until the last possible moment to choose the perfect card. Instant speed means you can also keep up appearances, pretending to hold a counter or removal spell, which can sway your opponent’s decisions in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Anticipate requires having a card in hand to discard, which can backfire when you’re already at a card disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Anticipate’s casting cost demands two blue mana, potentially restricting its integration into multicolored or color-flexible decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its three total mana cost, Anticipate might be considered less efficient, especially when compared to other instant-speed card selection options available to players.


Reasons to Include Anticipate in Your Collection

Versatility: Anticipate offers a quick and efficient way to sift through the top cards of your library, ensuring that you get the spells you need when you need them. Its low casting cost makes it an easy inclusion in a variety of blue-based decks, from control to combo builds.

Combo Potential: This instant enhances your ability to find key combo pieces at a crucial moment, granting you the element of choice and the surprise factor to outmaneuver opponents. With Anticipate in your arsenal, triggering the right interactions when you most need them is just a card draw away.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that can be fast-paced and unpredictable, having access to the right answers at the right time is invaluable. Anticipate helps tailor your hand to better respond to the evolving board state, which can be the difference between victory and defeat.


How to beat

The Anticipate card brings a strategic advantage to players by allowing them to look at the top three cards of their deck and pick one, ensuring a tactical edge in deck manipulation. Playing this card offers immediate value by facilitating symbol alignment and refining draw quality, especially if used in end-step phases to maximize upcoming draws. To counter this card, it’s essential to apply pressure early on in the game to reduce the effectiveness of the player’s selection. Another strategy is to utilize graveyard disruption, such as Tormod’s Crypt, to limit the benefits gleaned from future plays involving graveyard mechanics.

Deck disruption tools like Thoughtseize can be pivotal to remove Anticipate from the opponent’s hand before it’s played, ensuring they lose out on the deck-filtering boon. Playing around their Anticipate also means you should be careful with your own key cards, as they may be searching for a specific answer or combo piece. By understanding the flow of your opponent’s game and disrupting it, you can lessen the impact of Anticipate and maintain the upper hand in your Magic: The Gathering matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving deeper into the mechanics of MTG can drastically improve your play and Anticipate is a card that showcases this perfectly. As you analyze the pros and cons, consider its role in deck filtering, finding mana sources, and selecting the right tools at the right time. Whether it’s fine-tuning your deck’s consistency or securing that key combo piece, Anticipate holds value. Understand its comparative alternatives to fully leverage its potential and stay one step ahead of the meta. Enhance your knowledge further and refine your strategic play with us. Dive into more insights to maximize your MTG experience.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Anticipate MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Anticipate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Anticipate Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2020-04-24. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 582672015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
22015-03-27Dragons of TarkirDTK 452015NormalBlackLake Hurwitz
32015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 692015NormalBlackTyler Jacobson
42018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 442015NormalBlackTyler Jacobson
52019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 452015NormalBlackTyler Jacobson
62019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 2872015NormalBlackTyler Jacobson
72020-04-24Ikoria: Lair of BehemothsIKO 402015NormalBlackKieran Yanner
82020-09-26The ListPLST M19-442015NormalBlackTyler Jacobson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Anticipate has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal