Ephemeral Shields MTG Card


Convoke mechanic enables casting without spending mana, offering strategic resource management. Instant speed of Ephemeral Shields allows for flexible and surprise defensive maneuvers. Protecting creatures at crucial moments can pivotally sustain board control.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Convoke

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. (Damage and effects that say "destroy" don't destroy it.)


Cards like Ephemeral Shields

Ephemeral Shields is a unique combat trick among the spells in Magic: The Gathering, akin to Gods Willing which grants protection from a color of your choice. Ephemeral Shields, offering the ability to give a creature indestructible until end of turn, stands out with its convoke ability, allowing players to tap creatures to help cast it, potentially for no mana at all.

Dive down is another kindred spell, mostly in the way it’s used to safeguard creatures. It provides a creature with +0/+3 and hexproof for a single turn. The trade-off is clear: trading off the hexproof for indestructibility with Ephemeral Shields could mean the difference between survival and destruction. Then there’s Valorous Stance, which also offers indestructibility or can destroy a creature with toughness 4 or greater. While it lacks the convoke mechanic, its versatility makes it a solid alternative.

When evaluating the proficiency of defensive spells, Ephemeral Shields has its own niche due to its capacity to be cast for effectively no mana, granting flexibility and surprise factor to your battlefield strategy.

Gods Willing - MTG Card versions
Dive Down - MTG Card versions
Valorous Stance - MTG Card versions
Gods Willing - MTG Card versions
Dive Down - MTG Card versions
Valorous Stance - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Ephemeral Shields by color, type and mana cost

Disenchant - MTG Card versions
Divine Offering - MTG Card versions
Alabaster Potion - MTG Card versions
Eye for an Eye - MTG Card versions
Lightning Blow - MTG Card versions
Sacred Boon - MTG Card versions
Invulnerability - MTG Card versions
Remedy - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Shield - MTG Card versions
Samite Ministration - MTG Card versions
Shield Wall - MTG Card versions
Life Burst - MTG Card versions
Shelter - MTG Card versions
Equal Treatment - MTG Card versions
Celestial Purge - MTG Card versions
Aura Extraction - MTG Card versions
Raise the Alarm - MTG Card versions
Razor Barrier - MTG Card versions
Test of Faith - MTG Card versions
Echoing Calm - MTG Card versions
Disenchant - MTG Card versions
Divine Offering - MTG Card versions
Alabaster Potion - MTG Card versions
Eye for an Eye - MTG Card versions
Lightning Blow - MTG Card versions
Sacred Boon - MTG Card versions
Invulnerability - MTG Card versions
Remedy - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Shield - MTG Card versions
Samite Ministration - MTG Card versions
Shield Wall - MTG Card versions
Life Burst - MTG Card versions
Shelter - MTG Card versions
Equal Treatment - MTG Card versions
Celestial Purge - MTG Card versions
Aura Extraction - MTG Card versions
Raise the Alarm - MTG Card versions
Razor Barrier - MTG Card versions
Test of Faith - MTG Card versions
Echoing Calm - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ephemeral Shields offers a unique twist on card advantage. While it doesn’t draw cards directly, its ability to protect key creatures can effectively negate removal spells from your opponent. This equates to maintaining advantage on the board, keeping pressure on your adversary and ensuring your strategies remain uninterrupted.

Resource Acceleration: By using the convoke mechanic, Ephemeral Shields enables you to tap creatures instead of paying mana costs. This can free up your resources, enabling you to deploy other threats or hold up mana for unexpected plays, effectively accelerating your resource utilization without expending mana from your pool.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Ephemeral Shields provides flexibility in gameplay, allowing you to react to threats or surprise your opponent during combat. Casting it at the most opportune moment could turn the tides of battle by saving a creature from destruction or enabling a crucial attack to go through unimpeded.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Ephemeral Shields often means having to make the tough decision to discard another card. This trade-off can leave you at a disadvantage, particularly when your hand is already dwindling and each card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Ephemeral Shields requires white mana, which necessitates a certain deck structure. This can restrict its versatility, making it less appealing in decks that can’t reliably produce white mana or where adding another color may not be viable.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With other options available, the mana cost of Ephemeral Shields might not stack up favorably. When considering the protection it provides, players may find that other spells offer similar effects for less mana or with additional benefits, leading them to choose alternatives over Ephemeral Shields for their decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ephemeral Shields offers the ability to protect your key creatures or planeswalkers at a critical moment, making it a useful addition to decks that want to safeguard their game-changing assets. With its convoke mechanic, it can be cast even when you’re low on available mana, as long as you have creatures to tap, making it adaptable to a variety of situations.

Combo Potential: This card is particularly potent in decks that synergize with spell casting or those that capitalize on creature abilities. Its instant speed allows for surprise interactions, enabling it to be a linchpin in combos that require keeping pivotal creatures on the board unexpectedly.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by direct removals or board wipes, Ephemeral Shields gains relevance by offering a low-cost protection solution. It can effectively counter popular removal spells, ensuring that your essential creatures survive to maintain your board presence and momentum.


How to beat Ephemeral Shields

Ephemeral Shields stands out in the realm of combat tricks and protective spells. With its distinguishing feature of convoke, this card allows you to tap creatures as a part of its casting cost, potentially making it a free spell to cast. The ability to grant target creature indestructible until the end of the turn can be a game changer, often saving a key creature from destruction or enabling it to win a critical combat.

To handle Ephemeral Shields effectively, timing is crucial. Since it’s an instant, it’s often used during combat or in response to removal. One strategy could be to bait out the Shield by presenting less critical threats that your opponent might want to protect. Additionally, countering it before it resolves can neutralize the threat completely – so keeping counter magic at the ready can be a pivotal tactic. Another approach is to force multiple threats in the same turn, overwhelming your opponent’s ability to protect with Ephemeral Shields alone.

Ultimately, by predicting the use of Ephemeral Shields and subtly influencing your opponent’s decisions, you can mitigate its impact on the game and maintain the upper hand.


BurnMana Recommendations

Masterful use of cards like Ephemeral Shields can be the shield that guards the realms of MTG players. Commanding the battlefield means knowing when to play your spells as much as it does crafting the ultimate deck. The convoke mechanic brings a level of strategy that, when timed flawlessly, can defend your most valued creatures or enable surprise comebacks. As you refine your approach and broaden your arsenal, consider the depth Ephemeral Shields adds to your white mana strategies. Dive into further insights and strengthen your gameplay by learning more with us—your deck deserves that extra layer of protection.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ephemeral Shields MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Mystery Booster, 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 Ephemeral Shields and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ephemeral Shields Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by Yohann Schepacz.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-18Magic 2015M15 112015NormalBlackYohann Schepacz
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 952015NormalBlackYohann Schepacz
32020-09-26The ListPLST M15-112015NormalBlackYohann Schepacz
42023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 1842015NormalBlackYohann Schepacz

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ephemeral Shields has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-03-19 If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for convoke.
2021-03-19 When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated. Convoke doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
2021-03-19 You can tap any untapped creature you control to convoke a spell, even one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.