Presence of the Wise is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
You gain 2 life for each card in your hand.
Complete guide
Presence of the Wise is a white sorcery that turns your hidden information into a tangible resource. It rewards patient players who maintain a full hand by providing a significant burst of life to stabilize their position.
What It Does
Presence of the Wise checks the number of cards in your hand as it resolves and grants you 2 life for every card found there. It is a straightforward life-gain spell that scales based on your current resources.
Resolution Step by Step
When you cast Presence of the Wise, it moves to the stack. As it begins to resolve, you count the cards currently in your hand. Note that Presence of the Wise is already on the stack and not in your hand at this point, so it does not count itself. Once the count is determined, you gain twice that much life, and the spell is put into your graveyard.
Common Mistakes
The most common error is counting Presence of the Wise as part of your hand. Because the spell is on the stack while it is resolving, it cannot be in your hand simultaneously. Additionally, since this is a sorcery, you cannot cast it in response to an opponent's spell unless you have an effect that grants flash.
When to Play It
This card is most effective in control decks that naturally keep a high hand count. It is best used after you have established board control but need to move your life total out of the danger zone against aggressive strategies.
Interaction examples
If you have four cards in your hand and cast Presence of the Wise, you will have three cards in hand as the spell resolves. You will gain a total of 6 life.
Wrath of GodFirst, you cast Wrath of God to destroy all creatures on the battlefield. With the threats removed, you then cast Presence of the Wise. If you have five cards remaining in your hand, you gain 10 life, making it much harder for your opponent to recover their aggressive momentum.
Sevinne's ReclamationIf you discard Presence of the Wise to a size limit or an effect, you cannot use Sevinne's Reclamation to bring it back. Sevinne's Reclamation only targets permanent cards, and Presence of the Wise is a sorcery, meaning it must be cast from the hand or via Flashback if it had it.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Presence of the Wise
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Presence of the Wise
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.