Dissecting Parallax Tide: A Mana Denial Strategy

In Magic, controlling the tempo of the game is crucial to success. One card that aimed to achieve this goal was Parallax Tide, a powerful enchantment that manipulated mana and lands on the battlefield. However, its inconsistent performance led to it being cut from many decks.

To make Parallax Tide work, you needed to hit play early in the mid-to-late game. Unfortunately, at 4 mana, it simply did too little for the cost. Despite this, comboing it with other cards like allowed players to restart the game with five lands on the battlefield, effectively bypassing the need for mana rocks.

The worded text of Parallax Tide also enabled creative plays, such as exiling own lands in response to an opposing , turning the opponent's own card against them. This could buy time for the Tide player to assemble threats, find answers, or tempo their opponent by bouncing their permanents and stunting their mana base.

Denying your opponent 2 or more lands for several turns is devastating, especially when they're left with only one mana to work with on turn 4. Dropping Parallax Tide on turn 3 or earlier is a fantastic play, making timing crucial.

When paired with mana accelerants like signets or in a G/U deck with access to creatures like , Parallax Tide worked best. Although I eventually removed it from my list due to its inconsistency, I gained valuable insight into the Fading mechanic and Tempo as an archetype.

Parallax Tide's departure from the battlefield caused each player to return all exiled cards to the battlefield, making it a card that required careful timing and consideration. Despite its limitations, Parallax Tide remains a fascinating example of a mana denial strategy that attacks one of Magic's key resources: mana.

In conclusion, while Parallax Tide may not have been as exciting as other cards, it offered unique plays and strategic possibilities. As part of Blue's identity in Magic, Tempo-based decks will continue to experiment with cards like Parallax Tide, seeking to outmaneuver their opponents through clever manipulation of the game state.

Parallax wave parallax tide