Despark Reprint Odds: MTG Statistical Forecasts

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Despark artwork: a stark, atmospheric scene with shadowed figures in a necromantic clash

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Despark Reprint Odds: MTG Statistical Forecasts

Magic: The Gathering fans love a good reclamation story—when a card resurfaces, it often invites fresh debates about mana curves, playability, and the changing meta. Despark, a WB instant that exiles a target permanent with mana value 4 or greater, is a perfect case study for predicting reprint odds in a statistics-driven, fan-friendly way 🧙‍♂️🔥. It first appeared in the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander line, a Commander-focused release that merges the mystique of Tarkir with the chaos of legendary creatures and multi-format play. In this latest revision of cards and reprint cycles, Despark returns as an uncommon, offering a compact, clean answer to big threats while weaving flavor text that nods to Liliana and the ancient deities of that world. The card’s elegance lies in its flexibility: it’s not a blanket removal spell, but a precise, value-aware exile that punishes the most stubborn threats on the board ⚔️.

From a gameplay standpoint, Despark fits a niche that modern players adore: cost efficiency paired with conditional reach. For 2 mana (one white, one black), you get a reliable answer to anything with a mana value four or more. That includes heavy threats, planeswalkers, artifacts, and even some colossal creatures that dominate multiple turns. The set symbol in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander whispers of a world where gods and usurpers mingle with a battlefield’s tempo, and the flavor text—“Liliana whispered to whatever consciousness Oketra and Bontu had left. 'You are the gods. He is the usurper. You know what to do.'” — hints at the tension between control and consequence that Despark embodies in a single instant 🧪💎. It’s the kind of card that shines in EDH, where you routinely face four to six tough permanents that need precise exile rather than broad sweepers.

Let’s talk probability, because the heart of this article is the forecast. Reprint odds for a card like Despark hinge on several overlapping forces: rarity, color identity, utility, and the cadence of Commander-focused print runs. Uncommons in Commander-oriented sets tend to show up more often than mythics, but they’re also subject to fluctuation based on design shifts, new mechanics, and the broader collector market. Despark’s WB identity makes it a familiar, dependable pickup for players who enjoy removal with a twist, while its MV4+ exile keeps it relevant across a wide swath of strategies. Historically, you’ll see a steady drip of reprints for well-liked removal that interacts with “big spell” archetypes, and Despark sits squarely in that wheelhouse. The forecast, therefore, is not a flat probability but a nuanced trajectory that responds to how many similar cards have been reprinted in the last few years, how often Commander products return to the market, and how demand for flexible removal fluctuates among new players and veterans alike 🧭🎲.

How the forecast is built

  • Rarity and format affinity: Uncommons in EDH-oriented products typically have higher reprint odds than non-rotating standards, because EDH thrives on a broad card pool and players value affordable light-removal options that can slot into any WB deck.
  • Mana cost and effect parity: Despark’s {W}{B} cost with a targeted exile mirrors classic staples that many players expect to see reprinted, especially when they devastate “big mana” strategies or legendary permanents in the late game.
  • Flavor and narrative compatibility: The Tarkir mythos and the Liliana–Oketra–Bontu thread provide rich storytelling leverage, making Despark a candidate for future nostalgia-driven reprints as Wizards revisits iconic struggles in Commander sets.
  • Print cadence and market take: If a year’s wave of Commander products leans into familiar, efficient removal options, Despark’s odds rise. If new removal tools shift the meta toward more unconditional or harsher effects, Despark’s relative attractiveness may wobble, but its identity as a two-mana, color-mybrid answer sustains its appeal 🧙‍♂️.
  • Market price and accessibility: A price point around a few dimes historically increases a card’s reprint probability; Despark’s current value in the low pennies-to-dimes range makes it a likely reprint candidate for accessibility, especially in mass-market sets.

In practical terms, the statistical forecast suggests Despark has a meaningful chance to reappear in future Commander or casual-friendly sets within a 2–4 year horizon. It isn’t guaranteed, of course—the combinatorics of set design, licensing, and timing often steer the ship—but the card’s identity and utility place it squarely in the crosshairs of reprint planning 🧙‍♂️💥.

Despark in play: a strategic lens

For players who value efficiency and tempo, Despark is the kind of spell you keep in a sideboard or flex slot, ready to exile a game-changing permanent at the right moment. The requirement that the exiled permanent has mana value 4 or greater makes it a precise tool for countering the “big spell” menace that can swing a match in a single turn. In EDH, where mass removal is common but fragile, a targeted exile with this constraint can save games when your opponent lands that oppressive artifact or commander. The card’s two-color identity invites black-white control shells that lean on hand disruption, efficient removal, and value-based play. And yes, the flavor text gives the card a narrative spine: even as chaos swirls, the gods still know what to do, and sometimes that means removing the most dangerous threat on the board ⚔️.

Artist Slawomir Maniak captures a stark mood in the art that suits the set’s mythic undertones, offering a visual that fans often recall when Despark graces the table. The design here is lean but iconic—a reminder that Magic rewards clean, decisive interactions. For those who love to pilot WB control in Commander, Despark is the kind of card that threads the needle between flavor and function, offering a moment of relief when the table tilts toward a dangerous big-play state 🎨.

Collector value and long-term trends

While Despark’s price sits in the accessible range today, its reprint potential can impact its long-term value trajectory. If reprinted, expect a price dip followed by stabilization as supply increases in response to demand from EDH players and casuals alike. Collector value isn’t just about rarity; it’s about the card’s place in the narrative of a format that thrives on reinterpreting the same spells with different foils, borders, and print aesthetics. Different printings and promos can give Despark a renewed presence on tables and in display cases, where old-school nostalgia meets new-school design. For the completionist, that cross-time appeal is part of what makes MTG’s ecosystem feel like a living archive—where a simple instant can echo across years of formats and playstyles 🧭💎.

As you plan your next deck or your next vintage-styled collection, keep Despark on your radar. It’s the kind of card that, while modest in mana, can be mighty in effect. And whether you’re chasing a reprint for nostalgia or speculating on the ever-shifting market, the gatekeepers of the multiverse always keep an eye on the two-color spells that quietly shape the pace of play 🔥.

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Despark

Despark

{W}{B}
Instant

Exile target permanent with mana value 4 or greater.

Liliana whispered to whatever consciousness Oketra and Bontu had left. "You are the gods. He is the usurper. You know what to do."

ID: f37a4bc1-3702-44d7-8b29-dca99b563c6b

Oracle ID: bd16434d-55ea-4c5a-a9ef-752971a4af16

Multiverse IDs: 696440

TCGPlayer ID: 624627

Cardmarket ID: 818862

Colors: B, W

Color Identity: B, W

Keywords:

Rarity: Uncommon

Released: 2025-04-11

Artist: Slawomir Maniak

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 375

Penny Rank: 4307

Set: Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander (tdc)

Collector #: 284

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.32
  • EUR: 0.23
  • TIX: 0.04
Last updated: 2025-11-14