Desperate Stand
~$0.10 low · ~$0.15 high
Multicolor. Sorcery
Journey into Nyx #147 · Illustrated by Raymond Swanland
Journey into Nyx #147 · Illustrated by Raymond SwanlandWhat is Desperate Stand worth?
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TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
Strive — This spell costs more to cast for each target beyond the first.
Any number of target creatures each get +2/+0 and gain first strike and vigilance until end of turn.
At the Akroan gates, hoplites revived the tactics of Kytheon Iora's infamous irregulars.
Format legality
The only printing of Desperate Stand
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Journey into Nyx jou #147· 2014uncommon· Cardmarket €0.14 · €0.31 foil | uncommon | $0.10 | $0.15 | €0.14€0.31 foil |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy Desperate Stand
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Card details
- First printed
- 2014
- Printings
- 1
- Mana value
- 2
- EDHREC rank
- #26,155 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Keywords
- Strive
- Artist
- Raymond Swanland
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the Journey into Nyx card (#147).
147
- 147Collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
Cards from 1998 to mid-2014 print the collector number over the set's card count (like 90/383) next to the copyright line. They have no rarity letter, set code or language code: the set symbol and its colour show the set and rarity.
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Card breakdown
The parts of Desperate Stand, read from the Journey into Nyx printing. How to read any Magic card.
- Name
- Desperate Stand. Rules use the English name in every language.
- Mana cost
- Mana value 2: the total mana in the cost, colors ignored.
- Type line
- Sorcery is the card type.
- Text box
- What the card does.
- Flavor text
- Italic story text below the rules. It has no effect on the game, and it can differ between printings.
- Illustration
- By Raymond Swanland. The art has no effect on the game.
- Set symbol
- Journey into Nyx. Silver means uncommon.
- Collector number
- 147 = collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
- Artist
- Raymond Swanland, after the paintbrush.
- Copyright
- Wizards of the Coast's copyright notice, with the year.
Rulings (5)
2014-04-26
If such a spell is copied, and the effect that copies the spell allows a player to choose new targets for the copy, the number of targets can't be changed. The player may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, the player can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
2014-04-26
You choose how many targets each spell with a strive ability has and what those targets are as you cast it. It's legal to cast such a spell with no targets, although this is rarely a good idea. You can't choose the same target more than once for a single strive spell.
2014-04-26
If all of the spell's targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. If one or more of its targets are legal when it tries to resolve, the spell will resolve and affect only those legal targets. It will have no effect on any illegal targets.
2014-04-26
The mana cost and mana value of strive spells don't change no matter how many targets they have. Strive abilities affect only what you pay.
2014-04-26
If a spell or ability allows you to cast a strive spell without paying its mana cost, you must pay the additional costs for any targets beyond the first.
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